Old West Christmas Traditions

Traditions are the activities, events and customs that are handed down through the generations.  With the coming of the Christmas holiday, many people have traditions that have been observed in their family, community or church.  These traditions are generally looked forward to and anticipated.

Many of the Christmas traditions that have been stood the test of time came from the early pioneers of the Old West.  In the mid 1800's, Christmas traditions included tree decorating, gift-giving, Santa Claus, greeting cards, stockings hung by the fire, church activities and family/friends get together for feasting and fun.

But, the cowboys, pioneers, mountain men and explorers celebrated Christmas more humbly in the Old West, than the more civilized lifestyles of the east.  The celebrations were more humble and gifts were homemade, but they did gather together and share a homemade meal.

Christmas in the Old West was difficult. On the prairie they often were subject to blizzards and freezing winds. Winter time was a meager time, but to these strong pioneers, Christmas was not to be forgotten.  For instance, it has been recorded in history, that you could hear the caroling of the soldiers, stationed in remote outpost, determined to keep the spirit of Christmas alive. Christmas was the chance to forget the hard everyday life and focus on the holiday.

Today, our traditions and lifestyles have evolved, but the basic premise remains the same.  We decorate trees, give gifts, prepare meals and spend time with friends and family.  

At Enchanted Springs Ranch, we bring to life Cowboy Christmas.  Here you will be able to visit an authentic replica of an 1800's old west cow town celebrating Christmas.  Stroll through the streets, listen to carolers, visit a live nativity scene, see Cowboy Santa and enjoy delicious foods.  Cowboy Christmas has become a tradition for many Texas families who live or visit the Texas hill country.  

We invite you to make Cowboy Christmas a tradition for you and yours this year and the years to come! For complete information, please visit:  www.enchantedspringsranch.com

  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at Enchanted Springs Ranch!

Head'em Up and Move'em Out

In today's world, not much thought goes into where our food comes from or how it got to the grocery store.  We are so spoiled with convenience and expect the store to have on hand exactly what we are looking for at a great price. But over 125 years ago, cattle drives were a major economic activity in the American west.  Approximately, 20 million cattle were herded from Texas to rail heads in Kansas for shipments to stockyards in Chicago and points east.[1] It was this activity that helped to feed the United States citizens and keep a good cowboy employed.  Cattle drives, on a much smaller scale, still occur in parts of the western United States and Australia.

Long-distance cattle driving was traditional in Mexico, California and Texas, and horse herds were sometimes similarly driven. The Spaniards had established the ranching industry in the New World, and began driving herds northward from Mexico beginning in the 1540s.[2]

Movement of cattle                         

Cattle drives had to strike a balance between speed and the weight of the cattle. While cattle could be driven as far as 25 miles in a single day, they would lose so much weight that they would be hard to sell when they reached the end of the trail. Usually they were taken shorter distances each day, allowed periods to rest and graze both at midday and at night.^[3] On average, a herd could maintain a healthy weight moving about 15 miles per day. Such a pace meant that it would take as long as two months to travel from a home ranch to a rail head. The Chisholm trail, for example, was 1,000 miles long.^[4] 

^{Today, cattle and other livestock, are trucked to meat processing facilities and the complications of the cattle losing weight before arriving at their destination have been virtually eliminated.  Cowboys who worked the trail have been replaced by the truck driver, who can travel anywhere from 700 to 750 miles a day.}

 

On average, a single herd of cattle on a long drive numbered about 3,000 head. To herd the cattle, a crew of at least 10 cowboys was needed, with three horses per cowboy. Cowboys worked in shifts to watch the cattle 24 hours a day, herding them in the proper direction in the daytime and watching them at night to prevent stampedes and deter theft.[5]

^{Moving cattle today, requires one driver, a semi-truck and trailer with eighteen wheels and an open road. Beef, the finished product, can literally be in stores within a week.} 

^{Hollywood has romanticized the cowboy and many movies have portrayed cattle drives, with all the dangers of raging rivers, bandits and Indians to deal with on the trail. It was a hard life to travel the open trail and if you talk to a truck driver, you might just possibly hear that part has not changed. It takes a special breed of man or woman to move cattle across this vast nation.}

The Cowboy and the Cattle Drive

Cowboys became the icon of the American West with the herding of cattle in cattle drives.  The cattle drive has been glamorized in Hollywood movies, but the truth is it was hard work, by the cowboy or cowgirl who daily braved the elements without time off.  These young Americans signed on to work "the drive" to help monetarily support their families. 

Cattle drives involved cowboys on horseback moving herds of cattle long distances to market.  It was a major economic activity in the American west, particularly between the years 1866 - 95, when cattle were herded from Texas to rail heads in Kansas for shipments to stockyards in Chicago and points east. (Wikipedia)

The Great Western Cattle Trail, also known as the Dodge City Trail and the Old Texas Trail, was utilized from 1874 for the movement of cattle to markets.  The trail began at Bandera, Texas and ended, most often, in Dodge City, Kansas.  The entire trail extended from southern Texas to the Canadian border.  Between 10 and 12 million cattle were driven north from Texas into Dodge City.  Not as popular as the Chisholm Trail, the Great Western Cattle Trail was situated to the west of the Chisholm Trail and ran parallel.

Blazed by rancher and trail driver, John Lytle, The Great Western Cattle Trail was the last great northern cattle trail.  The Great Western Trail was not as well documented as its counterpart, The Chisholm Trail. Cowboys who took to the trail, found the terrain decidedly more rugged and parched, with formidable barriers, such as the canyons in Texas, the Wichita mountains in Oklahoma Territory and the Great Basin in Kansas.  These obstacles of nature made the cowboys really earn their keep.

Enchanted Springs Ranch's 86 acres sits right on The Great Western Trail.  A visit to the ranch will take you back in time to the Old West as you roam the streets of the 1800's  town.  Riding on down to the springs, you'll find the herd of longhorns grazing in the pasture.  This ranch is unique, in its desire to replicate the Old West and keep the history alive, while teaching the truth about the cowboys or cowgirls that blazed the trail.  A day spent at Enchanted Springs Ranch, will make a memory that won't be forgotten in lifetime.

The Code of The West

Ethics . . . we all have them, the moral compass that is found within us and guides us between choosing right or wrong.  Maybe we've gotten away from checking in on a daily basis and seeing how we each are doing with our daily life choices, but in the old American West, the Cowboy lived by his ethics, or code on a daily basis.

The true cowboy is an American icon standing for what is good, brave and true in life. To survive the West and go to bed every night with a clear conscience, cowboys took living the code very seriously.

WHY COWBOYS?

The iconic cowboy represents the best of America — the courage, optimism and plain hard work. Cowboys are heroic not just because they do a dangerous job, but also because they stand for something — the simple, basic values that lie at the heart of the cowboy way. Even though their way of life has changed over the last 150 years, cowboys still honor and live by their code. They are an abiding source of inspiration to do better and be better than we are.  (Center for Cowboy Ethics and Leadership)

At Enchanted Springs Ranch, we celebrate the true Cowboy.  We encourage and teach our guests to ponder living a life by the Code.

Steve Schmidt, "Cowboy Steve", owner of Enchanted Springs Ranch, is living the code. Visiting Enchanted Springs Ranch, not only transports you back in time to the Old West, but you'll meet Cowboy Steve and others who are living out the ten principles.

So just stop for a few minutes and read through the ten principles to the left.  What if you started applying these principles to your life on a daily basis?  What kind of changes would take place?   Would you inspire and encourage others to apply the code to their lives as well?

So many moral compasses that have gone unchecked, could be put back on the trail, by earnestly applying and living the Code of the West.  Now, are you ready to become a cowboy?

The Cowboy Code: My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys

Life today is fast paced, loaded with stress and people struggle with many issues in their lives. You don't hear very much about living to a code of ethics or beliefs in today's world, but back in the 1940's, a man by the name of Gene Autry had our attention. Gene Autry, known as the Singing Cowboy, personified a "straight shooter", who's code of honesty, bravery and truthfulness, inspired millions of Americans.

The following is Autry's Code of Honor:
1. A cowboy never takes unfair advantage - even of an enemy.
2. A cowboy never betrays a trust. He never goes back on his word.
3. A cowboy always tells the truth.
4. A cowboy is kind and gentle to small children, old folks, and animals.
5. A cowboy is free from racial and religious intolerances.
6. A cowboy is always helpful when someone is in trouble.
7. A cowboy is always a good worker.
8. A cowboy respects womanhood, his parents and his nation's laws.
9. A cowboy is clean about his person in thought, word, and deed.
10. A cowboy is a Patriot.
   

When you visit Enchanted Springs Ranch, we strive to educate our visitors about the true cowboy and cowboy ethics. You'll find yourself stepping back in time, to an old west town, complete with cowboys and cowgirls, who strive to personify the above ten beliefs. Cowboys play a huge role in the America's old west history and Enchanted Springs Ranch delivers truth and preserves the history of the cowboy. So spend some quality family time at our ranch, learning about cowboys and enjoying a day free from stress and worries. By the time you leave Enchanted Springs Ranch, you might go home embracing Gene Autry's Cowboy Code.

For more information about Enchanted Springs Ranch:  www.enchantedspringsranch.com

Learn more about Gene Autry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Autry