The Day of Small Things

The Trampling Herd is a record of the US cattle industry. From Cortez and the first cattle, on through the days of the Mexican vaquero to the modern cowbody and dude wrangler, Paul Wellman traced the history and personalities of the Western cattle country. He showed the changing West, dating from the barbed wire fences and the sheepmen, the new laws regarding water rights and he brings his tale down to the last ignominy, the dude ranches. Cattle crossed the Rio Grande into what is now the United States as early as 1580, forty years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. In this colorful and comprehensive history of the cattle industry in the American West, we reach back to the early sixteenth century, when the first cattle were brought from Spain to Mexico. We then learn about the great cattle drives that began after the Civil War when Texans desperately needed to expand their markets, and about the dramatic changes in the cattle industry that followed. Colorful true characters like the unforgettable Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Wild Bill Hickok, and Billy the Kid also all make prominent appearances in this fascinating history.