cowboys and movin cows

from the earliest times in America the cowboy has had pure hell getting his cattle to a conveyance that was dependable  and safe.  before the civil war  cattle were kept close to home and used for self. milk, meat etc. all stayed on the home place. after the civil war the east had a unsatiable demand for beef. a rail line was completed into central Kansas. ranchers, cowboys from all over the west, but mainly texas would drive their cattle to a rail head and ship them to Chicago or other cities to be slaughtered. many times the rancher would retain ownership until the cattle reached their destination in hopes of getting a better price. problem was the rail road. many times train loads of cattle were side tracked and left for days, forgotten. some times if the cattle were lucky enough to get unloaded for rest , feed , and water they were left there for days, again forgotten.  many times rail cars were ordered for cattle but failed to materialize.  so the rancher was forced to hold his cattle longer while the market took a downward trend. when the cattle arrived  finally at the destination, they might be slapped with a freight charge that would curl the moustache of even the toughest puncher.  but they survived, and moved into the twentieth century.  the internal combustion engine came into being and along with it  the cattle truck. now the cattle could be transported from the ranch with out the long trail drive. few ranchers could afford a decent car let alone a cattle truck so they looked to contract carriers. these folks I believe were direct decendants of the railroaders!!  cowboys spend a full third of their lives setting on the fence waiting for trucks while the cattle shrink right before their eyes.  those cowboys miss lunch, sometimes dinner and end up loading the late arriving trucks in the dark in corrals with no lights. the wives pull the pickup up to the fence and shine the lights in so you can see to load the truck.  when the cattle finally start up the ramp for some unexplained reason they balk, turn back and run over the puncher. when he gets to his feet he sees the truck driver has lit a cigarette and is leaning into the chute with a flash light hollerin bring them on, whats the problem?  I swear any set of loading corrals needs a cemetery right next to the chute reserved for truckers!!