Cowboy Myths and Truths 1. The cowboy life was glamorous.

2. Most cowboys had small or medium physical frames.

3. A cowboy would ride his favorite horse all day.

4. Many Texas cowboys were Mexican or African-American.

5. Most Texas cowboys were older, experienced wranglers.

6. Women could not be cowboys.

7. Cowboys often had to fight off Native Americans.

8. The word “cowboy” was invented in Texas.

• Where do our perceptions about cowboy life come from?

• Are images of cowboys in Western paintings, movies, and television accurate portrayals of the cowboy way of life? Why or why not?

Do you know who this famous “Hollywood” cowboy is?

A.Wyatt Earp

B.“Bat” Masterson

C. John Wayne

D.Frank James

A Cowboy’s Life: Unit 1, Lesson 3

Where we’re headed…

• The Great Plains briefly belonged to the Texas longhorns and cattle herders who rode the open range.

• They were the “knights of the prairie”--the skilled and strong-willed men (and women) who pushed the cattle across the great American prairie.

Objectives for this lesson:

• Explain the developments that made the cattle business profitable.

• Recognize the democratic aspects and diversity of the cowboy population.

• Describe the life of a cowboy.

Which is true when applied to today’s lesson?

A. A range is a series of adjacent mountains.

B. A range is open land for grazing cattle.

The Cattle Business – Texas Longhorn

The Cattle Business (the route)

The Cattle Business (the route)

The Cattle Business (the route)

What factors made the cattle business profitable?

A. ____________________________________

B. ____________________________________

C. ____________________________________

_________________ drove the herds and _________________ got rich.

A. Cowboys; cowboys

B. Cattlemen, cowboys

C. Cowboys, cattlemen

D. Cattlemen, cattlemen

Who’s the REAL cowboy?

A. B. C.

The Legendary

“Knights of the Prairie”

A herd of cattle will stampede at the drop of a frying pan. Here is how one cowboy described it: “While I was looking at him, this steer leaped into the air, hit the ground with a heavy thud, and gave a grunt that sounded like that of a hog. That was the signal. The whole herd was up and going—and heading right for me. My horse gave a lunge, jerked loose from me, and was away. I barely had time to climb into an oak. The cattle went by like a hurricane, hitting the tree with their horns. It took us all night to round them up.”

Page 10 of your text…

“To ride around the big steers at night, all lying down full as a tick, chewing their cuds and blowing, with the moon shining down on their big horns, was a sight to make a man’ eyes pop.”

Page 10 of your text…

Describe the diversity of the cowboy population. How did their diversity contrast with that of the homesteader population?

A. ____________________________________

B. ____________________________________

Want to hear a few more cowboy jokes?

What happened to Abilene?

James Butler (“Wild Bill”) Hickok

Calamity Jane

Homework – Doesn’t need to be turned in • Imagine you are a member

of a homesteading family. Your uncle, who is a cattle driver on his way up the Chisholm Trail, comes to visit and shares many interesting stories with you. Describe the experiences he would share. • Be sure to include the

following: • Hardships and rewards of

working on the open range. Impressions of the changes happening on the prairie.

Homework

• Review pages 8-13.

• Finish the 3 Check Your Reading questions.

• Complete Lesson 3 Assessment.

• Read Chapter 3, pages 14-18.