Files
Download Full Text (801 KB)
Preview
Identifier
20138491-506
Description
A transcript of a Cowboy Narrative, or Rangelore, interview conducted by Sheldon F. Gauthier for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Writers' Project in the 1930s with former cowboy W. E. Oglesby. Oglesby was born in 1863 on his father's farm in Lincoln County, Tennessee and migrated to Fort Worth, Texas in his youth. In his interview, he describes the process of migrating in a caravan with several other families, as well as the conditions in Fort Worth during his youth. He discusses Fort Worth history, including the coming of the railroad, the outmigration of Native Americans from Possum Ridge (present-day White Settlement, Texas), and the lynching of an African American that he witnessed. He worked as a cowhand at the Hop Lowe Ranch in Jack County, and describes the leisure activities of cowboys, including shooting at bar fixtures and lights in towns. He also discusses food culture, stampedes, and describes in detail the shootouts known as "sheep wars" between cowhands and sheep herders on the range.
Archival Date
Undated
Collection Name
Works Progress Administration, Federal Writers' Project. Fort Worth City Guide Draft and Records.
Collection Number
AR316-4-2
Original Format
Paper
File Format
Rights
Rights held by The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, Special Collections. Any use of content downloaded or printed from this page is limited to non-commercial personal or educational use, including fair use as directed by U.S. copyright laws. For more information or for reproduction requests, please contact UTA Special Collections by emailing spcoref@uta.edu.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License