Reference Library

THE LONGHORN IS SAVED!
Author Unknown, San Antonio Express News
August 7, 1927

The Longhorn is saved. Although he doesn't look in the least like a carrier pigeon, he was just about to go the same way that great bird went. Twenty-nine Longhorn cattle have been secured in south Texas and are on their way to the Wichita forest reserve, located 17 miles out from Lawton, Oklahoma, in the Wichita Mountains.

Give thanks to Will C. Barnes of the forest service for this great accomplishment. Not that the Longhorn is such a fine critter in these days of Herefords, Shorthorns, Black Angus and all the rest, but in his day and time the old Longhorn made his mark. He played a leading role in the most colorful of all our national development movements.

Barnes spent Friday in San Antonio, leaving early Saturday for Austin, where he held a conference with Professor J. Frank Dobie of the University of Texas. While here, he was bubbling over with happiness at the success of his month's search in Texas for specimens of the old-time cattle.

He and his assistant, John H. Hatton, actually looked over 50,000 cattle in their search, avers Barnes. They followed many a false clue, too. Coming into south Texas, via the gateway, San Antonio, they went to Laredo, thence to Brownsville, and then along the coast to Beaumont. And they tarried and crisscrossed the country as they went.

Notwithstanding that Barnes was a practical cattleman for 26 years in New Mexico and Arizona, he had one of his most exciting moments of cattledom on Bob Sutton's ranch near Cotulla. On that ranch, Bob keeps a 15-year-old outlaw steer which bears the euphonious name of "Pizen Weed", and old Pizen Weed puts Barnes on a fence.

More, Barnes lost his Panama hat as he ran for safety, and old Pizen Weed trampled it and gored it beauti-fully, finally getting it stuck on his horn where he wore it some little while. Barnes was wearing the hat as he left San Antonio.

"Honestly," said the beleaguered representative of the forest service, "a good movie film of my flight and that wild outlaw charging around the Sutton corral with my Panama on his horn would have furnished a large laugh for any audience. Think, there must have been $1,000,000 worth of film actually lost."

Seventeen of the Longhorns were gathered together in the Edinburg country, where Walter Doughty was good enough to allow himself to be drafted. These went on to Fort Worth about four days ago.

Twelve of them were bought up in Liberty county and will be shipped from Devers Sunday. Seth Brown helped Barnes out there. Both bunches of them will be assembled in Fort Worth- assembled is a good enough word for it- and after a final inspection and dipping for ticks, will go on to the reserve.

These cattle have been bought in small bunches, here and there, where they could be found. No one man had enough of them, said Barnes. All were bought, paid for and a bill of sale taken. Most of them were from small owners to whom the price was of interest.

The assembled herd will comprise 20 cows, three bulls, three steers and one bull yearling. "The bulls are a hard lot," said Mr. Barnes, explaining that they were extremely aged, and a bit off in flesh and general beauty. "One crop of calves from them and we will be safe," said Barnes. Out of this thing of gathering up the Longhorn remnants comes attention to a fact that has set scientists taking notes. The steers have the longest horns by far. A gang of them - scientists - are coming down to the reserve to make observations of this. And Barnes says they will get an eyeful.

All the colors that distinguished the Longhorn of old are preserved in this shipment. There are yellows, duns, creams, brindles, browns, red-all of them. Oh, yes, and some of them "pided". Old "Pied", the cow of yesteryears, was not much on milk, but no doubt "done her darndest." Often when Mr. Barnes went to look over a bovine that was reputed to be Longhorn, he found, owing to his trained eye, that the trail of the Brahma, the Durham or later importation was over them. Only a man who has made an intense study, and also knew the Longhorn in his prime, as did Mr. Barnes, might have detected that.

The progenitors of these cattle were imported from Spain to America in 1522, according to researches made by Barnes. John B. Kendrick, once a Texas cowboy, now U.S. senator from Wyoming, is due thanks for saving the Longhorn, modestly asserts Barnes, notwithstanding that for many years Barnes has been working on the project.

Kendrick, influential senator, is the man who persuaded Congress to appropriate the money that turned the trick, after repeated failures by Barnes, single-handed. Kendrick worked out of old Round Rock, Williamson County, as a cowboy and went up the trail to Wyoming. He liked it and stayed there. He went into the cattle business and became president of the Wyoming Cattle Raisers association. Then he became governor. Next he became president of the American National Livestock association, succeeding Col. Ike T. Pryor of San Antonio. Next he was elected U.S. senator.

While Kendrick was governor of Wyoming, he gave a banquet in the executive mansion at Cheyenne in honor of Col. Pryor, at which time there were present a lot of fellows who had driven cattle for the colonel in years gone by.

"John B. Kendrick is the man who got the money out of Congress for saving the Longhorn, and I hope it is not forgotten," Barnes emphasizes.

Reprinted with permission of San Antonio Light, San Antonio Express News