Roundup Along the Belle Fourche, 1890, photo by John C. H. Grabill.

John C. H. Grabill, started a photography studio in Sturgis, Dakota Terr., in 1886. His photographs taken over a five year period up to 1891, are regarded as a primary source for documentation of the life on the plains of Colorado, Wyoming and Dakota Territory. He is most famous, however, for taking a series of photos of the aftermath of Wounded Knee.

Changing Horses on Roundup along the Cheyenne River at the "T" camp, 1886, photo by J. Grabill

As indicated on the preceding page, a cowboy while on roundup would have to change horses in order to avoid having the horses winded. There would be as many as ten horses for each cowboy. Grabill's notes indicate that the cowboy on foot to the right of center is William Cool. The method used by Cool of roping the horse by tossing a loop from about chest high from one's side is called "throwing a hoolihan." See words to I Ride an Old Paint at botton of page. The gentle throw is less likely to spook the horses within the remuda than roping from above one's head. In bulldogging, the term "hoolihan" or "houlihan" also refers to leaping from one's horse to the back of the neck of a steer bringing the animal down from the force of the leap, rather than by bringing the steer down by twisting the horns. It is improper to do a houlihan in bulldogging.

The roundup depicted included, in addition to the "T," the "999," the "AU7," and the "S & G." The 999 Ranch was located in the area north of Manville and south of Powder River, the AU7 was on the Cheyenne River, and S & G was just across the South Dakota boundary in Custer County west of Pringle.

Addison A. Spaugh, foreman Converse Land Co., on his horse "Old Cotton, Roundup No. 15, 1884.

The Converse Cattle Company (the "OW") was established in 1880 by H. S. Manville and James Peck on the Old Woman Branch of the Cheyenne. The headquarters was located by Manville and Spaugh about seven miles west of the Hat Creek Stage Station. Spaugh (1857-1943) trailed cattle north from Texas at about age 14 with Mac Stewart and James H. Cook. Cook later became a scout for the Gen. Miles and was at Wounded Knee. In his 1925 Fifty Years on the Old Frontier As Cowboy, Hunter, Guide, Scout, and Ranchman Cook wrote:

By the time we got to Indian Territory we were all about played out. It had been raining a great deal, and we had lost a lot of sleep. One night we had a terrible storm and were up all night. It rained all the next day, and we were with the cattle again all that night. The rain continued the following day, and when night fell every old cowboy in the outfit -- that is, those over thirty years of age -- quit the herd and went to camp, where they lay down in the mud. They said they could not stand it any more and must have rest. The only ones who stayed with Mac Stewart (for he was with the cattle all the time, and would have fallen dead from his saddle before he would ever have let them get away from him) were three very young cowboys named Charley Dyer, Bert Helbert, and Addison Spaugh, and myself. I could scarcely keep myself awake at all, and would even go to sleep riding along, in spite of myself. At last I went to the wagon, got a piece of tobacco from the cook, and repeated my old trick of rubbing some of the spittle on my eyelids and into my eyes. By thus torturing myself I kept going. The cattle were so nearly worn out by this time that they could not run, but kept drifting about all night. In the morning the sun came out warm and bright, and the cattle, after grazing a while, all lay down to rest.

It was not unusual for cowboys to be in their early teens. Cook, himself, left home at age 11 and trailed cattle to Kansas at age 13. Thus, a 30-year old cowboy would, indeed, have been old.

Spaugh ultimately went into business himself. In 1901, Spaugh was indicted and convicted in federal court of illegally fencing off 225,000 acres of open range near Manville, west of Lusk. After the fencing was removed, he was sentenced to one day in jail and a $50.00 fine. Spaugh is using a "Cheyenne" saddle.

The Cheyenne saddles were popular on trail drives and were manufactured by Frank Meanea of Cheyenne, F. L. Gallatin of Denver and and the Collins Brothers (John S. and Gilbert H. Collins), who had shops in Omaha, Cheyenne, and Miles City. Spaugh's saddle appears to have been made by J. S. Collins. The Collins Brothers started making saddles in Laramie City in 1872, and opened a shop in Cheyenne in 1876. The brothers supplied saddles to among others Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Theodore Roosevelt had a Collins holster. The shop in Cheyenne, located on 16th Street (see business card to above right), closed in 1885. Gilbert Collins died in 1880 and John S. Collins died in 1910.

Spaugh was not, however, the only one who fenced in open ranch. In the early 1880's, Alexander Swan (see next page), H. B. Kelly, and John Hunton had each fenced extensive areas of public land. Ultimately, under court order, they removed the fencing. Additionally, other methods of land grabbing were utilized. Land could be purchased on the cheap by claiming that irrigation had been established. Thus, the Union Cattle Company and the Goshen Hole Ditching Company filed extensive claims, using as proof of irrigation the plowing of a single furrow thirty-five miles long. F. E. Warren claimed large tracts of land by claiming that he had resided upon it. At the same time, however, Warren had served as City Councilman in Cheyenne. Another tactic was to control the water. Thus, as an example, the giant Pratt and Ferris Cattle Company simply diverted Rawhide Creek, allegedly for irrigation, and gained control over forty-five miles of land. Swan's Two-Bar, by controlling most of the access to the Chugwater, was able to effectively control large areas of public land. Others simply bought every other section, checkerboard fashion, and were able to have exclusive control of the remaining sections by denying access to others. For discussion of "checkerboard control" see Johnson County War

Bunkhouse, Converse Cattle Co., the "O W," 1883

Among those in the above photo are Joe Ryan leaning against fence, Frank W. DeCastro and Orville L. Vincent in pugulistic pose to left of center in photo. DeCastro later acquired his own spread in Niobrara County and Vincent in Goshen County. Addison Spaugh is standing in doorway at the right in the photo. Others who went out on their own in the photo include Bill Mitchell mounted on horse nearest building, Frank A. Watt on horse left of Mitchell, and Jack Blackwell seated to left of individual holding banjo (next to second door from the right).

An assistant foreman for the 1886 Wyoming Stock Growers Association Roundup was a 29 year-old cowboy, John B. Kendrick (1857-1933). Kendrick was originally from Texas and first came to Wyoming on a cattle drive in 1879. By 1882 he had established his own herd. In 1887, he was named as superintendent for the OW. He moved its operations two years later from eastern Wyoming to southern Montana and northern Wyoming near Sheridan. Under his leadership, the OW ultimately grew to control 210,000 acres, deeded and leased. In Sheridan his investments included banking, newspaper, and hotel interests. Kendrick was elected governor in 1915, only the second Democrat to so serve. Kendrick served in the U.S. Senate from 1917 to his death in 1933. In the Senate he helped expose the Teapot Dome scandal and helped provide funding for the preservation of the Longhorn which was facing extinction.

Chuckwagon and hoodlum wagon on roundup, undated

In Wyoming there were two round-ups, the fall round-up to separate the cattle by brand. In open range country cattle could spread out over a hundred miles and it was, thus, necessary to round the cattle up and separate them by brand by driving the cattle past tellers who would typically be owners. Additionally, in the process a top hand would keep the cattle from circling back into line, so that they would not be counted twice. The spring round-up, in addition to separating by brand, had the purpose of branding the calves. The question of who owned unbranded cattle was one of the causes of the Johnson County War. A good foreman on a roundup was, of course, a necessity. As John Clay, in his book My Life on the Range, observed, "Few or any of the owners attended or rode with roundups. The foremen did the work . . . ."

Changing Horses on Roundup, 1890, photo by J. Grabill

Note the rope stretched around the horses, a "rope corral." When camp was set up it was the job of the wrangler to set up the corral, usually about 50 feet in diameter. The rope was held up by forked sticks visible in the photograph. One end of the rope would be tied to a wagon wheel. Another rope tied to another wheel would serve as a gate for the corral. When the horses were broken, they were trained to stay in the rope corral. The reason for the large number of horses, called in the southwest "remuda" and sometimes on the northern plains a "cavoy," "cavvy," or "saddle band," was not only to allow horses to recover from any injuries and to rest, but horses had different abilities. Some were better for roping, others for mountainous areas. The roundup could cover over a hundred miles.

"Waiting for a Cavoy," C. D. Kirkland, approx. 1892.

Like much of the terminolgoy of the cowboy, the terms remuda and cavoy come from the Spanish, cavoy from caballo, horse.

Representatives of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association would also be on the roundup to insure that the roundup was conducted in accordance with the rules. One job was to inspect brands.

"Inspecting the Brand," C. D. Kirkland, approx. 1892.

Later various cattle growing states would employ brand inspectors at the various large markets such as Kansas City, Chicago, and Omaha. Their job was to see that the sellers actually owned the cattle; that is whether the brands matched those that were registered to the seller. Additionally, on a roundup there might be cattle found with a brand that was not registered to a wagon participating in the roundup. Sometimes a bovine might wander from its customary range. As a courtesy to the distant owner, such cattle would be shipped off to market. The state brand inspectors at the market would be able to ascertain ownership, and assure payment to the owner.

Fall Roundup Camp near Hay Creek, 1911.

Hay Creek is north of Moorcroft. The camp is believed to be that of the M W. The M W was located on Stockade Creek in Weston County.

Music this page:

I Ride an Old Paint

I ride an old Paint, I lead an old Dan.
I'm off to Montan' for to throw the hoolihan.
They feed in the coulees, they water in the draw;
Their tails are all matted, their backs are all raw.

[Chorus]

Ride around, little dogies, ride a round them slow.
For the finery and snuffy are a rarin' to go

[Verse]

Old Bill Jones had two daughters and a song,
One went to Denver and the other went wrong.
His wife, she died in a pool room fight,
And he sings this song from morning till night:

[Chorus]

Oh, when I die, take my saddle from the wall,
Put it on my pony and lead him from the stall.
Tie my bones to his back, turn our faces to the west,
And we'll ride the prairies we love the best.

[Chorus]

Next Page, Roundups continued.