Women were the backbone of the west ~ Nan O'Berry

 As writers, we write about the heroic cowboy swooping in and saving the damsel. But those ladies of years gone by, were not such delicate creatures. No sir, they had us beat by a long shot.

These women had to deal with living outside in the elements until their homes were constructed. In hoop skirts, three petticoats, and a tightly laced corset, they worked right along side their man. Some brave souls even undertook the cattle drives. 

Margaret Borland; Texas State Historical Association

One such woman was Margaret  Borland. Married not once, but three times, she survived the Yellow Fever that killed her husband. With over 1,000 head of cattle to get to market, she saddled up, and began the arduous journey up the Chisholm Trail to the rail head in Kansas. It had to be a hard and lonely job. Imagine a woman being the boss in times were women were not thought of as having a strong heart or mind. Not only did was her drive successful, she accomplished it with three children in tow. 

Some women took to the drives with the ease of a man. Minta Holmsley followed her husband as he drove cattle up the trail. She nursed the cowboys, even developing a cure for poison oak. She was a smart business woman and when she noted the fall of cattle prices, she negotiated a sale on her own that netted her family a good sum.

It seems to me, that the women of the cattle trails were a pretty good backbone to the development of the west.

Until Next time,

Nan.

 

If you are interested in other facts about the women of the cattle drives, be sure to check out this book

A Bride of the old Chisholm Trail  by Mary Burton

or these two articles

10 Bold Texas Women Who Blazed the Cattle Trails 

https://www.wideopencountry.com/10-fierce-texas-women-who-rode-the-cattle-trails/

Sidesaddles and Sunbonnets 

https://newprairiepress.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1212&context=sfh