The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 35, July 1931 - April, 1932 Page: 197
348 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Problem of Hands on the Spur Ranch
tenths of 1 per cent, range-riding. Naturally there was much
overlapping in these classifications and the percentages here given
probably do not conform absolutely to the facts.
It is interesting to trace the fortunes of one of the steady hands
(one who worked the year round) who stayed with the ranch for
a long period of time. Jake (J. D.) Raines, for instance, worked
continuously for the Spur outfit from the time it was taken over
by the Espuela Land and Cattle Company, Limited, of London in
April, 1885, until the Spur cattle were finally disposed of in July,
1909. Jake started in at $35 a month working cattle and riding
fence and bogs. From May, 1885, to November, 1886, he drew
$40 a month, and spent the rounding-up seasons "rep-ing" (acting
as the Spur representative at outside round-ups), and the winter
months doing general work (hauling wood and doing other odd
jobs) at the ranch. From December, 1886, he received $30 a
month and rode fence, rustled horses, and worked on tanks.
During April, 1887, he joined a branding outfit. From May to
December, 1887, he was "rep-ing" again down on the Colorado
River. The winter, 1887-88, found him riding fence from a line-
camp on the ranch at $25 a month. During the summer, 1888,
he went on the trail with a beef herd as a common $30 hand. In
September he was back on the ranch at $25 a month with a brand-
ing outfit. During November he was "rep-ing" for $30. For
four months during the winter, 1888-1889, he drove a team, guided
a plow, and dumped a scraper with a tanking outfit at $25 a month.
After one month with a branding outfit in the spring, he was
sent to "rep" for the company and stayed "outside" until December,
for all of which he got $30 a month. He spent the winter, 1889-
1890, with a fence-building outfit at $25 a month. The next seven
years held the same monotonous routine for Jake-"rep-ing" in
the spring, summer and fall, and fence-riding or tanking in the
winter. He was placed on a straight $35 wage in April, 1890,
which he drew until March, 1898, when he was placed in charge of
a tanking outfit at $50 a month. From April of that year he was
in charge of trail outfits at the same wage. During the winter,
1898-99, he got $50 a month for riding fence and bogs and still-
hunting in camp. From April to November, 1899, he was in
charge of trail outfits at $75 a month. The winter, 1899-1900,
was spent in fence riding and still-hunting at $35 a month. The
summer of 1900 found Jake back at his old job of "rep-ing" at his197
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 35, July 1931 - April, 1932, periodical, 1932; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101092/m1/201/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.