Cattle Drives

Cowboy hygiene in the Old West wasn’t a luxury; it was a working habit. From rag baths and rough soap to tooth powders, laundry, and the occasional bathhouse, here’s what “clean” really meant when water was scarce, and the trail was long.

Before the legend came the labor. This feature explores how cowboys got their start in the Old West through ranch work, cattle drives, vaquero traditions, and the hard realities of frontier life.

Before barbed wire fenced the Texas prairie, Lizzie Johnson Williams built a cattle empire in a man’s world. From Fort Worth boardinghouse to trail drives north, she mastered the business of the open range and earned the name Cattle Queen of Texas.

Horses were not accessories to cowboy life. They were essential. From managing cattle across vast open ranges to shaping the very culture of the American West, the cowboy’s most important tool wasn’t his hat or rope. It was the horse beneath him.

Explore the legendary cattle trails that defined the American West. From the Chisholm to the Goodnight-Loving Trail, uncover the history, challenges, and enduring legacy of the routes that shaped cowboy culture and the nation’s frontier spirit.

Travel back in time along the Old Chisholm Trail, where cowboys, cattle, and legends roamed the open range. Explore the trail’s origins, the daily life of drovers, and how its legacy still shapes the spirit of the American West today.

Cowboy poetry is more than words—it’s the rhythm of the range, the voice of the West. Born from cattle drives and campfires, it captures the grit, humor, and heart of cowboy life, keeping frontier traditions alive in verse and storytelling.

Cowboy life demanded more than grit—it required skill. From expert horsemanship and roping to navigating the open range, these seven essential cowboy skills separated seasoned ranch hands from greenhorns. Discover what it took to survive and thrive in the Old West.

Cattle drives were the lifeblood of the American West, connecting Texas ranches to northern markets through grit, determination, and daring. From treacherous rivers to stampedes, these journeys forged the cowboy legacy and shaped the economic and cultural landscape of a nation.

Cowboys built modern ranching by developing innovative practices that transformed cattle management in the American West. From cattle drives to sustainable grazing methods, their legacy continues to shape today’s ranching industry, feed the nation and preserve the land for future generations.