Originally published on March 5, 2019 (Episode 101)
Introduction
Cowboys loom large in American myth, but the realities of cattle drives after the Civil War were stranger than the movies.
Take the story of J.M. Daugherty. In 1866, at the age of 16—the name cowboy was literal in his case—he bought 1,000 cattle, hired five cowboys, and headed north for Missouri. In Indian Territory, he took the long way around Cherokee land, to avoid paying them for crossing their lands. As Daugherty told it, at one point some Yankee “Jayhawkers” ambushed him, shot some of his companions, and took him prisoner, accusing him of bringing infected cattle into Kansas. Escaping, the teenager found his cowboys, rounded up the cattle, and then brought them to market. That would make a pretty good movie.
Cowboys were on average incredibly young. They were also as likely to be Black of Mexican as white. But—and this also never made it into the movies—they liked vegetables as much as beef; it was the Civil War that made the era of cattle drives possible; and cowboys were really part of a continent-spanning industrial economy.
In this conversation with historian Tim Lehman, we look at the cattle drives that created the cowboy legend, explore the strange truths behind the myth, and discuss how these journeys became an enduring symbol of American freedom and toughness.
About the Guest
Tim Lehman is Professor of History at Rocky Mountain College and the author of Up the Trail: How Texas Cowboys Herded Longhorns and Became an American Icon (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018). His research explores western history, environment, and mythmaking.
For Further Investigation
Tim Lehman, Up the Trail: How Texas Cowboys Herded Longhorns and Became an American Icon (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018)
E.C. “Teddy Blue” Abbott, We Pointed Them North (Oklahoma, 1976)
Richard Grant, “Recollections of a Cowpuncher”–an article on Teddy Blue Abbott
Lewis Atherton, The Cattle Kings: Legendary Ranchers of the Old West (Indiana, 2019)
J. Marvin Hunter, ed., The Trail Drivers of Texas: Interesting Sketches of Early Cowboys (Texas, 1993)
Christopher Knowlton, Cattle Kingdom: The Hidden History of the Cowboy West (Eamon Dolan/Harcourt, 2017)
Joseph McCoy, Historic Sketches of the Cattle Trade of the West and Southwest (Kansas City, 1874)
Jacqueline M. Moore, Cow Boys and Cattle Men: Class and Masculinities on the Texas Frontier, 1865-1900 (NYU Press, 2009)
Related Episodes
“Red Meat Republic”—more on the continent-wide beef industry
“Horse”— the history of the cowboy’s only friend
“Peace and Friendship in the American West”—a different take on Western history
Listen & Discuss
What myths about cowboys still shape our image of them today?
How did teenagers and small crews manage such enormous drives?
Why does the cowboy remain such a potent American symbol?
If you’ve ever watched a western, share this episode with a fellow fan.
