Trail Boss

The Trail Boss led cattle drives to market. A herd delivered by contract drovers typically included as many as 3,000 head of cattle and employed about eleven people. Most days were uneventful, though the drudgery was sometimes broken by violent weather, stampedes, dangerous river crossings, and, rarely, hostile Indians. The cowboy's laborious way of life fostered rough-and-ready virtues as well as extraordinary skill in horsemanship and marksmanship. Cowboys chose attire and equipment suited to their work and surroundings: a ten-gallon or broad-brimmed hat for sun and rain, a kerchief over the lower face against dust, tight pants faced with leather chaps to protect the legs from insects and brush, and high-heeled boots to keep the feet from slipping from the stirrups. Traditionally, a cowboy carried a revolver and a lariat, or lasso, fastened to the saddle horn for roping cattle. Here, the Trail Boss sits high on his horse above the bluff, observing and waiting as skilled cowboys drive Texas Longhorns down the Shawnee Trail through Collin County.

Plano, Texas · United States