History Sheep Wars

1 history

1.1 texas
1.2 arizona
1.3 wyoming , colorado

history
texas

cattle ranching established trade in texas 1870, when shepherding starting become popular in other parts of old west. because of this, whether in texas or elsewhere, many cattlemen had close relationships local government figures , able use influence advantage. according 1 texas historian, in court action, cowboy [cattleman] won. sheepherders considered weaker, or lesser, of antagonists. advocates of free grazing on public land, while cattlemen typically fenced off territory whether public or private land. there many reasons why cattle rancher build fences, mark boundaries, prevent rustling, , keep other people grazing animals there. furthermore, there threat of sheep scab. building fences across range infuriated sheep herders, open range cattlemen, conflicts fence cutting war became inevitable. racism factor, being many of shepherds either hispanic or native american. 1 of earliest sheep wars fought in 1875, in charles goodnight range, along texas-new mexico border. later, sheep wars occurred in central , west texas counties of schleicher, nolan, brown, crane, tom green, san saba , coleman.

on march 9, 1881, state of texas passed law authorized appointment of sheep inspectors, quarantine sheep infected scab. however, law drove sheepherders under cover. there laws passed prevented sheepherders grazing on public land entirely. enforcement largely ineffective though, because there no representatives of general land office in west texas. in april 1883, law passed called sheepherders present certificate showing herd had been inspected scab before crossing county borders. cutting fences became felony in 1884 and, around same time, west texas experienced land rush, sealed off many sheep , cattlemen accessing public land. in cases, sheepherders forced cut fences , cross private property in order reach public land but, eventually, type of code evolved required herder drive flocks @ least 5 miles day on level terrain or @ least 3 miles day in rougher country [when crossing private land]. compared other american states, level of violence in texas sheep wars minimal.

arizona

of range wars in american history, pleasant valley war in arizona costly. fought between families of john d. tewksbury , tom graham. though both tewksbury , graham families cattle ranchers, former supported sheepherders when began entering pleasant valley in 1885. sudden appearance of large flocks of sheep on public land, had been used exclusively cattle, unnerving many cowboys, began unite in defending range against sheep. 1886 illegal sheepherders move herds within 2 miles of cattle grazing land , mogollon rim unofficial border, or deadline, no sheep permitted south of. pleasant valley located beyond border when daggs brothers , tewksburys began moving in sheep, local cattle ranchers, such grahams, resisted violently attacking sheepherders. grahams , tewksburys had been feuding since 1882 first bloodshed wasn t until 1885 when john d. tewksbury leased herd of sheep daggs brothers , had driven pleasant valley basque sheepherder. somewhere along trail, sheepherder ambushed , killed andy cooper, member of graham faction , associate of hashknife cowboys, in conflict sheepherders. second incident occurred in february 1887. ute shepherd beheaded 2 miles north of graham ranches while driving of daggs sheep through area. though no 1 ever charged, tom graham believed have been responsible. united states army later dispatched indian scouts follow murderer s trail and, according author leland j. hanchett, tracks led tom s cabin.

the situation escalated gunfight @ middleton ranch on august 9, 1887. ranch owned man named george newton, family friend of tewksburys. members of graham faction , hashknife cowboys out searching mart blevins, dead or alive, , assumed tewksburys knew disappearance. group included 5 men , led hampton blevins, son of mart , half-brother of andy cooper, killed basque sheepherder. 3 of other men hashknife cowboys john payne, thomas carrington , robert glaspie. final man cowboy named tom tucker. there 6 men occupying middleton ranch when blevins party arrived, 3 of whom tewksburys. @ first, blevins party approached ranch house , requested food night but, @ point, rode off , began shooting towards house. however, other accounts first shots fired men inside house. known hamton , john payne dead, without loss tewksbury s side. tucker , glaspie wounded , carrington escaped clothing perforated bullet. clear defeat graham faction, war turned long series of revenge killings , had little sheep after first encounters. time war ended, in 1892, twenty-five people had been killed, including of men in graham family , of blevins , tewksbury families.

there other sheep wars in arizona, besides graham-tewksbury feud. in 1884, near san francisco mountain, angry cattlemen rounded on 100 wild horses, strapped cowbells necks, rawhide tails, , drove them series of sheep herds numbering more 25,000, yelling , firing guns in process. sheep scattered in directions, many killed or wounded , took week gather , separate surviving stock. same year, cowboys drove on 4,000 sheep little colorado river, many of died in quicksand.

wyoming , colorado

the plains herder n.c. wyeth, 1909.

the sheep wars in wyoming , colorado exceptionally violent , lasted until after turn of century. in texas , arizona, cattlemen of colorado unwilling share pastures sheepherders, crossing state southern wyoming. in wyoming alone there twenty-four attacks , @ least 6 deaths between 1879 , 1909, though other accounts on sixteen people killed. well-known of conflicts routt county sheep war, in cattlemen of routt county, colorado attempted keep wyoming sheepherders entering grazing ranges. on may 23, 1895, newspaper cheyenne leader reported 4 days riders sent out scour country , warn settlers sheepmen holding flocks on snake river @ wyoming line [border], contemplating invasion of bear river cattle ranges. effect electrical, , noon today 350 cattlemen , feeders assembled decide upon positive action keep sheep back.... shortly after that, cattlemen adopted series of resolutions established deadlines , banned sheepherders entering northwestern colorado. however, cheyenne leader reported sheepherders disregard ban , enter state anyway. enforce resolutions, newspaper said, stock feeders , cowboys [cattlemen], force of 8 hundred thousand holding in readiness forcibly resist advance made south of hahn’s peak sheep owners.... war imminent , unless more conservative heads prevail, rifle figure conspicuous part in routt county sheep war. sheep causing trouble sixty thousand head belonging j. g. , g.w. edwards , others in wyoming.

despite newspaper s claim, of sheepherders respected cattlemen s resolve, defused situation before became serious. there were, however, @ least 4 violent episodes in region during time. first occurred in 1894, in garfield county, when 3,800 sheep driven on cliffs parachute creek. sheepherder, carl brown, attempted stop cowboys killing flock shot in 1 of hips. when posse parachute, colorado rode out scene, found wounded brown , mass of dead sheep @ foot of 1,000-foot bluff. craig courier reported following on september 14, 1894; owners [of sheep] residents of parachute rights adjacent range , posse made futile race apprehend raiders. john miller owned seventeen hundred of sheep , charles brown, uncle of wounded man, twenty-one hundred. 1,500 more sheep massacred same year in same county. according jack edwards of wyoming, in late june 1896, 2 of sheepherders killed colorado cowboys , 300 of herd massacred. upon learning of raid, edwards headed towards scene intercepted party of masked men, ordered him remove rest of flock across border. after raid, on january 23, 1897, edwards told omaha reporter following; have armed force of fifty [men] ready clash when comes. compelled keep small army place time. short time ago 3 hundred sheep killed , 2 herders; while looked though entire colorado militia have called out, sheepmen , cattlemen looked out themselves, , there several graves in vicinity of meeker go show know how this. incident took place on morning of november 15, 1899, when forty masked men attacked sheep camp located on lower snake river. during foray, on 3,000 sheep clubbed , scattered , shepherds robbed , wagon burned.

some of more serious raids, outside of northwestern colorado area, occurred in 1887, 1896, 1902, 1905 , 1909. in 1887, 2,600 heads belonging charles herbert perished when cowboys burned down corrals @ tie siding, wyoming. in 1896 in wyoming, 12,000 sheep slaughtered in single night being driven off cliff near north rock springs. violence reached height after turn of century. in 1902, near thermopolis, wyoming, several thousand sheep slaughtered , herders killed. during summer of 1905, ten masked men attacked sheep camp on shell creek, in big horn basin. there cowboys clubbed 4,000 sheep, out of 7,000, burned wagons , 2 sheep dogs. owner of massacred flock, louis a. gantz, lost $40,000 result. out of sheep raids, serious incursion spring creek raid of april 2, 1909. southwest of ten sleep, wyoming, sheepherder joe allemand , 2 of companions shot , killed 7 or 8 masked men. raiders killed twenty-five sheep , 2 dogs, , burned wagons kerosene. because sheep raiders had never been prosecuted in wyoming court before, many believed murderers away massacre. however, 7 men arrested, 5 of whom sent prison. conviction of ten sleep murderers brought peace big horn county. after 1909 attack, cattlemen reluctant raid sheep camps because risked being punished it. though there 2 more wyoming sheep raids in 1911 , 1912, no more sheepherders murdered. last known sheep raid in colorado occurred 8 years later, in 1920, when 150 sheep slaughtered grazing in white river national forest.

according robert elman, author of badmen of west, sheep wars ended because of decline of open rangeland , changes in ranching practices, removed causes hostilities. taylor grazing act of 1934 eased of tension.