tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post2812288956921441254..comments2024-03-28T06:40:55.326-07:00Comments on Cowboy Kisses: Much Ado About Mutton - Meg MimsGiniRifkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09808573690725909979noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-75271018006627541072013-02-03T13:11:06.710-08:002013-02-03T13:11:06.710-08:00I'm with you, Lyn - always playing catch up. O...I'm with you, Lyn - always playing catch up. OH MY -- all those gorgeous horses!! that must have killed the Indians to see that. And one movie I forgot to mention, although it's a "spoof" really, is Rustler's Rhapsody. Just watched it, and it's a HOOT!Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10734148270217773194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-2182370677832117742013-01-24T16:25:30.769-08:002013-01-24T16:25:30.769-08:00Here I am late to the party again! I'm terribl...Here I am late to the party again! I'm terrible about keeping track of everyone's posts. Sorry about that.<br /><br />Meg, your post is an eye opener. I of course knew about the war betweeb cattlemen and sheepmen, but I had no idea it was SO very brutal. Those poor animals!<br /><br />This reminds me of what Col. Ranald Mackenzie ordered done after the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon. Mackenzie and his superiors knew the only way to "tame" the Comanches,Kiowas and their allies was to un-horse them. To accomplish this, Bad Hand (the Indians' name for Mackenzie due to the two fingers he had shot off during the Civil War) ordered his men to shoot well over 1,000 horses left behind by the escaping Indians. I admire Mackenzie's savvy and bravery, but I detest that barbarous slaughter of innocent animals.Lyn Hornerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05596495172490672271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-7754938104611588642013-01-22T21:07:50.587-08:002013-01-22T21:07:50.587-08:00Thanks for stopping by, Ron! And yes, isn't it...Thanks for stopping by, Ron! And yes, isn't it a shame that back then, ranchers didn't realize there was PLENTY of room for both?? Good grief.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10734148270217773194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-1471789063290409992013-01-19T14:21:06.974-08:002013-01-19T14:21:06.974-08:00Excellent post, Meg. I come across this theme now ...Excellent post, Meg. I come across this theme now and again in the early westerns I'm reading. Another novel is Agnes C. Laut's THE FREEBOOTERS OF THE WILDERNESS (1910), in which a herd of sheep is driven over a cliff, along with the young herder. Cowboys were particularly resentful about sheep, for all the reasons you mention, and the fact that it was not a job that involved ropin' and ridin'.<br /><br />Sheepherding was a lonely job, too, which was supposed to produce a kind of mental derangement after too much of it. And like you say, herders were normally Mexican or Basque, and therefore "inferior" by birth. For the cattleman, it was a simple matter of competition for grazing land. I grew up on a farm with beef, dairy, AND sheep, so I don't have any particular bias.Ron Scheerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15357501069513854664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-3650977240502479752013-01-19T08:19:44.549-08:002013-01-19T08:19:44.549-08:00You betcha. You'd think there was plenty of ro...You betcha. You'd think there was plenty of room, though!Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10734148270217773194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-17147561512748573972013-01-19T08:17:30.363-08:002013-01-19T08:17:30.363-08:00Ain't that the truth??? That's a lotta mut...Ain't that the truth??? That's a lotta mutton!Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10734148270217773194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-30723670674870449692013-01-18T22:33:32.832-08:002013-01-18T22:33:32.832-08:00There was lots of animosity, murders, and mayhem b...There was lots of animosity, murders, and mayhem between the sheepmen and cattlemen in Idaho, too. Like the others, I just don't want acknowledge the killing of all those innocent animals, especially the waste of all that wool and meat. But I guess if a man really thought his livelihood was threatened, he'd do whatever he could, including mass slaughter. Jacquie Rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17361793932364487636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-20882066142080916112013-01-18T18:51:25.256-08:002013-01-18T18:51:25.256-08:00Terrific post, Meg! Seeing all those dead sheep ma...Terrific post, Meg! Seeing all those dead sheep makes me sad though. When you think about all the senseless slaughter in the sheep wars, fence wars, etc. it boggles the mind.Devon Matthewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12147639030654251761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-30967996248126361592013-01-18T18:13:37.140-08:002013-01-18T18:13:37.140-08:00Yes, I'm reading now about barbed wire, range ...Yes, I'm reading now about barbed wire, range wars, etc. Isn't that odd about the sheep biz, especially since Texas had a gazillion mossy-horned cattle roamed wild during the Civil War when the men were gone. Times do change quick! Computers, TV and phones -- let's NOT go there! LOL Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10734148270217773194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-37364440499997527002013-01-18T18:09:46.962-08:002013-01-18T18:09:46.962-08:00Totally agree, Ellen. How awful, and I could have ...Totally agree, Ellen. How awful, and I could have gone on and on about all the instances of brutality. I decided not to dig too deep. That one image was bad enough. Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10734148270217773194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-35036797548734437102013-01-18T18:07:53.139-08:002013-01-18T18:07:53.139-08:00HA! go figure, Paty. That image of the slaughtered...HA! go figure, Paty. That image of the slaughtered sheep was from Oregon -- sooo sad. I thought twice about putting that up, but it really shows how bad things were back then.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10734148270217773194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-6306482946641135002013-01-18T18:06:08.561-08:002013-01-18T18:06:08.561-08:00WHOA!! I knew it happened in Wyoming, but that'...WHOA!! I knew it happened in Wyoming, but that's horrible. Poor Louis - good thing he wasn't murdered, I guess. Those poor sheep and even his horses. Sad, isn't it. THANKS so much for stopping in -- I love research on the Old West. Will check out your blog, too.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10734148270217773194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-114180384591221362013-01-18T18:03:44.376-08:002013-01-18T18:03:44.376-08:00I SAW THAT movie!! The Ballad of Josie -- HOW coul...I SAW THAT movie!! The Ballad of Josie -- HOW could I have forgotten! Oh man. Funny movie, too. My hub is a Doris Day fan, so we've seen most of her movies. Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10734148270217773194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-11510504658505849172013-01-18T17:19:32.195-08:002013-01-18T17:19:32.195-08:00Great post, Meg! Sheep and barbed wire both served...Great post, Meg! Sheep and barbed wire both served as burs under cattlemen's saddles, at least in Texas. How things change in 100 years! Today, Texas produces more wool, mutton, and lamb than any oher state in the union. Go figure. :-DAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05740371055384281988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-78290797073054410092013-01-18T12:09:48.025-08:002013-01-18T12:09:48.025-08:00I don't know about anyone else, but sometimes ...I don't know about anyone else, but sometimes reading about some of these events, even though they're long over, can bring a lump to my throat. I didn't get to the post on the Alton prison until today. The Civil War fascinates me, but there are many parts of it that horrify, and what was done to men in prisons is one. The thought of men killing thousands of dumb animals (and in my experience sheep are pretty dumb) in such brutal ways because of prejudice is another.<br /><br />If only it were all in the past - but I read headlines from around the world and it isn't.Ellen O'Connellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07792559025801895596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-64437359364491179172013-01-18T11:09:55.639-08:002013-01-18T11:09:55.639-08:00Meg, there was a cattle/sheep war here in Central ...Meg, there was a cattle/sheep war here in Central Oregon that still has bad feelings going on. And the ironicness of it is the sheep will actually eat the nasty weeds the cows won't. Paty Jagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03257614436422105729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-90294941412035219182013-01-18T09:30:32.350-08:002013-01-18T09:30:32.350-08:00As a teacher of western and Wyoming history for ov...As a teacher of western and Wyoming history for over 40 years I enjoyed your post. Range wars between the cow people vs. sheep people did play a prominent place in Wyoming history. In 1905 a sheep man named Louis Gantz was moving 7,000 sheep to a new grazing area. Ten masked men attacked and killed, clubbed and burned over 4,000 of his sheep. They also burned his wagon, killed his team of horses and destroyed over $700 worth of grain. <br />Not the best of the good ol’ days but a unique part of western history.<br /><br />“Sheep range, cattle sure won’t graze<br />But—cowboys hate sheep anyways”<br />-Frank Benton<br /><br />You can find me at - http://wyoming-fact-and-fiction.blogspot.com<br />Neil A. Waringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01806771906152936599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4152821032321828999.post-90351877606081211662013-01-18T06:06:39.491-08:002013-01-18T06:06:39.491-08:00Meg, there was also a funny western starring Doris...Meg, there was also a funny western starring Doris Day as a woman rancher (already there's trouble) who brought sheep into a cattle area. Funny, just last night I was reading about the sheep vs. cattle wars. Cattlemen erroneously believed the secretion on sheep hooves repelled cattle from grazing the same area and that sheep killed the grass. Good post.Caroline Clemmonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14914658854159456335noreply@blogger.com