Late Nineteenth Century Texas Ranching Photographs, 1894-1903
Size: 4 inches
Location: 3D1
Collection: MS019
Accession #: 1995.039
Historical Sketch
The ranching landscape of the late nineteenth century was dominated by the transition into fenced territory. Open range livestock operations were ended by a combination of legal changes, population increases, and the controlling presence of the railroad. Life was not easy, but ranchers persevered with the help of cowboy workers.
Scope & Content Note
This collection contains 207 images of ranch life in the late nineteenth century. There are photographs of branding, cattle grazing, cattle sales, cowboys on horseback, broad shots of the VVN Ranch, family gatherings, prairie architecture, and every day activities. It is arranged alphabetically by subject of the image.
Note to Researcher
All the photographs in this collection are available in our Image Database.
Subject Terms
Branding
Castro County, Texas
Cows
Horseshoeing
Tulia School
VVN Ranch
XIT Ranch
Processing Information
This collection was donated to the Museum in 1995 by William N. Pirtle. The photographs belonged to his father in law Roy Oden. Oden’s uncle is among the people featured in the photographs, and was a fence contractor for the XIT Ranch as it was being fenced in.
Copyright
Please contact the Director of the Dickinson Research Center for information about permission to publish any materials in this collection.
Copyright
There are no restrictions on this collection. It is available for research.
Preferred Citation
Late Nineteenth Century Ranching Photographs, MS019, Box # Folder #, Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Container List
Late Nineteenth Century Texas Ranch Photographs
| Box | Folder | Folder Title / Description | |||||
| 1 | 1-2 | Branding, undated | |||||
| 3 | Castro County officers, c.1900 | ||||||
| 4 | Connor boys and horses, undated | ||||||
| 5 | Copy negatives, undated | ||||||
| 6-7 | Cowboy on horseback, undated | ||||||
| 8 | Cowboy reunion, Plainview, Texas, 1895 | ||||||
| 9-10 | Cows in a pen, undated | ||||||
| 11 | Cows walking across a field, undated | ||||||
| 12 | Crowd in stands for a baseball game, undated | ||||||
| 13 | Dugout used as a store, Bovina, Texas, 1898 | ||||||
| 14 | Horseshoeing, undated | ||||||
| 15 | House and tree, undated | ||||||
| 16 | Man holding a calf, undated | ||||||
| 17 | Man’s first time on a horse, undated | ||||||
| 18 | Men in front of a building, undated | ||||||
| 19 | Photo album of ranch life, undated | ||||||
| 20 | Students and teachers in front of Tulia School, undated | ||||||
| 21 | Taming a horse, undated | ||||||
| VVN Ranch | |||||||
| 22 | Branding, 1898 | ||||||
| 23 | Cowboys on horseback with a chuck wagon, undated | ||||||
| 24 | Cows at a watering hole, undated | ||||||
| 25 | Herding cattle, undated | ||||||
| 26 | Roundup, undated | ||||||
| 27 | Shipping cattle, 1903 | ||||||
| 28 | Wide shot of ranch, 1898 | ||||||
| 29 | Wide shot of ranch, undated | ||||||
| 30 | Wide shot of farm land and house, undated | ||||||
| 31 | Woman and girl, undated | ||||||
| XIT Ranch | |||||||
| 32 | Branding at Springlake Headquarters, 1894 | ||||||
| 33 | Wide shot of the ranch, 1894 | ||||||
