Lookin' for a bit of cowboy fun? Or perhaps to brush up on yer Old West history?
Well, shucks, come on in, and have a look-see. Don't be shy 'bout pokin' around,
the nice cowboy manning this here corral for me likes nothing better than folks
makin' themselves right at home, partner. Rest your hat a spell and call for a
drink. Jest 'member to mind yer P's and Q's...he's purty good with that lariat
and ain't afraid to use it. ' -)
Cowboy 10 Commandments
1. Just one God.
2. Honor yer Ma & Pa.
3. No telling tales or gossipin'.
4. Git yourself to church on Sabbath.
5. Put nothin' before God.
6. No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
7. No killin' even if they deserve it.
8. Watch yer mouth.
9. Don't take what ain't yers.
10. Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.
Guess cowboys just kinda tell it like it is!!!!
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You Might A Cowboy If...
If your horse trailer cost more than your house trailer, you might be a cowboy
If you refer to your spurs as the family silver.
If you can jump from a moving horse on to the horns of a runaway steer and never lose
your hat you might be a cowboy.
If your son is named after your prized bull.
If your bathtub is a stock tank.
If your horse brush is also your hairbrush you might be a cowboy.
If sleeping on the ground makes you feel rested.
If you refer to Saturday night as " bath night "
If you smell more like a horse than your horse does, you might be a cowboy.
If your idea of fun is being tied to a two-thousand pound, snot slinging,
raging bull... you might be a cowboy.
If you do all your Christmas shopping at the feed and tack store.
If your favorite fragrance is "Leather" you might be a cowboy.
And last but not least, you know you're a real cowboy if you give your word, shake on it,
and stand behind it, no matter what.
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Cow Poke Fun
Never smack a man who's chewin' tabbaco.
Habit? ...It can be a cowboy's best friend or his worst enemy.
Here's a tongue twister for ya: Six thick thistle sticks. Six thick thistles stick.
Q: When does a cowboy decide what boots he'll wear?
A: On the spur of the moment.
Cowboys on being dumb:
Couldn't teach a hen to cluck.
Couldn't cut a lame cow from a shade tree.
Couldn't drive a nail in a snow bank.
Got nothing under his hat but hair.
Couldn't track an elephant in snow.
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Old West Cowboy Facts and Attire
Bandanas. A large neckerchief folded into a triangle, with the knot in back. The bandana
had many uses: protection from the sun, preventing snow blindness, masking the face from
dust storms, sling in the invent of injury or moping up sweat. The most common color was
red and made of cotton or silk.
Lariat. Or lasso, or what cowboys simply called 'the rope.' Thrown to catch animals. They
lassoed them.
Chaps. Used to protect the cowboy's legs while on the trail or working.
Cowboy hat. The wider brims were meant to keep the sun off the cowboy's face, and protect against
brush. John B. Stetson is credited with designing and marketing the first "cowboy" hat in the USA,
which he called the "Boss of the Plains."
Jeans: Sturdy denim, used to protect the legs.
Spurs. Used to direct the horse to move forward.
Saddle. Every cowboy owned his saddle, but he did not always own a horse! Horses were furnished
by the employer or outfit he was working for. Typically, (in 1875) the saddle cost the cowboy a month's
pay or more, roughly $30.00, and lasted 30 years or even longer.
Cowboy boots. To protect the feet and lower legs. Pointed toe to easily fit in stirrups.
Weapons. Cowboys carried colts, riffles and other various types of guns.
Spending their wages. Cowboys were big spenders and spent their wages in town. Many cowboys liked to
let off steam and unwind at saloons. Some got rowdy while drinking and brawling.
Beef jerky. Cowboys most likely always carried this with them on the trail.
Vaquero: Spanish or Mexican cowboy.
Paniolo: the Hawaiian cowboy.
Responsibilities: Typically, the cowboy and ranch hands were responsible for:
Feeding and watering the cattle
Mending the fences
Branding
Moving the cattle
Picking up any supplies needed.
While working cowboys hardly cared what they looked like. But an invitation to dinner or a dance and
the cowboys gussied themselves up in their best clothing. They also most likely paid a visit to the
barbershop for a shave and haircut. For unhitched cowboys, dances were a way meet single ladies.
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Cowboy wisdom
1. Don't squat with your spurs on.
2. Don't interfere with something that ain't bothering you known.
3. Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
4. The easiest way to eat crow is while it's still warm. The colder it gets, the harder it is to swallow.
5. The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with watches you shave his face in the
mirror every morning.
6. A woman marries a man thinking she can change him, but she can't. A man marries a woman
thinking she will never change, but she does.
7. Never asks a barber if you need a haircut.
8. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
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Traveling by stage
A cowboy's main source of transportation was his horse. Other means of transportation included the stage.
The first Concord Coach was built in 1826 and until the early 1900's, this eight feet high vehicle was the best
form transportation for passengers and mail. Inside were three benches, which sat three passengers on each
and as many as twelve could sit on top. A driver and shotgun messenger sat in front over the strongbox,
while baggage and mail was either stowed on top or in a rear boot. Stages bumped along at a rate of 5 miles
per hour through rain, heat, dust, and mud.
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History lesson!
(Here's proof that truth is stranger than fiction:)
Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960
.Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost a child while living in the White House.
Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.
Now it gets really weird.
Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln.
Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.
Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in1939.
Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.
Now hang on to your saddlehorn!
Lincoln was shot at the theater named "Ford."
Kennedy was shot in a car called "Lincoln" made by "Ford."
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.
And here's the "kicker":
A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland.
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe
And Lincoln was shot in a theater and the assassin ran to a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and the assassin ran to a theater.
More history...
Two towns, two cities. Ever wonder how Portland, Oregon got its name? In 1845 Francis W. Pettygrove, of Portland, Maine and Asa L. Lovejoy, newly from Boston, Maine tossed a coin to see what the settlement would be called. Pettygrove won. Before that, travelers had known it simply as "Stumptown."
Booze. Where did the word "booze" come from? In 1860, the most common type of bottle whiskey
was sold in was a square, dark amber bottle shaped as log cabins. The best known was the "Booz Log Cabin"
bottle. E.C. Booz devised the bottle and, according to legend by our early Western pioneers, it popularized the
word "booze," as plainsmen would enter a saloon and, pointing to the log cabin bottle, say "Gimme a shot of booz."
Whiskey, however, was distilled years before.
Barber poles. A man needing a bandage or have poison drained from the body need not look further than the
nearest red, white and blue barber pole. The colors of the pole stand for more than just United States colors and
represent blood (red) bandages (white) and vein (blue.) Barbers could perform surgery, extract teeth and drain a
patient's blood. One popular source for bloodletting was by applying live leeches or lancing the flesh.
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