Cowboy Challenges and Daily Life
Cowboys faced many challenges, but one that was more frequent was rounding up cattle. The best way they did it was men would go out on horseback and circle the cattle while singing. One cowboy would start off, and they would alternate singing. Many cowboys would take shifts in completing this task even if it took them all day or all night. If there were ever long pauses then the cattle would begin stampeding. In the end, most cowboys managed to keep the cattle herds under control. Another conflict many cowboys faced was Indian tribes. Some Indians were cautious about their land and were strict on who they would allow to trespass onto it. Many times, they spent hours at a time trying to compromise a deal so that the Indians would let them spend the night.
As time went on, the cowboys developed somewhat of a culture, Such as hazardous work in isolated locations. This formed an individualistic atmosphere. Cowboys often worked with all males, especially when they were on cattle drives. Since men usually outnumbered the females, some cowboys would become attracted to each other. At social events since there were hardly ever women, men often asked each other to dance. Cowboys culture itself was and remains deeply homophobic. Though anti-sodomy laws were common, they usually were randomly enforced.
As time went on, the cowboys developed somewhat of a culture, Such as hazardous work in isolated locations. This formed an individualistic atmosphere. Cowboys often worked with all males, especially when they were on cattle drives. Since men usually outnumbered the females, some cowboys would become attracted to each other. At social events since there were hardly ever women, men often asked each other to dance. Cowboys culture itself was and remains deeply homophobic. Though anti-sodomy laws were common, they usually were randomly enforced.
