The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 106, July 2002 - April, 2003 Page: 467

Book Reviews

The book asserts, for example, that "Kinefio and Kenedefio children often
played with children of the owners and bosses" (p. 18). This differs from state-
ments in the published memoirs of Addie Word Cavness, La Puerta de Agua
Dulce: A Chronicle of the Everyday Life of a Ranch Family Circa 1895-1z93, that the
children of the Anglo foremen "never played or spoke to Mexican children" on
the King Ranches (Shelby Printing, 1973). Readers in Kleberg County must
surely cringe to read that a "devoted" Kinefio worker did not eat in the caf6 with
the rest of the ranch staff during the 1950s when Mexican Americans were sys-
temically denied service in any public dining establishments throughout King
Ranch country. Although the Kinefios are repeatedly depicted as caporales or
foremen, the number of Kinefio supervisors is directly contradicted by former
King Ranch archivist Bruce Cheeseman. In the published proceedings edited by
Joe Graham in Ranching in South Texas (1994), Cheeseman's paper on "Richard
King: Pioneering Market Capitalism" admits that "Management positions at King
Ranch, however, were reserved for Anglo lieutenants." Cheeseman includes a
quote that "All the old-timers know how King handled the Mexicans-he had
them do the work and let the white men do the bossing."
Overall, the book is a new look for the King family and ranch. It is certainly re-
freshing that modern children can read about proud vaqueros and the charming
"boy jobs," rather than the heavy-handed image of Richard King and his Texas
Rangers. Some teachers may be wary of the subtle paternalism inherent in the
Tales, but the book can still be used by readers and King Ranch followers who
may even marvel at the King's new clothes.
Austin Community College ANDRES TIJERINA
Vaqueros, Cowboys, and Buckaroos. By Lawrence Clayton, Jim Hoy, and Jerald Un-
derwood. (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2oo0. Pp. xvii+274. Acknowl-
edgments, introduction, conclusion, photographs, glossary, comparative
chart, bibliography, index. ISBN 0-292-71240-5. $19.95, paper.)
Vaqueros, Cowboys, and Buckaroos is not about cattle barons but the plain folks
who get the job done. How refreshing it is to read a book about cowboys written
by people who know something about real life ranching! This subject has been
dominated in recent years by academicians who wouldn't know what a slobber
chain was for unless it dribbled on their oxfords. Now we have a book from writ-
ers who are aware of the scholarly literature as well as what's involved in working
cattle for a living.
This book is the collaboration of three gentlemen who know their subject
matter: Jerald Underwood (vaqueros), Jim Hoy (buckaroos), and Lawrence Clay-
ton (cowboys). It is profusely illustrated with photos taken on the ranches of the
United States and Mexico. Great attention is given to variants in horse gear and
the horseman's attire. Many of these photos are by Sonja Irwin Clayton, stark evi-
dence of the "remote areas where luxuries were scarce" (p. xiii) that Lawrence
took his wife to in search of the working cowboy. A twenty-page glossary defines
"technical" terms used in the book.

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