About how many cowboys came through a cattle town each season? Mike Franklin Poteet, Texas That’s a tough one to pin down; the number of cowhands might vary from outfit to outfit. In 1867, the first year of the Long Drive, about 35,000 head went up the trail to Kansas. By 1871, the number increased to 600,000 cows. Drives required approximately one cowhand for every 250 cows. For 600,000 cows, about 2,400 drovers would have went to Dodge City in 1871. A fair number of guys wouldn’t have t
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