Journal of a Cowboy

An idea whose time had come

Jean-Luc could tell, even in his own day, that it was only a matter of time before the cowboys and the Native Indians would begin to lose their mutual mistrust and cultivate a friendlier relationship. The American nation was destined to succeed despite the differences in the human element, he though. It was an idea whose time had come. As it ripened in the minds of the participants, they could discern the beauty of such an enterprise. Although the cowboy ancestors had come from Spain upon their Arabian mounts, it was really their Mexican descendants who played the most important role in westward expansion through their intermarriages with Native women, whom they met in neighboring communities.

The Spaniards had followed Don Francisco Vásquez de Coronado into territories previously owned by Spain. They had begun their expedition of colonization from Culiacán, Mexico with 365 men and only three women. They had intended to take Native wives for themselves. They arrived on horses and carts driving before them much of their livestock on the hoof. When they sought to cross their animals over the Río Samaniego, however, they hadn’t realized that the river was infested with hungry alligators. By the time the men arrived, many of the animals had been devoured by the ancient reptiles.

Jean-Luc had learned from an old medicine man that the colonizers had been counting on this livestock to survive that first winter in 1541. They were obliged to rely on the indigenous people of the village of Arenales. These would-be cowboys had arrived in the Southwest area with very few cows. Some of the animals that saved them were their horses, for the Indians didn’t know just what to make of the animals that seemed to separate themselves from their riders. The cowboys were renowned for their superior roping, riding and herding skills, and soon ranching became a way of life for many of them. By 1769, livestock practices had spread out over many areas of the West.

With the passing of the seasons, American cowboys had come from diverse backgrounds, including African Americans, Native Americans, Mexicans and settlers from the eastern United