The cowboy and cattle trade began when the Spanish settlers brought their long-horned cattle into what is now northern Mexico and Texas. Here, on the other side of the world, ranchers found that cowboys were cheaper than fencing, so they bought vast areas of land and allowed their growing herds to run loose instead of keeping them in fenced in pastures.

The Tex-Mex geography and weather conditions were ideal for the Spanish cattle – adaptation came easily. Tough, aggressive, and anything but slow on their feet, the longhorns had little to fear from predators. So the herds prospered and multiplied rapidly making the ranchers much more than financially stable. Many of them became rich beyond their wildest dreams – the richer they became, the more cattle they bought. At the same time, the cattle were allowed to live in free conditions which prompted their wildness. So as time went on the ranchers began to find it more and more difficult to control their herds.

Over the years, out of necessity, cowboys began to invent equipment and workout new techniques for dealing with their longhorns. Thus, the art of cattle roping was born. And over the years they became skillful in the use of horse and rope, as well as knowledgeable in the ways of the new breed of cattle. Even so, a great number of calves and steers escaped and spread in all directions from their home ranges.

By the time our Civil War ended, the mid-western territories were heavily stocked with wild longhorns. Without legally marked brands, the steers became the property of anyone who would catch them. Discharged soldiers from the North and the South began to drift into Texas in search of land, work, adventure, and a better sphere of living.

Of course,  there were many settlers and pilgrims who owned and raised cattle, but these people were not considered cowboys. It  was the ex-soldiers along with migrating drifters, homesteaders, Mexican’s, and former outlaws who became what we what we call “real cowboys”.