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What Was It Like To Be a Cowboy in the Wild West? · The Infographics Show Podcast

• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Welcome to beyond infographics. Today, we're really diving into the
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: world of the wild West cowboy.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that classic image exactly, but we're.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Going beyond the Hollywood version, you know, getting into what
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: their lives are really like. You send over some great
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: material and it seems like people really want the true stories.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, It's fascinating when you peel back that romanticized layer.
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: The real story is well, frankly much richer, a mix
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: of cultures, practical needs.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Okay, so let's start right there. Where did the whole
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: cowboy thing even begin? It feels so American, but it's it. Well,
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: that's the interesting part. The word itself, cowboy, It actually
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: comes from the Spanish va carol carol, yeah, meaning someone
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: who you know, looks after cattle on horseback, which makes
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: perfect sense when you think about where ranching really took
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: root in the Americas.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: Spanish roots.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Definitely Spanish roots. And it wasn't just the word. The techniques,
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: the gear like the saddle horn for roping, that all
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: came from Spanish traditions brought over from the Iberian Peninsula.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: But the word cowboy itself, when did that pop up
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: in English? Okay? So the first time it appeared in
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: print in English was way back like seventeen twenty five.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: Seventeen twenty five, wow, yeah.
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: But back then it meant young boys tending cows like
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: in the British Isles. Totally different context.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: So how did it morph into the wild West? Figure?
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: We know?
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  Speaker 2: It really happened with westward expansion as English speakers moved
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: into places like Texas where Spanish and Mexican ranching was
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: already established.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: Ah, the tradition started merging.
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: Exactly, Spanish and English ways of handling livestock began to blend.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: You also had like traders from the East Coast going
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: to California encountering Vocaro's there.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Stirring the pot, you might say, yeah, precisely.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: So this cultural mix, especially strong in Texas, is where
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: Vaccaro gradually, you know, shifted into cowboy.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: Okay, So this term, with this kind of complex background,
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: came to define a specific job. What exactly was that job?
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: What were these cowboys actually doing day in day out?
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: Well, the main driver, the big picture was the growing
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: demand for beef back east and across the country. The
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: US was expanding, right, more people needed feeding exactly, so
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: cowboys were essential their main job was managing these huge
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: herds of cattle on the open ranges. But they also
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: did other things like mustang runs.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: Mustang runs, catching wild horses.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: Yep, catching and selling wild horses another resource out there.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: And then critically, you had the roundups.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: Ah, yes, the roundup. That sounds like a huge undertaking.
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: Oh it was twice a year, spring and fall. Usually
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: cowboys from different ranches would work together to gather all
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: the cattle spread across the range.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: Why what was the point of gathering them all?
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: Several reasons, branding the new cabs so everyone knew who
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: was who's, separating the herds, and importantly picking out the
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: steers ready for market. It was h organized chaos.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: Maybe, I bet. And after the roundup came the cattle drives, right,
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: the really.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: Iconic part, that's right, Moving thousands of cattle over hundreds,
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: sometimes thousands of.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: Miles, yes, wow, why such long.
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: Distances, Sometimes to find better grazing land, but often the
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: main goal was getting them to the nearest.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: Railroad town to shift them east.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: Exactly to get the beef to those growing markets. Those
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: drives are really burned into the popular image.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: They really are. But those drives and roundups were seasonal.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: What about the rest of the time. What did a
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: typical day look like? It sounds like incredibly hard work.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: It absolutely was. Forget the glamour. The core job day
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: to day was the well being of the animals, cattle
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: and horses.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: It was like checking on them, feeding them, yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Feeding when necessary, tending injuries, dealing with illnesses. Branding and
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: ear marking were ongoing tasks too, and they manage their strings.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: The small group of horses each cowboy used for.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: Work, right, they needed different horses for different jobs.
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: I suppose definitely. And beyond direct animal care, a huge
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: part of the job was writing the range, patrolling, patrolling
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: for what, oh, all sorts, checking fences for damage, looking
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  Speaker 2: out for predators, wolves, coyotes.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: Mountain lions, things that could harm the cattle.
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: Exactly, making sure there was enough water, fixing problems with
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: water sources, just generally keeping an eye on things across
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: vast areas, and depending on the ranch size, they might
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: do other general labor too. It sounds relentless, non stock
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: pretty much, it was tough physical work.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: Okay, let's talk about the look. The cowboy outfit is
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: so iconic, the hat, the boots, the chaps, Was that
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: just style or was there a reason for it all?
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: Oh, there was definitely a reason, function over fashion. Absolutely
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: every piece served a purpose in that environment.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Like the bandana yep.
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: Not just for looks. Kept the dust out of your
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: nose and mouth during drives, protected your neck from the
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: sun wiped away sweat. Really practical, makes sense.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: And the chaps, those leather leg coverings.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: Vital protected their legs from thorny brush, cacti, rope, burns,
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: even animal bites when riding through a rough country. Like
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: tough armor for your legs.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: And the hat, the classic stets and style.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: Hat, that wide brim was crucial for shade from the
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: blazing sun. The high crown helped insulate and provided some
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: protection from rain or even low branches. Very practical headwear.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: And the boots they always looked kind of difficult to
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: walk in.
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: They weren't really meant for walking long distances. The high
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: tops protected the lower leg, pointed toes helped slide into
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: the stirrups easily, and the high heel that was actually
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: a safety feature.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: Safety It helped.
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: Prevent the foot from slipping through the stirrup if the
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: rider fell or got thrown, getting dragged was incredibly dangerous.
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: Ah, okay, that makes sense. What about their pants and
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: gloves usually.
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: Tough stuff like denim jeans or canvas trousers, durable, often
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: with smooth inner seems to stop chiefing after hours.
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: In the saddle, right, comfort or lack of discomfort would be.
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: Important, critically important. And gloves usually leather detected hands from rope, burns,
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: barbed wire, weather, all sorts of things. But you know
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: this gear wasn't uniform everywhere.
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: Oh so you mentioned regional differences earlier. Did that apply
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: to clothing too?
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: Absolutely? The environment really shaped things. Remember Texas with its
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: strong vaccaro roots. Yeah, the Spanish influence, right, So their
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: gear often blended Spanish or Mexican styles, maybe different hats,
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: different saddle types, with things brought from the eastern US
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: or Britain. And they were known for those long drives,
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: maybe needing slightly different setups.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: Okay, what about somewhere like California.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: You mentioned buccaroos, right, the buccaroos often Spanish and Mexican
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: voccaros themselves or heavily influenced by them. California ranching was
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: sometimes less about those massive drives because they had good
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: grazing in local markets.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: Oh, maybe a different style evolved.
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah. They were known for being incredible horsemen, often very
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: skilled with intricate raw hide braiding for their gear. And
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: sometimes they stayed on one ranch for a long time,
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: more settled than the Texas cowboys.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: Perhaps, interesting so Texas California. Any other distinct types.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, Florida had its cow hunters or cracker cowboys. Yeah,
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: totally different environment, more swamps.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: Brush, so different techniques definitely.
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: They often used bull whips and dogs to herd cattle,
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: which is very different from the last searing out west.
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: Their gear reflected the terrain too, sometimes McClellan's saddles, maybe
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: sturdy ankle boots called brogans for snake protection, straw hats, ponchos.
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: Not the typical Western image at all.
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: Bullwhips and dogs, that really paints a different picture. Any others, Well,
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: you had.
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: Unique situations like the Saltwater cowboys in Virginia herding the
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: wild shin coutigue ponies and even Hawaii.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: Why you had cowboys.
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: They did, called pinolos descended from macaros brought over from
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: California and Mexico. They developed their own methods like using
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: pits to catch wild cattle and ranching spread elsewhere too, Canada,
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: South America, Australia, each with its own adaptations.
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: It's amazing how varied it was, all under that one
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: umbrella term.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: It really is shows how people adapt to their environment.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: So we've talked about the work, the gear, the regions,
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: but let's circle back to the reality of life. You
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: said it was far from glamorous.
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's probably the biggest disconnect with the myth. It
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: was incredibly hard labor a long, long hours, often very
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: little sleep, especially on drives or during roundups. Physically demand
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: and socially where do they fit in? Generally they were
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: working class, often near the bottom of the social ladder
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: on the frontier, sometimes transient workers, not usually the powerful
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: landowners or businessmen.
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: So not the independent heroes always calling the shots.
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: Not typically, No, that's more the Hollywood version. But despite
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: the hardships, reports suggest they were often a pretty diverse group,
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: different backgrounds, races really, Yeah, and apparently pay often wasn't
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: based on race, which was quite unusual for the time.
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: There seemed to be a certain code or camaraderie among them,
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: born from shared hardship maybe.
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: But it must have been long too, out on the range.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: Oh, incredibly lonely at times, miles from anywhere. Their horse
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: was often their main companion. You see that reflected in
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: cowboy songs and poetry.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that makes sense. The horse is a.
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: Partner, definitely. And they developed their own lingo, didn't they Yeah,
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: slang special terms.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: Right, a whole subculture with its own way of talking.
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: Exactly, And it required real skill, not just writing, but
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: understanding animals, reading the land, being resourceful, strength, smarts, and
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: uh definitely courage were needed.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: Did they earn decent money for all that hardship?
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: Reasonably well for manual labor at the time. Yes, But
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: it was a tough, often nomadic life. You didn't get
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: rich being a regular cowboy.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: Now, what about cowgirls? We always hear about cowboys.
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: That's a really important point. Women were absolutely part of
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: ranch life. They worked alongside men rowed roped, but their
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: stories often weren't recorded or focused on in the same way.
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: History hasn't always done them justice. But they were.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: There, right, something maybe we need to explore more so,
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: this whole era, the classic open range cowboy, It didn't
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: last forever, did it.
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: No? It had a relatively short peak. Really, the invention
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: of barbed wires started fencing off the open range, and
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: then those brutal winters, especially eighteen eighty six eighteen eighty seven.
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: What happened then, just devastating blizzards and cold. Millions of
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: cattle died across the plains. It bankrupted many ranchers and
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: basically collapsed the old open range cattle industry model.
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: Wow, a sudden, harsh end in many ways.
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: It really changed things. Ranching continued, of course, but it
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: became more managed, fenced in. The need for those huge,
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: long cattle drives diminished. The number of cowboys decreased, but.
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: They didn't disappear entirely, not at all.
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: As we sort of touched on, ranching continues today, cowboys
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: and cowgirls still work with cattle and horses, using many
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: of the same skills, just adapted to modern times. Yep,
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: maybe using ATVs alongside horses now, you know.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah. So the reality was well a lot grittier than
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: the movie.
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: Much grittier, hard work, practical skills, add apt patient often
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: low social status, loneliness, but also camaraderie, diversity, and a
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: unique culture. It's a complex picture.
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: It really is. The legend is powerful, but the reality,
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: understanding the vikara roots that daily grind, the regional variations,
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: it's much more compelling.
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: I think, I agree, and it makes you think, doesn't it.
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: How many other historical figures or jobs have this kind
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: of hidden depth behind the popular image.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: That's a great thought to leave folks with. So, as
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: you've heard, the life of a wild West cowboy way
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: more complex and honestly more interesting than just gunfights and
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: saloon doors.
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: A lot of hard work, skill and living rough.
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: Definitely, we hope this deep dive has given you a
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: clearer picture, maybe busted a few myths. What part surprised you?
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: Do you have more questions about this era? We'd love
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: to know what you think.
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: Yeah, let us know.
• 11:48
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• 11:50
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• 11:53
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• 11:54
  Speaker 2: It really helps other people find the show and helps
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: us keep bringing these explorations to you.
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, thanks so much for joining us today for this
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: look Beyond the Infographics.
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: We'll catch you on the next deep dive.