The Forgotten Cattle King by Benton R. White (review)

Reviews 79 pioneers, despite their caste society ruled by a distant sovereign, develop the same characteristics which Turner ascribed to American frontiersmen? A panel of writers at the 1985 Western Literature Association convention cred­ ited Scottish tradition with the origin of “the code of the West.” Could it not equally have been derived from Hispanic customs? One minor criticism: while Mr. Jackson’s drawings are delightful, the maps are hard to read. LARRY McDONALD Arizona Western College The Forgotten Cattle King. By Benton R. White. (College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University, 1986. 138 pages, $14.95.) If the name F. G. Oxsheer doesn’t ring any bells, don’t feel bad; it’s not supposed to. That’s why Benton R. White entitled his biography The For­ gotten Cattle King. It is surprising to discover that a man who once owned 18 ranches in Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico could have been so thoroughly forgotten within so short a time after his death. In White’s skillful hands, Oxsheer’s biography becomes nearly a tragedy in that those traits in his character which made him one of the great cattle barons of the Southwest were also partly responsible for his downfall. For example, Oxsheer doted on his children, especially his three sons, and wanted them to continue after him in the cattle business. But he learned to his sorrow that they did not have his drive, his perseverence, or his independence. White leaves the reader with no doubt that ranching is a business—some of us need to be reminded of that fact—and that Oxsheer was a good business­ man where ranching was concerned. He was among the first to introduce selective breeding in West Texas, and his reputation as a breeder was so great that he could sell his herds sight unseen. As a businessman, Oxsheer had to learn to cope with what was uncontrollable in the cattle industry. He saw his way through drought, flood, fire, disastrous winters, economic recessions and depressions, farm legislation which ended the open range, and capricious beef markets. As much as this book is a biography of a rancher, it is also a history of the changes in the cattle industry up to the 1930s. I felt very few disappointments in reading this book. I would have liked more details about Oxsheer’s three sons, especially since White feels that their father’s almost blind love for them was instrumental in his financial ruin. Perhaps the author might also have given us more details about the more outrageous episodes in the book, such as F. G., Jr.’s double-dealing with both the Mexican government and Pancho Villa in order to keep the Mexican ranch afloat, and Oxsheer’s tenure as the marshal of a rowdy West Texas town. But these are relatively minor flaws in an otherwise very thoughtful, valuable book. RICHARD TOWNSLEY Albuquerque, New Mexico ...