The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, July 1954 - April, 1955 Page: 218
650 p. : ill., maps (some col.), ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Ce cowboy it Jis RJome State
CLIFFORD P. WESTERMEIER
To COME to Texas, the state 'famed in song and story,' and
tell such a group as this that the cowboy spells romance
in American history would be presumptuous. Likewise, it
would be unpardonable to tell Texans that Texas is the home of
the cowboy, that the 'Texas cowboy is a breed by himself, that he
rode over a large range, that, in fact, at one time his sphere of
activity included not only all of Texas but took him far beyond
the borders on trails leading northward as far as Canada. Also, his
story is closely interwoven with that of the American cattle indus-
try, and historians inform us that he marked not only this gigantic
industry but all Western America with the brand of the Lone
Star State.
All of this has been said repeatedly and in diverse ways-in the
intimate, personal, artless narrative of the old-timer; in the skillful
and accurate approach of the historian; and, in lighter vein, it
finds its way into numerous works of fiction. The authors, be they
one-time participants in the activity, scholars, or fiction writers,
all approach the subject with the same spirit and boldness that
characterize the cowboy and the environment in which he lived.
In the course of years an incredibly colorful fabric of truth and
naturally of fancy has been woven in an almost foolproof armor
around this great American hero with his sturdy horse, his craft
in herding the gaunt, wild Longhorn, his skill in breaking and
riding the fierce and fiery bronco, his crude humor, his loyalty to
the brand, and his rowdy brawls in the cowtowns. The long, im-
pressive list of authors who have sung his saga includes such names
as Andy Adams, W. S. James, Frank M. King, Ross Santee, Charles
A. Siringo, Emerson Hough, Philip Ashton Rollins, Edward Ever-
ett Dale, J. Frank Dobie, Joseph Jacinto Mora, and John K.
Rollinson, who, to borrow a phrase from Will Rogers, "tell it so
well it sounds almost respectable." Upon close examination of this
*The following address was presented at a luncheon on April 30, 1954, during
the Association's Annual Meeting. The paper is drawn in part from Mr. Wester-
meier's forthcoming book, Trailing the Cowboy, to be published earily in 1955 by
Caxton Printers, Ltd., Caldwell, Idaho.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, July 1954 - April, 1955, periodical, 1955; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101158/m1/259/?rotate=90: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.