The Cattleman’s Pages of History T
HE CATTLEMAN MAGAZINE IS 100 YEARS OLD. WE THOUGHT WE’D TAKE A FEW MINUTES EACH month to look back at 100 years of covers and coverage of the cattle business of the Southwest.
Our historic cover this month comes from November 1933. In
the section “Of things that concern cattle raisers,” was this de- scription of the photograph depicted on the cover.
Our Front Cover The lariat, so closely linked and so essential to the cowboy
and his work, is made of hard twisted, three-strand manila fi bre, and is usually 3/8-inch in size. For heavier work, a 7/16-inch rope is sometimes used. In the Southwest, they run from 32 to 35 feet in length. Until they are stretched or suppled and the loop knot pulled
down, they are practically useless because of their stiffness, and to use a cow-puncher term, “you couldn’t throw one of them into a well.” Once the stretching process has been ac- complished, they become almost a thing of life in the hand of a “smooth” roper. The quickest and best way to accomplish the stretching
process is to catch and “bust” a good big steer, but it is not always possible or practical to do so. There are a number of methods of processing; the rope may be tied to a post or tree
The Cattleman November 1933
and the lop end with the other end made fast to the spoke of a wagon wheel and the wheel used as a windlass to get the stretch. Again, the cowboy will drop the loop over a fence or snubbing post and pull the slack by attaching the other end to the saddle horn and having his horse pull against it. Occasionally one is suspended from the limb of a tree with a rock or weight tied
to it and left to work out its own salvation. Still another method is to tie each end to fence posts or convenient trees and swing on it until it is stretched. The accepted method and the one used most is depicted on the cover page where
one cowboy places the loop-end over his saddle horn while the other takes a double half-hitch of the other end around his saddle horn, the horses pulling in opposite directions to get the stretch out and set the knots. This is the most practical method as the loop end is in a natural position, the sustained pulling causing the loop knot to settle as it should. Often the new rope is drawn over a fl ame or torch to singe the “whiskers” from it. When a rope has been properly stretched and is ready for work, it is said by cow-
boys to “sing,” which means that it fl ows freely through the loop, making a hissing sound as the loop is thrown. The lariat is then ready for its natural lifetime of work barring wetting or damp days. Editor’s note: Every month on this page, we have reprinted the text as it appeared in that issue, without any additions or corrections.
106 The Cattleman November 2014
thecattlemanmagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108