Cedar
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Joined : 15 May 2007
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Localisation : Always Texas
|  Subject: 'The Trail Drivers of Texas,' J. Marvin Hunter, ed.  Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:27 pm | |
| According to its Introduction, "an estimated 25,000 to 35,000 men trailed six to ten million head of cattle and a million horses northward from Texas to Kansas and other distant markets between the end of the Civil War and the turn of the [twentieth] century." Of these men, of course, a large percentage hailed from and maintained roots in Texas. So it was that, for the purpose of preserving "for posterity the historical contributions of the trail-riding cowboys, George W. Saunders, himself a veteran of the cattle trail, founded the Old Time Trail Drivers' Association in 1915." (page vi)
This association of eminent company hosted several reunions, during the first quarter of the twentieth century, for veterans of the old cattle trails. These brought great enjoyment and offered mutual support for the former drovers. As is the way of such gatherings, many stories were told and memories of the open range offered up; wisely George Saunders began "soliciting narratives" so that these recollections might be preserved for posterity, on the printed page.
So was born 'The Trail Drivers of Texas,' ultimately a volume of over one thousand pages. It was brought together with the help of a newspaperman named J. Marvin Hunter; a compiler humble to his task but recognizing the importance of the accomplishment set before him. These classic, first-hand chronicles of a 'cowboy's life' in the days before barbed wire have been reissued several times over the decades, since initial publication in 1924. Of their own account, these reminiscences are treasures for the general reader or motivated researcher. They may harbor gold if your ancestor is believed to have been a trail-driver or active in that mushrooming profession, called 'ranching,' during the second half of the nineteenth century.
This wonderful book is indexed.
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The woman of the frontier made the best of her situation, for she had developed a respect for the land that gave her freedom as well as the courage to live in it.
~~~ from the perspective of Anne Seagraves |
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