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reason were not kept very long. Bulls were sold periodically to prevent in-breeding.

The distance to the shipping point was eighty to ninety miles and driving a herd that far is no easy task. However, there were corrals spaced one day's drive apart so the herd could be held there over night allowing the cowboys to sleep. Very early in our days in Young, Dad took over the management of the Bar A and the 4 Bar outfit belonging to Miss Ola and Miss Betty Young. They ran about four hundred head so when ours were combined with them there was quite a herd to drive to the railroad.

Preparation for a cattle drive was important and took a great deal of concentration. A cook had to be hired, the chuck wagon greased, work team shod and food and bedding for the crew gathered and packed. The food list always included Teagarden syrup purchased at Frank Bragg's store. There were beans and dried fruit and enough fresh meat for the first two days because meat would not keep without refrigeration more than two days. The fare was mostly beans and dried fruit for the two week trip. The bread of course was dutch oven biscuits and there was Teagarden syrup along with salt pork for breakfast.

A boy was considered mature when he went along on a cattle drive so Floyd and I always wanted to go. School was in session when most drives were held but now and then we were allowed to go along but never at the same time. It was either me or Floyd never both.

The cattle drives went at a very slow pace since the animals would be sold by weight at the railroad we surely did not want to leave a lot of pounds on the trail. They were just grazed along up over the Mogollon Rim, across Canyon Creek and down Black Canyon. From there it was rocky desert all the way to Holbrook. Now and then a herd would make it all the way without a stampede but that was rare. Usually there would be a "run" of some sort every night. The corrals were round in shape so usually the cattle would hit the fence bounce off and just go in a circle until they quieted down. Once in Black Canyon they broke the fence down and scattered all over the area. We spent most of the next day rounding them up but had to drive to the next corral because there were other herds just a day's drive behind us. We also had to repair the corral at Black Canyon for the next herd.

There was pasture for rent at Dry Lake about two days drive out of Holbrook so we usually spent three or four days there letting the cattle gain back any lost weight. As we approached Holbrook we had to cross the Little Colorado River which was full of quick sand. It was a scary experience driving a herd across quick sand which shook like jelly under the weight of the cattle and you had to keep them moving to prevent them from sinking into the sand and getting bogged down. Even crossing the railroad was a problem if a train happened along. The engineers loved to blow live steam in the faces of the cattle just to see them run. It was not a joke for the men who were trying to get the cattle to the stock pens on the other side of the track.

Thousands of cattle were shipped from Holbrook each season and