The Johnson-Sims Feud: Romeo and Juliet, West Texas Style

2. Billy Johnson, Cattle Baron

11 Chapter 2 Billy Johnson, Cattle Baron “I was on an easy fox-trotting bay gelding riding point on a mixed herd of South Texas cattle . . . when I heard the sweet sound of running water as my horse broke stride to jump the creek.” Billy Johnson, cowboy By the time that pioneer cattlemen Billy Johnson and Dave Sims arrived in West Texas, Americans had become captivated by the range cattle industry. This fascinating enterprise evolved in Texas during the nineteenth century. Cattle were introduced to the Western hemisphere in the early 1500s by Spanish colonizers. On the ranges of northern Mexico, vaqueros handled cattle from horseback, developing special attire, techniques, and equipment. Roping, branding, heavy-duty saddles, wide brimmed sombreros, high-heeled boots, jingling spurs, leather chaparejos—everything had utilitarian purposes, but came to seem colorful and even romantic. Through the centuries cattle strayed into the brush country above the Rio Grande, multiplying freely in a harsh, unpopulated land. The animals became hardy survivors, good at finding water and forage, and aggressive against predators, fighting with horns that evolved into long, dangerous weapons. During the mid-1800s, Anglo Texans 12 Chapter 2 adapted the techniques and equipment of the vaqueros, and began trailing herds of rugged “longhorns” to distant markets such as California and New Orleans. But before these long drives could become a regular activity, the Civil War blocked Texas from almost all cattle markets, while most able-bodied men served with the Confederate Army or the home guard. Unattended and ignored, longhorn cattle multiplied prolifically. By war’s end as many as five million wild longhorns ranged across the grasslands of Texas, while a hungry market for beef opened in the industrial Northeast. Longhorns costing no more than three or four dollars in Texas would bring thirty to fifty dollars in northern markets . Herds of half-wild cattle were rounded up by Texas “cow boys” and driven toward the nearest railroads, first to Missouri along the Sedalia Trail, then to Kansas along the Chisholm Trail and the Great Western Trail. There was much to admire about young drovers. On the long drives cowboys faced stampedes, treacherous river crossings, and other perils. Longhorns were big, ornery beasts, dangerous to both men and horses, and cowboys had to ride and rope with athletic skill to handle these challenging creatures. Booted and spurred, clad in big hats and chaps and bright bandannas, cowboys relished the majestic feeling of power and height and superiority of mounted men throughout history. For cowboys the rollicking climax to the long drives was arrival at Abilene or Dodge City or other railroad towns. The flamboyant combination of dangerous frontier journeys and brave, colorful cowboys created a romantic adventure that would prove unforgettable to the American public. In the ringing prose of Texas historian T. R. Fehrenbach, the range cattle industry “burned its image like a smoking cattle brand into the consciousness not only of North America but the entire world.” He emphasized that Texas cattlemen and cowboys conducted their picturesque venture “with a barbaric magnificence equaled nowhere. They exploded not a business , but a new way of life, across the entire North American West.” Billy Johnson, Cattle Baron 13 In���i�� � ��� F�rs� Na�i�n�� B���, �i�� P�e�i��n� B���� J��ns�� st�n��n� �� �r�n�, �e���n� � b�� ��� �n� h�l��n� �i� �i� r�n����’� ha�. C���e�� S��r�� C��n�� Mu����, S�y���, T�xa�. 14 Chapter 2 Another distinguished Texas historian, Joe B. Frantz, wrote extensively about cattlemen and cowboys and longhorns, concluding that “the range-cattle era placed an indelible stamp on the American character that transcends Texas, the West, and the frontier.”1 Fehrenbach reflected deeply about cattlemen, finding that “something in its way of life called strongly to certain breeds of men . . . .” Responding to this powerful call were men like Billy Johnson and Dave Sims, in addition to legendary cattlemen such as Charles Goodnight . “A Charles Goodnight could move early onto the far edge of nowhere, and hold his new range against all comers. Some men could not.”2 Billy Johnson could, and so could Dave Sims. Billy Johnson discovered his “new range” in 1878, just two years after Goodnight founded his famous JA ranch in Palo Duro Canyon. Johnson would put together a ranch of forty-seven contiguous deeded sections, and a decade later Dave Sims would assemble forty sections. Their...