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Home , Cowboy, Lasso, Vaquero

RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS VOL. 3 >> ISSUE 07 >> MARCH 2011

VAQUEROS & COWBOYS These legends made famous.

>> DANGER IN THE DUST Dust rises so thick on the that you can’t even see where you’re going. As the longhorn herd travels, their hooves throw more dirt into the air. Suddenly, you feel the ground vibrating. Oh, no! Something spooked the . A stampede begins! Crazed cows toss their sharp horns about. You dodge them, hoping you don’t get speared. Unexpectedly, a D

W group of from a nearby ranchero comes to help. Together, you P T

Y surround the longhorns, sealing off their escape. By the time the animals B

N calm down, you’re exhausted. However, you can’t rest; there are still 10 O I

T more miles to ride before sundown. What a difficult job it is being a cow - A R

T boy! But later, you smile as you drift off under the stars, recalling the adven - S

U tures of the day, while the music of howling sings you to sleep. L L I WWW.TPWMAGAZINE.COM

TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE * 41 The Great Texas Cattle Drives The great Texas cattle drives started in the 1860s. We had lots of longhorns, and the rest of the country wanted . From about 1865 to : 1890, cowboys and vaqueros herded about 5 million cattle to markets up In Spanish, “sombra” means shade. A ’s BANDANA: Besides his north. They became the famous legends that made Texas proud. hat gave him shade in the , this little square cloth harsh South Texas sun. just might be a ’s best friend. It protects him from dust, cold and dripping sweat, and he can even use it as his washcloth! Vaquero Cowboy SERAPE: Vaqueros used these to keep warm, but serapes also helped with herding cattle. They waved serapes to steer wandering cattle back to the herd.

CHAPS: Cowboys wear over their pants to protect their legs from prickly cacti and thorny plants.

COWBOY BOOTS: Ever wonder why cowboy boots When Anglos arrived in Texas have pointy toes? That’s so a they watched skillful vaqueros cowboy can mount his horse in a hurry and get after a run - in action. They learned a lot away . Those pointy toes about herding cattle and slide easily into the ! ranching from vaqueros. Eventually, cowboys created their own special culture. BRAND: Cattle roamed Vaqueros were the original the range to eat, so how could ranchers tell which ones cowboys and started herding belonged to them? By using a cattle in northern to put a special mark or “brand” on each cow. in the 1590s. They lived in Each has its own A VAQUERO’S Texas a long time before LONGHORN: unique brand. I L L

RANCHES: Cowboys and brought longhorn (OR COWBOY’S) American cowboys did U S

vaqueros work for , or cattle with them in the late 1500s Longhorn T R

HORSE: because Texas used to be A “ranchos.” Texas has the biggest and set them free in South Texas. T I O

cattle ranch in the United States, By the 1800s, Texas had wild Without this important N

part of Mexico. B

the King Ranch in South Texas! longhorn to sell to the rest of the tool, he can’t do his job. Y

C

The vaqueros who work there have To ride the range, vaque - L

United States. Those long, sharp E a special name: “kineños.” ros and cowboys need to M horns made the roundup a E N

be expert horsemen with T

dangerous business! E

that won’t panic G U Z

in the middle of scary M A

stampedes of longhorns! N / T P W D

TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE * 43 42 * MARCH 2011 The Great Texas Cattle Drives The great Texas cattle drives started in the 1860s. We had lots of longhorns, and the rest of the country wanted beef. From about 1865 to SOMBRERO: 1890, cowboys and vaqueros herded about 5 million cattle to markets up In Spanish, “sombra” means shade. A vaquero’s BANDANA: Besides his north. They became the famous legends that made Texas proud. hat gave him shade in the horse, this little square cloth harsh South Texas sun. just might be a cowboy’s best friend. It protects him from dust, cold and dripping sweat, and he can even use it as his washcloth! Vaquero Cowboy SERAPE: Vaqueros used these to keep warm, but serapes also helped with herding cattle. They waved serapes to steer wandering cattle back to the herd.

CHAPS: Cowboys wear chaps over their pants to protect their legs from prickly cacti and thorny plants.

COWBOY BOOTS: Ever wonder why cowboy boots When Anglos arrived in Texas have pointy toes? That’s so a they watched skillful vaqueros cowboy can mount his horse in a hurry and get after a run - in action. They learned a lot away calf. Those pointy toes about herding cattle and slide easily into the stirrups! ranching from vaqueros. Eventually, cowboys created their own special culture. BRAND: Cattle roamed Vaqueros were the original the range to eat, so how could ranchers tell which ones cowboys and started herding belonged to them? By using a cattle in branding iron to put a special mark or “brand” on each cow. in the 1590s. They lived in Each ranch has its own A VAQUERO’S Texas a long time before LONGHORN: unique brand. I L L

RANCHES: Cowboys and Spaniards brought longhorn (OR COWBOY’S) American cowboys did U S

vaqueros work for ranches, or cattle with them in the late 1500s Longhorn T R

HORSE: because Texas used to be A “ranchos.” Texas has the biggest and set them free in South Texas. T I O

cattle ranch in the United States, By the 1800s, Texas had wild Without this important N

part of Mexico. B

the King Ranch in South Texas! longhorn to sell to the rest of the tool, he can’t do his job. Y

C

The vaqueros who work there have To ride the range, vaque - L

United States. Those long, sharp E a special name: “kineños.” ros and cowboys need to M horns made the roundup a E N

be expert horsemen with T

dangerous business! E

horses that won’t panic G U Z

in the middle of scary M A

stampedes of longhorns! N / T P W D

TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE * 43 42 * MARCH 2011 SSppiikkee’’ss AAccttiivviittyy PPaaggee GOOD THINGS COME TO >> KEEPING IT WILD This map shows the main trails >> WILD GEOGRAPHY Grab your bandana, Buckaroo! For of the great Texas cattle drives. Use THOSE WITH vaqueros and cowboys, bandanas it to answer these questions: have many uses. 1) Which trail started the farthest west? BAIT. 2) Which three trails stretched from Texas to ? • Wrap your bandana around: • your head to keep sweat from dripping into 3) Which trail went through Fort Worth? your eyes. 4) Which trail started in San Antonio? • your ears to keep them warm. • your face to keep your nose and cheeks 5) All trails eventually headed in which direction? warm. C h O e g y a • Tie your bandana around: e l n la n la • your face to keep the dust from choking e E A S you. ll b e s i d w le a o n l • your neck so it’s there when you need to r e ia th wipe sweat or dirt off your face. • Use your bandana to wash up for supper and KANSAS

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v Now you know...bandanas, not cowboy hats, rule on o TEXAS h ARKANSAS L rt l o the range! t i W l a h t i r r a g o r

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>> WILD WORDS

Many cowboy words we use today come FIND WHERE THE FISH from Spanish words used by vaqueros. ARE BITING NEAR YOU. Match the Spanish words with the English ones created from them: Tx.TakeMeFishing.org/WhereTTxx.TTaakeMeFishing.org/Where A SPANISH ENGLISH E K Buy your license at www.tpwd.state.tx.us/buy, at your rancho chaps H P S nearest retailer, or by calling (800) 895-4248. chaparreras corral corral lariat lazo NEXT MONTH: stampede Animal conservation reata rodeo estampida ranch P H O

TEACHER RESOURCE T O

B Y

Visit www.tpwmagazine.com to download T P a printable PDF, access lesson plans, find W D additional resources or order copies. 44 * MARCH 200191