Black Cowboys

Texas ranchers, most of whom fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, depended on slaves to maintain their cattle herds.  That required the slaves in question to develop skills related to cattle-tending.  That in turn made these African-Americans invaluable to the cattle industry in the post-Civil-war era.  As one historian observed,  Cowboys had to depend on one another. They couldn’t stop in the middle of something like a stampede to worry about who’s black and who’s white. Black people operated on a level of equality with  cowboys.

Nat Love

In his 1907 autobiography, cowboy Nat Love describes his life as a cowboy.  Another such story is that written by Larry McMurtry, for the television series Lonesome Dove.  In that vehicle, Danny Glover played ex-slave Joshua Deets, a ranch hand, scout, tracker, and friend of the ranch owner for whom he works.

 

Despite what popular media seem, to suggest, black cowboys weren't unusual.  In fact, it's thought they were at  least 25% of that work-force.