Ranching in East Texas Under Spain and Mexico by H. Gordon Pettey, Ph.D. - Most think that ranching began after the Civil War, but in fact, it began a hundred and seventy years earlier in deep Spanish East Texas which included western Louisiana. This important book begins with the very first cattle that came to America with the conquest of Mexico and how they reached East Texas. This livestock belonged to the first missions who used them as barter with illegal French traders. A little later this was also done at the missions of South Texas around Goliad. A lively trade developed in illegally rounding up and driving the Spanish King's wild mustangs and longhorns from the piney woods of East Texas (smugglers) to the French at Natchitoches where they brought three times their value back in Texas. These were driven along the ancient El Camino Real de los Tejas (the first real cattle trail in Texas), no doubt picking up others along the way. Later, East Texas Spanish cowboys drove cattle to Dallas to intersect the Comanche cattle trail that led to the Missouri-Pacific Railroad as it crossed Kansas and Missouri. This book gives the number of livestock brought by each Spanish entrada (entrance) into East Texas. Describes the early cowboys with pictures, illustration, including all the cattle trails of Texas and an original map of early Spanish ranches of Nacogdoches County. Also the first brands and sketches of "vaqueros" (cowboys). This is worth anyone's time. Printed on large 8 ½" x 11" paper.

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Ranching In East Texas - US - Soft Cover -- $18.00

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