Old Style Cattle Drive

[ddurbin]

taken from THE MOLINE ADVANCE, October 25, 1951
An Echo Of The Past

The old west lived again for three days last week in Southeastern Kansas.  The historical days of overland cattle drives came alive as seven hundred and thirty five head of Hereford heifers were trailed thirty two miles from Hoosier Station, west of Cedar Vale, Kansas to pastures near Moline.  J. W. Durbin, well known wolf-hunter and cattleman of Moline, was trail boss.

The railroads are still running strong and there are fleets of huge semi-trailer cattle trucks available, but here was a bunch of cowmen who wanted to turn back the clock and make a real overland drive for the love of handling cattle personally, and for the excitement of such an undertaking.  Some of them remembered similar drives years ago.  "Tot" Thomspon remembered and so did Guy Harris, who helped plan the first leg of the drive.

The cattle, bearing the famous Hash Knife brand, are owned by the Merchant Live Stock Company of Carlsbad, New Mexico and will be wintered and summered in Elk County by Jack T. Durbin who holds the pasture leases.  Ted Smart, local Live Stock Commission man, made the contract with the Merchant Live Stock Company for this extensive operation.

It has been decades since a vision comparable to this drive has been in Southeastern Kansas.  The Hash Knives poured in a living red and whte river across the rolling hills and down country lanes lined with scarlet sumac and goldenrod.  Hollywood could not have planned a more colorful scene than the view of the heifers plodding along the skyline of a hill, against a blue October sky.

Fifteen miles were slowly counted off the first day and the great herd was driven in one of the Harris pastures to spend the night.  Tuesday morning, after round-up, the colorful tide started rolling again.  Part of the way lay across pasture, following for several miles the Old Santa Fe Trail over which many thousands of cattle once passed on their way to the lush grasslands of the Bluestem area.  Steadily the herd moved on toward the night's stop in one of the Thompson pastures near Hard Pan schoolhouse.  Wednesday, the drive continued from Hard Pan to its conclusion soon after noon at the first pastures of the Bar D Ranch, though some of the cattle will be moved to further pastures near Elk Falls.  Thirty registered bulls shipped by truck from the Pronger Bros. Ranch, breeders of registered Hereford cattle, at Statford, Texas will complete the herd.

Perhaps this trip could have been made faster than three days, but who could blame the cowboys for prolonging their fun another day?  Nine year old Ronnie Durbin, representing the third generation of Durbins making the drive, missed some school, but he will have a story to tell his grandchildren.

Cowboys helping J. W. Durbin on the drive were his three sons, Gene, Ronald, and Jack T. Durbin and Gene's son "Ronnie", Ted Smart, Frank Esch, John Hamill, "Tot" Thompson, Frank Womacks, Oscar Keplinger, Bill McClure, "Montana" Lowry and Tom Baughman.  Miss Juanita Esch lent a hand after school, and Moline Mayor, Dale Boyer and businessman, Clair Horn also rode on the drive.

A few modern notes intruded on the "Old West" atmosphere, one being the Ford "Chuck-Wagon" which made a prompt and welcome appearance each noon, piloted by Mrs. Ted Smart, Mrs. J. W. Durbin, Mrs. Gene Durbin and Mrs. Ronald Durbin.  Another was the modern movie camera, cranked by Roy Wilson, which recorded much of the colorful spectacle.

The drive is successfully concluded, everyone is happy and satisfied with memories of three exhilarating days with the big herd.  The cattle?  They are knee-deep in blue-stem.

[sixdogsmom]

Interesting! Thanks for posting this. 

[Dee Gee]

Interesting article on moving a herd of cattle.  I have helped 30 - 40 head of cattle a few miles to and from pastures, I just can't imagine driving 700 head for that distance.