The King Ranch, cowboys, and cattle drives are part of Texas history

The King Ranch is a great place to go to learn about Texas ranching, says Emiliano Zapata, Chico Chihuahua's furry little cowboy cousin from South Texas. It is one of the largest ranches in the world.

was started in 1853 by Captain Richard King and his partner Gideon Lewis. It is so big today that it now covers parts of six Texas counties. The ranch's brand that goes on all the livestock today is the Running W.

The , was created on the King Ranch and was the ranch's trademark stock. The Santa Gertrudis is especially bred to thrive in South Texas' hot climate.

By 1870, Captain King could herd 300,000 cattle to the railroads in Kansas and ship them to the stockyards in Chicago. A steer worth $11 in South Texas could bring $20 in Abilene or $31.50 in The cattle drives usually lasted about 100 days each.

Texas Longhorn cattle

Other ranchers raised . These were the descendant of hardy Spanish cattle. The Texas Longhorn can thrive in country where no other breed can live.

They can subsist on weeds, cactus and brush and days away from water. They can stay fit whether living in the scorching, parasite-infested tropics or in the winters of Montana.

Longhorn cattle have a strong survival instinct and can find food and shelter during times of rough weather. Longhorn calves are very tough and can stand up sooner after birth than other breeds.

The Texas Longhorn is a beef animal and is known for its lean , which is lower in fat, cholesterol and calories than most beef.

The Texas Longhorn is known for its characteristic horns, which can extend to 7 feet (2.1 m) tip to tip for steers and exceptional cows, and 36 to 48 inches (0.91 to 1.2 m) tip to tip for bulls.

Cowboy life on the trail

men who work very hard caring for cattle out on the range. Back in the wild west days, when there were no fences from Kansas to the Gulf of Mexico, the Texas cowboys worked for cattle ranchers rounding up and driving the cattle to the railroads.

At first, through the farm country in Missouri but then the farmer's cows would get sick and die with the "Texas fever" from the Texas cattle. This led to serious confrontations between the farmers and the cattle drives.

Eventually, the railroads became available further West in Kansas which was not yet farm country so the cowboys of the King Ranch stopped trying to cross Missouri farmland to get the cattle to the railroad.

A cowboy would awaken at sunrise, sometimes having slept with their on, and eat a hearty breakfast of freshly baked biscuits and bacon washed down with plenty of .

He would wrap a couple of biscuits in his for an in-the-saddle lunch and fill his canteen with water. A cowboy would remain in the saddle for ten or twelve hours moving the herd ever northward.

He would go through three or four horses a day pausing only to exchange his tired mount from the wranglers.

By evening, they would reach the next campsite and "The Old woman", as the cook was often called, would serve a hearty meal of stewed meat, beans, canned fruits and freshly baked biscuits.

After the meal, the cowboys of the King Ranch would wrap themselves in their blankets and "bed down" around the campfire with nothing but their saddles as pillows.

The cowboys would take turns riding "watch" on the herd throughout the night. Usually, four cowboys would slowly circle the herd to keep it contained and to guard against predators or rustlers.

It was widely known that , so the cowboys on watch would usually sing a song like this one as they rode:

I wanna ride a paint

Move it at a run

I wanna feel the wind in my face

A thousand miles away from all

Movin’ in the cowman’s face

I wanna pillow my head

Beneath the open sky

As the sun sets in the west

and ’yodel-le-hee-hee’

That’s the life I love the best


Click below to listen to a real cowboy song. Download cowboy songs here!