Outlet

Andy Adams

Description

The Civil War changed the contours of the United States in countless ways -- including the business landscape. In the aftermath of the conflict, Texas cattle companies began trading their livestock with buyers in the Pacific Northwest. The Outlet is a gripping account of the first grueling cattle drives to the region -- and the indefatigable ranchers and laborers who brought this long-deferred dream to fruition.

Sujets

• Westerns
• Western (genre)
• Western

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 mai 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781775457381
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE OUTLET
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ANDY ADAMS
 
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The Outlet First published in 1905 ISBN 978-1-77545-738-1 © 2012 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Preface Chapter I - Opening the Campaign Chapter II - Organizing the Forces Chapter III - Receiving at Los Lobos Chapter IV - Mingling with the Exodus Chapter V - Red River Station Chapter VI - Camp Supply Chapter VII - When Greek Meets Greek Chapter VIII - En Passant Chapter IX - At Sheriff's Creek Chapter X - A Family Reunion Chapter XI - All in the Day's Work Chapter XII - Marshaling the Forces Chapter XIII - Justice in the Saddle Chapter XIV - Turning the Tables Chapter XV - Tolleston Butts In Chapter XVI - Crossing the Niobrara Chapter XVII - Water-Bound Chapter XVIII - The Little Missouri Chapter XIX - In Quarantine Chapter XX - On the Just and the Unjust Chapter XXI - Fort Buford Chapter XXII - A Soldier's Honor Chapter XXIII - Kangarooed Chapter XXIV - The Winter of Our Discontent
Preface
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At the close of the civil war the need for a market for the surpluscattle of Texas was as urgent as it was general. There had been numerousexperiments in seeking an outlet, and there is authority for thestatement that in 1857 Texas cattle were driven to Illinois. Elevenyears later forty thousand head were sent to the mouth of Red Riverin Louisiana, shipped by boat to Cairo, Illinois, and thence inland byrail. Fever resulted, and the experiment was never repeated. To the westof Texas stretched a forbidding desert, while on the other hand, nearlyevery drive to Louisiana resulted in financial disaster to the drover.The republic of Mexico, on the south, afforded no relief, as it waslikewise overrun with a surplus of its own breeding. Immediately beforeand just after the war, a slight trade had sprung up in cattle betweeneastern points on Red River and Baxter Springs, in the southeast cornerof Kansas. The route was perfectly feasible, being short and entirelywithin the reservations of the Choctaws and Cherokees, civilizedIndians. This was the only route to the north; for farther to thewestward was the home of the buffalo and the unconquered, nomadictribes. A writer on that day, Mr. Emerson Hough, an acceptableauthority, says: "The civil war stopped almost all plans to market therange cattle, and the close of that war found the vast grazing landsof Texas fairly covered with millions of cattle which had no actualor determinate value. They were sorted and branded and herded after afashion, but neither they nor their increase could be converted intoanything but more cattle. The demand for a market became imperative."
This was the situation at the close of the '50's and meanwhile therehad been no cessation in trying to find an outlet for the constantlyincreasing herds. Civilization was sweeping westward by leaps andbounds, and during the latter part of the '60's and early '70's, amarket for a very small percentage of the surplus was established atAbilene, Ellsworth, and Wichita, being confined almost exclusively tothe state of Kansas. But this outlet, slight as it was, developed thefact that the transplanted Texas steer, after a winter in the north,took on flesh like a native, and by being double-wintered became amarketable beef. It should be understood in this connection that Texas,owing to climatic conditions, did not mature an animal into marketableform, ready for the butcher's block. Yet it was an exceptional countryfor breeding, the percentage of increase in good years reaching thephenomenal figures of ninety-five calves to the hundred cows. At thistime all eyes were turned to the new Northwest, which was then lookedupon as the country that would at last afford the proper market.Railroads were pushing into the domain of the buffalo and Indian; therush of emigration was westward, and the Texan was clamoring for anoutlet for his cattle. It was written in the stars that the Indian andbuffalo would have to stand aside.
Philanthropists may deplore the destruction of the American bison, yetit was inevitable. Possibly it is not commonly known that the generalgovernment had under consideration the sending of its own troops todestroy the buffalo. Yet it is a fact, for the army in the West fullyrealized the futility of subjugating the Indians while they could drawsubsistence from the bison. The well-mounted aborigines hung on theflanks of the great buffalo herds, migrating with them, spurning alltreaty obligations, and when opportunity offered murdering the advanceguard of civilization with the fiendish atrocity of carnivorous animals.But while the government hesitated, the hide-hunters and the railroadssolved the problem, and the Indian's base of supplies was destroyed.
Then began the great exodus of Texas cattle. The red men were easilyconfined on reservations, and the vacated country in the Northwestbecame cattle ranges. The government was in the market for largequantities of beef with which to feed its army and Indian wards. Themaximum year's drive was reached in 1884, when nearly eight hundredthousand cattle, in something over three hundred herds, bound for thenew Northwest, crossed Red River, the northern boundary of Texas. Someslight idea of this exodus can be gained when one considers that in theabove year about four thousand men and over thirty thousand horses wererequired on the trail, while the value of the drive ran into millions.The history of the world can show no pastoral movement in comparison.The Northwest had furnished the market—the outlet for Texas.
Chapter I - Opening the Campaign
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"Well, gentlemen, if that is the best rate you can offer us, then we'lldrive the cattle. My boys have all been over the trail before, and yourfigures are no inducement to ship as far as Red River. We are fullyaware of the nature of the country, but we can deliver the herds attheir destination for less than you ask us for shipping them one thirdof the distance. No; we'll drive all the way."
The speaker was Don Lovell, a trail drover, and the parties addressedwere the general freight agents of three railroad lines operating inTexas. A conference had been agreed upon, and we had come in by trainfrom the ranch in Medina County to attend the meeting in San Antonio.The railroad representatives were shrewd, affable gentlemen, andpresented an array of facts hard to overcome. They were well aware ofthe obstacles to be encountered in the arid, western portion of thestate, and magnified every possibility into a stern reality. Unrollinga large state map upon the table, around which the principals weresitting, the agent of the Denver and Fort Worth traced the trail fromBuffalo Gap to Doan's Crossing on Red River. Producing what was declaredto be a report of the immigration agent of his line, he showed bystatistics that whole counties through which the old trail ran hadrecently been settled up by Scandinavian immigrants. The representativeof the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas, when opportunity offered, enumeratedevery disaster which had happened to any herd to the westward of hisline in the past five years. The factor of the International was equallywell posted.
"Now, Mr. Lovell," said he, dumping a bundle of papers on the table, "ifyou will kindly glance over these documents, I think I can convince youthat it is only a question of a few years until all trail cattle willship the greater portion of the way. Here is a tabulated statement up toand including the year '83. From twenty counties tributary to our lineand south of this city, you will notice that in '80 we practicallyhandled no cattle intended for the trail. Passing on to the nextseason's drive, you see we secured a little over ten per cent. of thecattle and nearly thirty per cent. of the horse stock. Last year, or for'83, drovers took advantage of our low rates for Red River points, andthe percentage ran up to twenty-four and a fraction, or practicallyspeaking, one fourth of the total drive. We are able to offer thesame low rates this year, and all arrangements are completed with ourconnecting lines to give live-stock trains carrying trail cattle apassenger schedule. Now, if you care to look over this correspondence,you will notice that we have inquiries which will tax our carryingcapacity to its utmost. The 'Laurel Leaf' and 'Running W' people alonehave asked for a rate on thirty thousand head."
But the drover brushed the correspondence aside, and asked for thepossible feed bills. A blanket rate had been given on the entireshipment from that city, or any point south, to Wichita Falls, with onerest and feed. Making a memorandum of the items, Lovell arose from thetable and came over to where Jim Flood and I were searching for FortBuford on a large wall map. We were both laboring under the impressionthat it was in Montana, but after our employer pointed it out to us atthe mouth of the Yellowstone in Dakota, all three of us adjourned toan ante-room. Flood was the best posted trail foreman in Don Lovell'semploy, and taking seats at the table, we soon reduced the proposedshipping expense to a pro-rata sum per head. The result was not tobe considered, and on returning to the main office, our employer, asalready expressed, declined the proffered rate.
Then the freight men doubled on him, asking if he had taken intoconsideration a saving in wages. In a two days' run they would lay downthe cattle farther on their way than we could possibly drive in sixweeks, even if the country was open, not to