The Food on Frontier Trails
After spring roundups, cowboys herded their cattle out on the trail, heading to a cowtown with a railroad station where the cattle could be corralled and loaded for market. Along the trail, cowboys ate meals consisting of beef, beans, biscuits, dried fruit and coffee.
As cattle drives increased in the 1860s, cooks found it harder and harder to feed the 10 to 20 men who tended the cattle. That’s when Texas Ranger-turned-cattle rancher Charles Goodnight invented the chuckwagon. In 1866, he and rancher Oliver Loving created the Goodnight-Loving Trail to move their cattle to railheads.
The chuckwagon and its cook became the lifeblood of the cowboy during roundups and while on the trail. Some cooks were great; others got by with providing the basics. Most ranch owners wanted their cowboys fed well so that they would stay healthy along the trail.
Chuckwagon staples had to travel well and not spoil. The list included flour, sourdough, salt, brown sugar, beans, rice, cornmeal, dried apples and peaches, baking powder, baking soda, coffee and syrup.
Fresh beef was the main meat, but cowboys also hunted wild game and fish along the trail and during roundups. The cook used bacon grease to fry everything, but it also served as the main meat when supplies ran low.
After being on the trail for three or four months, cowboys were tired of eating the same old grub. Once they hit the cowtowns and got paid, they enjoyed a nice dinner in a restaurant.
Image Source: appledrane.blogspot.com.es
