A cowboy has always been a sign of life in the American West. The standard cowboy first appeared in the 19th century and has roots that go back almost two hundred years.
It came from the customs of the vaqueros in northern Mexico and has since become a mainstay of the American southwest.
The way people think about and know cowboys today comes from Native American and Mexican horse-riding cattle workers. In the 1500s, Spanish farmers brought these people to America to take care of horses.
Over the years, cowboys have gone by a lot of different names. Some other names for them are cowhands, ranch hands, horse wranglers, and buckaroos. Being a cowboy and living on a ranch is a safe job that is important to American culture.
The biggest single part of American agriculture is cattle farms. Because cowboys are such an important part of everyday life, these nine states still have them.
1. Texas
Texas is known as the world’s cowboy capital. There are still cattle runs, stockyards, and rodeos in a lot of places, like Bandera, Fort Worth, El Paso, Lubbock, and Amarillo.
There is a big need on many cattle farms to brand business cows so that they can be found. But on farms, stock still needs to be tattooed and labeled all year long.
2. New Mexico
During the 1800s, New Mexico was known for its cowboys. They lived off the land and worked as farmers, police officers, buffalo hunters, and train guards. This way of life is still going strong today. People can go to the New Mexico State Fair and the real dude farms that are spread out across the state.
Also from New Mexico was Henry McCarty, better known as Billy the Kid. He was one of the most famous cowboys. He joined a group of thieves in the late 1800s.
They were called “The Regulators,” and they stole cattle. He didn’t have long to live, though, because Sheriff Pat Garrett shot and killed him in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
3. Wyoming
Wyoming, also known as the “Cowboy State,” is a step into the real American West. That being said, the horse lifestyle is still a big part of the state.
That’s mostly because farming is one of the state’s most important businesses. Branding and immunizations are big jobs that cowboys in the area do every day.
The Pony Express only went through a few states between April 1860 and October 1861. Wyoming was one of them. Mail was sent by horse-drawn riders who were called “Pony Express.” It cut the time it took for texts to get from the east coast to the west coast of the US by about 10 days.
4. Colorado
There are a lot of farmers and cowboys in Colorado. It’s even the home of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s (PRCA) Hall of Fame and headquarters.
The Cervi Championship Rodeo Company is also based in Colorado. A lot of the best animals for the biggest rodeos in the world come from this company.
In the late 1800s, though, there was a man in Colorado named Robert Leroy Parker. He found and worked at different farms across the state as a young cowboy. Robert met a man at a cattle farm who brought him into the world of crime. After that, Robert was finally called Butch Cassidy.
5. Kansas
Kansas has a lot to offer when it comes to the Cowboys. This place was known as the frontier cowtown because it was home to Dodge City.
In the United States, a cow town is a town or place that sells or ships cattle. Also, farming and herding are both done in rural Kansas. This place is great for farming because it is mostly flat.
There have also been well-known cowboys who have been through Kansas. Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, and Big Nose Kate are a few of the most well-known. Someone pulled a gun on Earp while he was in Dodge City. After scaring the man with his yell, Holliday shot him himself.
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