Crossing a Stream
"It was an almost invariable rule with experienced wagonmasters to cross any stream encountered when it came time to make camp for the night. It sometimes happened that a rainstorm…
Night Herd
"Some operators, seeking to reduce the size of their payroll, eliminated the extra hands and extra oxen and required the regular drivers to perform the night guard duties. Night herd…
Winter Range for Oxen
"About the mid-century . . . it was found that [oxen[ could be wintered on the free grass of the western ranges and would fatten in the process. . .…
Texas or Cherokee Oxen
"The oxen were not, in general, the massive beasts bred in the northeast but were range cattle from Texas or the Cherokee country. While they should be large and at…
Selecting a Mule Team
"In selecting a team, there were a number of well-established rules. The largest pair, or span, was selected for the wheelers. This was the span that controlled the direction of…
Breaking Wild Mules
"The average freighter could not afford the time to gentle his animals slowly before introducing them to harness; as a result, the breaking of wild mules was a rough process…
The Chicago Wagon
"In the early days of freighting to Salt Lake Valley, it was thought that a round trip could not be made in one season. There was in addition a great…
Whips
"the whip was the teamster's badge of office. The muleskinner from his post astride the nigh-wheeler, with the top of the wagon close behind him, was restricted to a 'blacksnake'…
Bullwhackers
"Many young men were seeking a means to earn their their way to the western gold camps, and freighters took advantage of this situation by paying a bonus of ten…
Wagonmaster Description
"A composite picture of a wagonmaster, drawn from contemporary writings and reminiscences, would show a man about six feet tall, raw boned and powerfully built, with steady eyes, and a…
The Wagonmaster
"The kingpin of the whole freighting operation was the wagonmaster, and quite a man he must have been. He had full responsibility for $18,000 to $30,000 worth of wagons, livestock,…
Bible-Backs
"[Alexander] Majors issued to each man a Bible or Testament, which led to their being nicknamed 'Bible-backs.'"
Ports of the Prairie Sea
"Based somewhat on geographical factors but also on the enterprise of the local merchants, the ports of the prairie sea tended to specialize. Kansas City had a practical monopoly of…
The River Towns
"The river towns, as they developed, were all much alike. At the river's edge was a levee, sometimes macadamized for all-weather use. Between the levee and the bluffs was the…
Platte Water
"[T]ravelers found that, at times, it was necessary to sink headless barrels in the river bed to get water. Captain Howard Stansbury found 'innumerable' small wells dug in the sand…