Voices from the Wild Horse Desert : The Vaquero Families of the King and Kenedy Ranches
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Founded before the Civil War, the King and Kenedy Ranches have become legendary for their size, their wealth, and their endless herds of cattle. A major factor in the longevity of these ranches has always been the loyal workforce of vaqueros (Mexican and Mexican American cowboys) and their families. Some of the vaquero families have worked on the ranches through five or six generations.
In this book, Jane Clements Monday and Betty Bailey Colley bring together the voices of these men and women who make ranching possible in the Wild Horse Desert. From 1989 to 1995, the authors interviewed more than sixty members of vaquero families, ranging in age from 20 to 93. Their words provide a panoramic view of ranch work and life that spans most of the twentieth century.
The vaqueros and their families describe all aspects of life on the ranches, from working cattle and doing many kinds of ranch maintenance to the home chores of raising children, cooking, and cleaning. The elders recall a life of endless manual labor that nonetheless afforded the satisfaction of jobs done with skill and pride. The younger people describe how modernization has affected the ranches and changed the lifeways of the people who work there.
Voices from the Wild Horse Desert: The Vaquero Families of the King and Kenedy Ranches,Jane Clements Monday,Betty Bailey Colley,Stephen J. "Tio" Kleberg,Carolina Castillo Crimm,University of Texas Press,0292752040,Anecdotes,History,History - General History,History - U.S.,History: American,Interviews,Mexican American cowboys,Mexican American families,Minority Studies - Ethnic American,Ranch life,Satire And Humor,Texas - Local History,Texas, South,United States - State & Local - General,American history,History / United States / State & Local,Literary studies: general,Local history,USA
Book Updates:
Recommended Books