The Cowboy Strike
by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn

When the “beef bonanza” came to the Texas Panhandle in the 1880s, it sparked a classic confrontation – cattle punchers versus cattle barons – that ranks as one of the great tales of the golden age of the American cowboy. More than just a good story, though, it continues to provide valuable lessons about the pursuit of happiness and the American dream.

Traditionally, cowboys and ranchers shared a friendly relationship. Frequently paid with cattle, and allowed to build their own maverick herds, cowboys lived with the hope, and prospect, of becoming ranchers themselves.

But when the demand for beef soared, a new “breed” of owners from England and Scotland came in and dominated the Panhandle lands. They formed corporations, claimed the maverick cattle as their own and insisted that the cowboys work for wages only. When barbed wire was introduced, they fenced in the open range.

Naturally, the cowboys resisted. At stake was their chance to claim a part of the American dream. Denied the right to own cattle, they demanded higher pay. The owners said no. So, just before spring roundup 125 years ago, the cowboys shocked the cattle country. They went on strike.

It was called the first cowboy strike in America. By some estimates, the number of striking cowboys grew to more than 300 across five large ranches. The owners fought back, firing cowboys and hiring replacements. Their strike in 1883, 10 years before Labor Day became a legal holiday in Texas, accentuated a deep-seated belief that hard work deserves honest pay and fair treatment. After two-and-a-half months, the resistance of the cowboys weakened and the strike ended.

During the strike, the town of Tascosa became a popular place for out-of-work cowboys. Money saved to weather the walkout all too often evaporated amid the temptations in this “Cowboy Capital of the Panhandle,” northwest of Amarillo.

In the daytime, Tascosa was a trade and supply center. At night, its rip-roaring “suburb” of Hogtown provided entertainment for a cast of characters that even Hollywood could not invent.

The mysterious and intriguing Frenchy McCormick and her husband, Mickey, reigned over the gambling parlors of Hogtown. Frenchy dealt the cards and Mickey tended the bar.

Keeping the law in Hogtown were Sheriff Pat Garrett and District Attorney Temple Lea Houston, son of Sam Houston. Keeping them busy were a cast of notorious characters, including famed bad man Billy the Kid.

The cowboys around Tascosa were rugged individualists with a deep streak of independence. They worked from sunrise to sundown – from “can see to can’t see” – roping, bulldogging, branding and herding cattle. But their way of life on the open range would fade, as would Tascosa. The death knell for the town came when the main east-west railroad bypassed it.

But the American dream did not die with it. Tascosa took on a new purpose when the ghost town was donated to help start Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch in 1939. Since it was founded nearly 70 years ago, the Boys Ranch has cared for more than 8,000 at-risk children. Cal Farley became known as “America’s Greatest Foster Father.”

On the site of old Tascosa, the chance to fulfill the American dream has come full circle.


Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee's Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee's Airland subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.

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