Cowboys
A Cowboy's job was very important. He had
to look after the cattle on the ranch and on the trail. The job was
not easy and could be quite uncomfortable. It was dangerous, cattle
could trample a cowboy to death in a stampede. There were dangers
from Indians, and also the weather could be rough.
Cowboys lived in either a 'Bunkhouse' or on the open Plains. Either
way they had little privacy and few possessions.
Most cowboys became very skilled on horseback,
learning to rope cattle and round them up. They wore the' Stetson'
hat to shade them from the sun , which was hot.' The hat was also
used as a bowl either for man or for the horses to drink from. Cowboys
wore 'chaps' made from leather over their denim jeans. These 'chaps'
provided protection for their legs. A rifle may well be used to kill
a cow that was badly injured, or
a threat from a cougar or wolf. When the cowboys went into town,
which could be a rough and dangerous place to visit then they may
well have taken their guns.
The
History of the West - Native
American Peoples Of the Plains - Wagon
Trains - Gold Fever - Ranches
on the Plains - Homesteaders - The
Railroad - Justice in the Wild West - War
Between The Settlers and The Native American Indians
