Women and Cows in the West
Sherri brought these books to our Annual Meeting. We each chose a different book and then during our April Meeting we discussed this era in general and the role of women and the cattle industry.
The books included:
Raising Steaks: The Life and Times of American Beef
By Betty Fussell
“….colliding fantasies of British pastoralists and Spanish ranchers that erupted in land wars between a wet-weather East and a desert West.”
Page 238 gives a great discussion of Temple Grandin, PhD a pragmatic reformer who reminds the author of Julia Child in cowboy gear. Dr. Grandin is a profession of Animal Science at Colorado State University and has pioneered in the design of feedlots and slaughter houses in order to be more humane. Note that Dr. Grandin is also famous for being autistic. See wikipedia.
The Texas Cowboy Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos
By Robb Walsh
This book is wonderful for people like me who want to understand the history of food. There are many wonderful recipes and photos of past and present cowboys. Contains wonderful discussions of the Texas Cowboy Myth and how Texas managed to create the myth of the white lone pistol-packing cowboy (when actually most of the cowboys during the cattle drives of the late 19th century were Mexican and black). Great discussion of the Texas Centennial of 1936 when white people were encouraged to buy and wear cowboy hats and boots for the tourists, and attractive young women were selected to serve as Texas Centennial Rangerettes. Also a great chapter about the role of women entitled: Powder Puffs & Spurs.
The Cowboy Girl: The Life of Caroline Lockhart
By John Clayton
Caroline Lockhart was a journalist and horsewomen who left Philadelphia for Montana in the early 20th century. She published a newspaper, founded a Stampede Rodeo and wrote novels. She also “infuriated neighbors and admirers with her cantankerous crusades and indomitable will.” A Sturdy Shoe for sure!
Texas Women on the Cattle Trails
Edited by Sarah R. Massey
Texas A&M University Press
The stories of 16 women who drove cattle up the trail from Texas during the last half of the nineteenth century.
More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Texas Women
By Greta Anderson (I have two copies)
Chapters on 10 remarkable women who made a “profound impact” on Texas including doctors, entrepreneurs, journalists, civil rights advocates, and more. Martha White McWhirter was an early feminist who provided housing for battered women.
Hearts West: True Stories of Mail Order Brides on the Frontier
By Chris Enss
“Wanted: A girl who will love, honest, true and not sour; a nice little cooing dove and willing to work in flour.” More about the Gold Rush than the cattle drives from Texas, but still fits into our late nineteenth century women-of-the-West theme.
For fun to pass around:
Calico Chronicle: Texas Women and Their Fashions 1830-1910
Contains photos and illustrations!
