What did cowboys do for a living when they were too old for cowboyin’? Mike Franklin Poteet, Texas In the early days, an older puncher might get a job as a chuckwagon cook—the second highest paying job on the drive, just under the trail boss. Others took jobs in town and, if one got lucky, found a pretty woman and settled down. I’ve known some who put in long service for an outfit and the ranch always found a way to keep them around, sort of like an old horse that’s been faithful t


Already Signed Up? Log in here.

Read this article now for Free!

Ready for a third free article? Create a free account by entering your email address and a password below.

— OR —

Sign Up Now for $29.95 a year and have immediate access to all of True West content, including the complete True West Archives dating back to 1953!

SIGN UP NOW or SIGN IN

This digital subscription is in no way connected to your Print Subscription. They are totally separate and cannot be connected. If you have a Print Subscription with True West, you will need to pay for a separate subscription to access this website and will receive a totally different Log In password. If you have an existing digital component to your Print subscription, you'll need to Sign In and request a new password.