Roundup Week Wrapup

Since tomorrow is Mystery Person Contest day, we wrap up Roundup Week with this photograph. This is another picture from 1939 at the Quarter Circle U ranch in Montana. If you look at the Cowboy's shirt pocket, you see a little round tab hanging out. This would be the tab on a pouch of Bull Durham tobacco. This was a little bag of cigarette tobacco, that had rolling papers attached. When I was growing up, just about all the cowboys, ranchers and farmers smoked Bull Durham. Store rolled cigarettes were a lot more expensive, so the guys would roll their own.

What is he eating you ask? Well, he is eating a Rocky Mountain Oyster. Don't know what a Rocky Mountain Oyster is?  . . . google it.

OK, I normally show photographs here, and not old lithographs, but when looking through photographs to use this week, I found this old lithograph of a cowboy. I really liked it, so wanted to share it with you today.

Just a reminder, tomorrow is Mystery Person Contest day. If you are a new visitor, this is how it works. I put up a picture of someone with no other information. Whoever figures out who it is first, wins. If no one figures out who it is in 24 hours, then I win. If I win, then I make a big victory breakfast, and flaunt it to the world. My Arch-Nemesis, the Evil Nate Maas usually plays, and has had some small degree of success in the past, but tomorrow will be the day I defeat him. Oh yes, tomorrow he will be defeated.

Cowboys Around Campfire

Good Thursday Morning to you all! I hope you are enjoying roundup week as much as I am. I love these old photographs of real men living the Cowboy Way. This picture is  classic, and shows cowboys on the range, sitting around a campfire. I think perhaps part of the problem with our Nation today is too few men sitting around campfires. More cowboying, and less TV watching, I say.

Cowboy by Bunkhouse

Today's Old Picture was taken at the Quarter Circle U Ranch in Big Horn County in Montana. The photo was taken in 1939. The cowboy is enjoying a smoke in front of the bunkhouse. One thing you can pretty much bet on is that he rolled that cigarette himself. I can remember growing up in the country back in the 60's, the ranch folks would never think about buying a store-made cigarette, they all rolled their own from a little pouch of Bull Durham. 

Funny thing happened to me yesterday. There are a bunch of old timers in the little town I live in who sit around and drink coffee. They used to sit in the coffee shop, and smoke cigarettes and drink coffee. I had noticed that they stopped going to the coffee shop, and then found that they had started gathering across the street at Ross's welding shop. Ross has a coffee pot, so they go over there and drink his coffee. It is cold in the welding shop so he has a little open flame propane heater set up for them and a little table. When I was in the welding shop yesterday, I noticed that all the old timers were smoking roll-your-own Bugler cigarettes instead of ready made ones. I am guessing that the old timers are getting hit by the higher prices such that they are now drinking free coffee and rolling their own cigarettes. I am wondering what a pack of cigarettes costs today. I have been told that a little pouch of chewing tobacco, that one would expect to be a dollar or two, is now up to costing $9.48. 

Branding Calf

Today's picture was taken in 1939 on the Three Circle Ranch in Montana. It shows the cowboys branding a calf. Branding was started back in the days of the Open Range to allow ranchers to identify ownership of their cattle. Given that it is the "Three Circle" ranch, I assume they stamp each calf with three circles.

Working Cowboy

Good Monday morning to you all. I hope a lot of you get this week off from work, to rest up a little for the new year. Roundup week continues with this picture of a working cowboy on horseback. The picture was taken 1939 at the Three Circle Roundup in Montana. I really love this picture, and believe it portrays what really made this country great. 

I noticed that yesterday we had a real cowboy commenting on the picture, Mr. 2lazy4u, of the 2lazy4u livestock and literacy company. When I saw his handle and company name, I recognized the genuine Cowboy Wit, and realized we were dealing with the real thing. Hopefully he will continue to share a little of his Cowboy Wit and Wisdom with us.

Roundup Week

About the only thing I like better than Bandits is an Authentic Cowboy, so I would like to welcome you to Roundup Week here at OPOD. We will be looking at old pictures of a fading if not lost way of life . . . the Cowboy Way. This picture was taken in 1939 near Powder Springs, Montana. It was taken at the Three Circle Roundup camp. Notice the straps and buckles on the man's boots . . . these are to hold his spurs on. The furry things he is sitting on are his chaps. You can also see his lariat near his boots. He looks to be having some grub in the mess tent. Notice in the background large white bags on the table. These are probably flour, red beans, and maybe even rice. There was of course no refrigeration out on the range, so the cowboys diet consisted of meat (which was readily available from the herd) and things that could be made from dry ingredients . . . biscuits, tortillas, red beans, cornbread, and maybe rice.