The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 35, July 1931 - April, 1932 Page: 198
348 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
old wage. He kept at this for two years. During the summer of
1902 he was trail bossing again at $65 a month. For three months
in 1903, he was doing what he did in the winter, 1885-86,-hauling
wood and doing odd jobs at $35. During three months in the
spring he bossed a trail herd at a $65 wage. The rest of the year
he worked as a $35 common hand with a branding outfit. From
1903 to 1909 Jake never received more than a $35 wage, and
worked with branding and tanking outfits, rode fence, and went
on the trail every summer as a common hand.
Jake Raines is still (1931) with the Swenson interests and
daily rides the old West pasture where he first worked with Spur
cattle almost half a century ago. White of hair and thick of
paunch, he is no longer the lithe, wiry puncher who "rep-ed" at
outside round-ups for the Spur outfit in 1885.
From one-half to two-thirds of the hands employed on the Spur
ranch in the course of a year were transients, who worked for
varying lengths of time from April to December. The records of
the ranch show that 901 different hands were on the payrolls from
April, 1885, to July, 1909. Of this number 64 per cent worked
for the company but one season, or a part of one season; 20 per
cent returned and worked a second season; 8 per cent, a third
season; 3 per cent, a fourth season; 2 per cent, a fifth season; and
3 per cent more than five seasons.
Range work seldom ever began before the first of April. During
the winter, beginning as early as December, the manager began
to receive occasional letters from transient hands, asking for jobs
during the following summer. The majority of the men, however,
did not write ahead, but came in person. They began to show up
at the ranch during the latter part of March, their sole possession
being a horse, a saddle, and other riding paraphernalia, and a
small sack of clothes containing an extra shirt and maybe other
things. If the ranch needed hands, they were employed and few
questions asked.
As a rule more hands appeared than the company could use.
There was only one season from 1885 to 1909 when men were
scarce. In March, 1888, sufficient men did not arrive. When
spring work got under way, Lomax found himself short-handed.
He sent one of his wagon bosses to Colorado and Abilene to scout
for more men.4 This search did not provide all the help needed,
4Spur Records, II, 306.198
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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/m1/202/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.