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II. The Development of Cowboys
2.1 The Production of Cowboys
Now this part will mainly talk about the production of cowboys. During the 1860s to the 1880s, it was the classical period of western development, but at the same time was the golden ages for cowboys conquering the wilderness and exploring the frontier. At first, the production of the cattle kingdom thanked to the American domestic and international market demand for meat growth. Secondly, the construction of the transcontinental railroad promoted the vigorous development of the cattle kingdom. Thirdly, the vast western grassland area was a prerequisite for the rise of the cattle kingdom. Fourthly, the Texas longhorns had the strong ability to adapt to the environment, so that it could thrive in the vast prairie. Finally, the invention of refrigeration equipment compartment at the railway transportation played an important role to the production of cattle kingdom. Thus, thousands of people came in great numbers to make a living at the ranch, as the ranchers’ helpers.
Cattle drives involve the movement of cattle from one place to another, traditionally by cowboys on horseback. Cattle drives were a major economic activity in the American west, particularly between the years 1866-1886, when 20 million cattle were herded from Texas to railheads in Kansas for shipments to stockyards in Chicago and points east. The long distances covered, the need for periodic rests by riders and animals, and the establishment of railheads led to the development of “cow towns” across the American west. Because of extensive treatment of cattle drives in fiction and film, cowboys became the worldwide iconic image of the American.
The American cowboys roamed the plains west of the Mississippi River in the mid-to late nineteen century. Their job involved tending cattle, usually miles from where they lived and for months at a time. The cowboys developed a functional manner of dress that suited their unique lifestyle. Some of the key elements of cowboys’ attire have entered into the American popular imagination and become symbols of a romantic and lost way of life. The American cowboys borrowed much of their clothing, along with many of their customs, from the earlier vaqueros, herdsmen of Mexican and American Indian descent who migrated northward over the Rio Grande River into Texas. Necessity also dictated a lot of the cowboys’ attire. A cowboy had to carry everything he might need with him on his horse. He was plagued by many dangers, including hostile American Indians, rattlesnakes, cattle rustlers, sudden rainstorms, flooding rivers, and stampeding cattle. Virtually everything cowboys wore or kept close at hand was designed to help them overcome these obstacles, and not to decorate.
2.2 The Image and Work of Cowboys
The typical cowboy wore a hat with a wide brim to provide protection from the unforgiving sunlight. Cattle kicked up clouds of dust on the drive, so the cowboy donned a bandanna over the lower half of his face. Chaps, or leggings, and high boots were worn as protection from briars and cactus needles. A typical cowboy outfit consisted of a muslin (sheer cotton fabric) shirt with a waistcoat, similar to a vest, and denim or buckskin trousers. To protect his legs when riding through thorny brush, the cowboy wore a set of leggings called chaps, an abbreviation of chaparejos, the Spanish word for the leggings, over his trousers. Chaps were made of leather or animal hide, often with the fur left on the outside, and covered only the front of the legs to allow for freedom of movement. Fur chaps were attached by a belt at the waist and ties along the back of the legs. Some early chaps were fringed at the seams. Another essential component of cowboys’ style was the wide-brimmed hat, designed to protect the wearer from the harsh element of the open plain, especially the blistering sun. Cowboy hats added an element of inpiduality to the cowboys’ attire. Often the cowboy would make his own hat. There were regional distinctions as well. It was said that you could tell where a cowboy came from by the shape of his hat. The most famous cowboy hat of all was designed by John B. Stetson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Stetson hats were made of wool felt with a large brim and oval, cylindrical crown. So many cowboys wore Stetson hats that the hats came to be known as Boss of the Plains and became a symbol of the American West. Still popular in the twenty-first century is the cowboy boot. It was the most expensive part of the cowboys’ wardrobe. Store-bought boots sold for seven dollars in 1880, while tailor-made models could go for as much as fifteen dollars. A high “Cuban heel” prevented the wearer’s foot from slipping through his stirrup. When dismounting from a horse, the heels dug into the ground to ensure good footing. Early cowboy boots had square toes, though round and pointed styles eventually came into fashion. By the 1890s fancy cowboy boots were being sold through mail-order catalogs.