Volume 47 - No. 01
January 05, 2017
by lyle e davis
Looking back on the history of our nation we find all kinds of little known, fascinating detail.
The the Wild, Wild West, for example. We’ve all heard of cowboys, and how they would drive the herds along the more famous trails. And somewhere in that cowboy lore, the term “chuck wagon” came up,. Most of us know little about herding cattle and the demands of the job; even more of us know little or nothing about“chuck wagon.” This article aims to rectify both situations. First, some background:
At the end of the U.S. civil war in the 1860's, a massive expansion of settlement moved westward across the North American continent. This expansion created a large market for beef. Beef that existed, on the hoof, in the southwest, primarily in Texas. It was lucrative for the ranchers who succeeded in these drives. A free range steer worth $4.00 in Texas would escalate in value to $40.00 dollars at the point of sale in Kansas or Missouri. Many a fortune was made during this period time while the average cowboy worked for around $40 a month. Enterprising cattlemen recognized the need to move herds of cattle to market without railroads. This meant driving herds overland. The trail drive days were born.
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The Chisholm Trail, Shawnee Trail, Western Trail and the Goodnight Loving Trail were some of the better known routes. Some cattlemen herded cattle in parts of the country that did not have railroads which would mean they needed to be fed on the road for months at a time. Before the railroad reached Texas, competition was stiff in recruiting good cowboys willing to spend the long weeks on the cattle trail driving large herds to the Kansas rail heads or markets in other states. In the early days of the great trail drives, each cowboy was responsible for his own meals and had to make do with what he could carry with him. It soon became more and more difficult to recruit cowboys for long trail drives. Y’see, cowboys love to eat . . . and they work up a mighty big appetite what with all the work they do. As a direct resuilt of this need, it turns out the chuck wagon was invented specically for the use of the Texas cowboys who were driving their herds along the trail to the closest rail head or market.
Basically, the chuck wagon is a mobile kitchen . . . the invention of which is attributed to Charles “Chuck” Goodnight, a Texas rancher and cofounder of the Goodnight-Loving Trail.
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Charles Goodnight figured he could hire the best cowboys if he had a solution to their big appetites while working hard herding cattle. He came up with an idea to suit the needs of cowboys driving his cattle from Texas to sell in New Mexico. Creating the chuck wagon
In 1866 he created the prototype for the chuck wagon by buying a Studebaker Wagon, a durable army surplus wagon, and hiring a good cook. They put their heads together and came up with a layout that made a lot of practical sens. The chuck wagon was born.
cooking tools and supplies. Beneath the chuck box was a “boot” to hold larger items such as the ever present dutch oven. The average chuck wagon was about 10 feet long and 38-40 inches wide.
A water barrel and coffee mill were attached to the outside of the wagon and canvas or cowhide, called the "possum belly" was suspended beneath to carry firewood and cow chips. Waterproof tarps held up by bows covered the wagon to keep everything dry. A chuck wagon “fly,” or canvas awning, was often attached to the top of the
With the help of the cook, the two outfitted the wagon with steel axles that could withstand the hard terrain, and added boxes, shelves, and drawers for the cook. The two developed an efficient layout with a "chuck box" at the back of the wagon, which was a sloping box with a hinged lid that lay down to provide a flat working surface. Inside the chuck box were drawers and shelves to hold
Obituaries Memorials Area Services Page 12
Ridin’ the Trail Continued on Page 2
chuck box that could be rolled out in case of rain. In the front of some of the wagons was a jockey box, which was used for storing tools and heavier equipment needed on the trail.
Larger ranches often had a second wagon to carry bedrolls, tents, spare saddles, and extra supplies. However, in smaller outfits, the wagon box of the chuck wagon was used to carry the drover's personal items and bedrolls, as well as any other needed items such as bulk food supplies, water, tools, feed for the horses, medicine, needles and thread, etc. The Chuck Wagon “Home”
The chuck wagon was sometimes drawn by oxen, but, more often by mules. Before long, the chuck wagon was adopted by trail drovers across the west, as well as loggers, prospectors, and others traveling in groups. The chuck wagon was the cow-