Roundup

Roundup time at the Wilshaw Ranch in Santa Cruz County sees herd being driven into modern corrals for efficient handling.

A complete picture of the open range roundup to its final development would require a volume. Its preparation, the gathering of the clans, with the renewal of old acquaintances; the drive to gather the scattered cattle; the cutting out, with its skill of horse and horseman; the branding, with its noise, sweat and dust; the trail with its dangers of stampedes and swollen rivers; all these were closely related phases of the oldtime roundup, and each would make a long story in itself. It was the most important function of cattleland and the cowman's harvest.

These neighborly gatherings were called by the various names of "cow hunts," "cow works," "works," "cow drives," or were spoken of as "runnin' cattle." The roundup of the open range developed as the cattle business increased and extended. Like everything else in a The word itself is derived from the Spanish word rodear, meaning to encompass, the act of encircling, and, in colloquial Mexican, signifying the rounding up of cattle. We speak of the open range roundup in the past tense for it no longer exists in its true form. Its termination brought the omega of a most colorful and uniquely American occupation.

moving world, it improved in scope as demanded. It was one of the necessities that arose with the general occupation of the country by men with enlarging herds. As ranchers and herds The primitive forerunner of the roundup was a getting together of a few neighboring stockmen to look over each other's herds for strays. These small neighborhood affairs did not include a thoroughly organized, systematic search of a large extent of country, nor an equally systematic identification of the ownership of all the cattle collected, that were the purposes of the great roundups of the open range in later years.

"HORSE ROUNDUP" BY RAY J. MANLEY. Photograph was made at Buck Fletcher's Ranch near the Santa Rita Mountains, south of Tucson. The photographer used a Graphic View Camera, 4 x 5 Dayight Ektachrome, 5" Ektar lens, 1/100th second, 1.5, maximum shutter speed obtainable with the equipment used giving sufficient depth of field. Two cameras were set up side by side, both shutters being tripped at the same time by means of a flash gun. Color film was used in one camera and black and white in the other.

ters being tripped at the same time by means of a flash gun. Color film was used in one camera and black and white in the other.

CENTER PANELS-"CATTLE DRIVE" BY RAY J. MANLEY. Graphic View Camera, 8½" lens, Commercial Ektar, 1/50th second at f 6.3. Daylight 4 x 5 Ektachrome, from hill 200 feet above cattle. Picture climaxed a month of attempts to arrange for cattle roundup studies. Picture was taken at Three-V Ranch, north of Seligman, one of largest ranches in state. Photographer Manley and assistant, Marrero Foust, spent two days following drive to get in position for shot. Five degree December weather put "chill" on equipment, slowing shutters and slowing film to full f stop. Foust relayed messages to lead cowboy in holding up cattle at proper times. Drive estimated to contain 1700 cows and steers, with 450 calves bringing up the drag. Several storms blanketed range with snow a month later, causing severe loss of cattle on range.

A roundup is dust, sun and hard work. There is the odor of strong, black coffee and the smoke from the branding fires and the smell of burning hair. There is the noise of bawling cattle, the shouts and banter of the cowboys, the hoof beats of running horses. This is all part of the orderly process of marketing cattle, truly the Western scene.

Rubber tires are modern addition to chuck wagon used at Three-V Ranch. Horses pull wagon anyplace.

became more numerous, ranges began to overlap their borders, offering opportunities for neighboring herds to intermingle. Therefore, the stockmen had to adopt co-operative plans, and under them work each other's ranges to gather up in one operation and sort out the cattle upon them. Roundups varied in detail in different sections, but, in the main, they were essentially the same throughout the cattle country.

There were two roundups a year-one in the spring, the other in the fall. The 'spring," or "calf roundup," was for the branding of the calf crop. This work began when the grass came in the spring. Time was measured in a cow camp, not by calendar dates, but by the "comin' grass" when the range began to "green up."

The "fall," or "beef roundup," was for the purpose of gathering all cattle for shipment to market, and for the branding of the late calves, or those overlooked in the spring work. It was conducted along much the same lines as the earlier one except it was usually done with more deliberation, for the animals then were heavier in flesh.

After stock associations were organized they passed laws regulating roundups, designating both the time and the place at which these should be held. Originally organized for mutual protection against the rustler, they soon passed laws to prevent any individual from "workin' ahead of the roundup" for his personal gain. These set dates gave every man an equal opportunity as well as avoiding working the range more than once. Men who worked the range before the official roundup date were called "sooners." By working ahead of the regular roundup these men could pick up many mavericks and strays to which they were not entitled. Ranchers suspected of rustling, or being in sympathy with rustlers, were "blackballed" from the association roundups.

The territory was divided into districts by the association. Each ranchman of the district being worked furnished men and bore his share of the general expense, this being proportioned according to the number of cattle owned. Each ranch furnished a sufficient number of horses for its riders, but only the larger outfits sent chuck wagons. Each district was worked successively by ranges until cleaned up in regular rotation. At the end of the drive every owner knew by a carefully kept tally the increase of his herd and the number of older cattle he owned that had been gathered in this raking of the range.

The man chosen to act as boss of the roundup was the "roundup captain," or "wagon boss." He was usually quiet, with a certain amount of reserve, and had to have a better than average intelligence in order to understand the nature of the cowhand. He had to arrange each man's work and place, day and night, without appearing to give orders.

He was boss over all and his word was law, no matter if he did not own a hoof. The owners of the cattle were as much under his orders as any common puncher or horse wrangler. He knew all the bands of the country and had to be a diplomat to keep peace between warring factions. He had to know men and cattle and select the right man for the right job, as well as the proper roundup grounds. Certain men knew certain ranges better than others; accordingly he sent these out to scour this range for cattle. He selected from among the cowboys he knew to have good judgment as many lieutenants as he needed. These he put in charge of small units to run the cattle out of the brakes, arroyos and other parts of the range.

The plan of a campaign that was to cover a broad extent of wild country was carefully worked out with a view of producing the most satisfactory results within the allotted

time. The size of the big circle to be worked was determined partly by the number of men present, partly by the nature of the country.

The roundup captain rode out at the head of his men to the spot from which he wanted the work to start. Here he gave directions to those starting "on circle" to drive cattle in from the surrounding country, designating which section each man or group of men should cover. This was called "telling off the riders," or "scatterin' the riders." When the riders stopped to receive these orders, or "powders," they dismounted to reset their saddles and recinch for the hard ride ahead. The men were sent in pairs. A man unfamiliar with the country would be paired with one who knew that particular range; one riding an unreliable horse would be accompanied by one riding a more trustworthy one.

Men working the "outer circle" were given an earlier start. Though they used the toughest horses, they needed more time since they rode the outside limits of the territory to be worked. The shorter or "inside circle" was usually ridden by men whose horses had not yet become hardened to cow work. On the out trip each man tried to save his horse in order to have him in good shape for the actual hazing of the cattle from the brush and canyons. Sometimes in the rough country where cattle found hiding places, the cowboys would "smoke 'em out" by firing six-shooters to scare them out.

As this troop of cowboys rode over the range, it spread out, dividing into small parties, and later these scattered until its men separated by distances that varied according to the topography of the country. Each man had to hunt out all the cattle on the ground over which he rode, and, if it were much broken, carefully search for scattered individuals or small groups.

Soon clouds of dust were seen in every direction and as the circle became smaller, the bunches became larger and the dust thicker. This "gather" was driven toward the designated "bunch ground," or "holding spot" where they were to be "worked."

As soon as the converging "circle riders" had urged their quarry onto the "holding spot," they surrounded the cattle and held them in "close herd." After a pause sufficient to allow the men to change horses, the concentrated mass of cattle was invaded by cowboys astride "cuttin' horses." This "cuttin' out" called for bold and skillful horsemanship and involved some personal danger. It was hard, wearing work, keeping man and horse constantly on the alert.

During calf roundup there were many branding irons in the fires. Each ranch was represented, and each calf received the brand of its mother. Dragged to the fires by the ropers, they were seized and thrown by the "flankers" to receive their baptism of fire by the "iron men." While the "markers" were ear-marking and other "knife men" were doing other trim-ming, the monotonous chant of the "tally man" could be heard above the bedlam. This operation was referred to as "burnin' an' trimmin' up calves," or "burnin' an' bootin' 'em" since thecalf was usually booted toward its anxious mother when the job was complete.

Often after the first day, when work was pressing, there was what is known as the "night drive" or "moonlightin' 'em." Small squads of men, consisting of one or more from each outfit, were sent ahead ten or fifteen miles from the mess wagon to camp on their own hook. Very early the next morning they began driving cattle in from the country designated for that day. Because they work without chuck wagons and carry their food in small cotton bags, this was sometimes called a "greasy sack ride." Working in a country too rough for wagons was also called "moonshinin'."

The final cattle drive in from the circle on roundup was called the "combings." All coulees, canyons, foothills and flats must be combed thoroughly for hiding cattle. Close combing of the range was necessary for if a calf was not branded before it quit following its mother it became a maverick and was likely to acquire an owner other than the owner of the mother. Sometimes riders were sent back to "prowl" a range; that is, go back over a territory after a roundup in search of cattle which may have been missed. When the "wagon boss" had gathered all the cattle in a given region, he was said to have "covered his dog."

Cattle belonging to outfits not using the immediate range were cut out of the roundup herds by the men representing them. When the "rep," "outside," or "stray man," as these riders for other concerns were called, believed he had reached the outside limit of the "drift" from his company's ranges, he cut out from the "day herd" the cattle of his employer's brand so far gathered, took his mount of horses from the remuda, packed one of them with his camp bed, and "dragged it for home."

When cattlemen over a wide range of territory pooled their resources and men, it was often spoken of as a "pool roundup." This could be a gigantic affair.

The cowboy often spoke of the roundup season as "sleepin' out," or "beddin' out" for at this time he did his sleeping in the open. The open roundup system lasted only a comparatively few years, but during its existence it was the event every cowman looked forward to with interest and eagerness. Not only was it his harvest time, but it served as a reunion where old friends could swap news and ideas. It is fitting to refer to it as a thing of the past, although in some parts of the western country it lingers in emaciated form -little more than a ghost of what it used to be. The term still is in common use, but greatly extended in its application and may be applied to almost any sort of gathering together. If a herd of cattle is to be moved from one fenced pasture to another, if a bunch is to be driven to a railroad station for shipment, rounding up these animals is one of the preliminaries. But the real thing was a different proceeding. It was the gigantic pageant of the cattle country. The great open plains formed its true field of action, but as fences came in to nullify its usefulness, it passed out, leaving only a memory of days never to be seen again.