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Jim Smith and Newt Cravy After Their 1,350 Mile Trail Ride

In 1912 two Dickens County cowboys, Jim Smith and Newt Cravy, were hired by the Swenson Ranch to travel with several carloads of cattle by rail from Spur Texas to Cleveland Ohio. The trip took 36 hours to complete and the cowboys were rewarded with new suits, shirts, hats and boots and gave each of them pocket watches which they proudly showed off in this great old photo.

Great old action shot of cowboys at work on the SMS ranch in Dickens County Texas in May 1939

In the 1920s three men posed in front of and on top of a Model T for this great old photo in Spur Texas

Along about 1900 the citizens of Spur Texas stretched a Welcome banner across main street and gathered on foot, in buggies and wagons to welcome someone to town.

In 1911 nine cowboys (probably from the Pitchfork Ranch) posed for this amazing photo in McAdoo Texas. The original photo was given to my grandmother, Ludie Mills Sanderson by her brother Sid Mills and then passed down to my mother, Elna Sanderson Bloys. Sid Mills worked on the Pitchfork ranch for most of his life.

Eight Cowboys gather around the Hoodlum wagon on the Spur Ranch in 1910. One of the cowboys looks to be about 10 years old. A hoodlum wagon was a specialty wagon used for hauling branding irons, tent posts and other gear. The Spur Ranch had its beginning in 1878 . . . Read more View full size

Chuck Wagon on ranch near Spur, Texas in 1939 with dining area for cowboys under tarpaulin for shade . . . see full size

Cowboys Gather around Wagon in 1939

Cowboys gather around wagon loaded with brush in Dickens County in 1939. The older cowboy was a top hand nicknamed Shorty who worked for ranches across the area.

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Farmers Relax outside Store in Spur Texas in 1939

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In 1939 a cowboy from the SMS ranch settles down for a quick nap in his bunkhouse in this rare look into the inside of a bunkhouse in Dickens County . . . zoom in

Dickens County Farmer in Spur Texas 1939

Cowboy Petting His Horse In 1939

In this iconic photo of a cowboy and his horse the bond between the two is crystal clear . . . See it full size

Two Farmers in Spur Texas in 1939

Two farmers visiting in Spur Texas. Both wearing suspenders and one with the sweat stained hat so common among hard working farmers

Old Cowboy on SMS Ranch in 1939

Bunkhouse Interior in Dickens County in 1939

Interior shot of bunkhouse on the SMS ranch shows everything a cowboy needed in 1939

Cowboy Eating Lunch Beside Chuck Wagon

Cowboy from the SMS Ranch in Dickens County eats from a pewter plate in front of the chuck wagon before heading into town in 1939

Two beautiful young girls posed for this photo by the Arwell George Studio in Spur in the 1930s . . . look closer

Postcards from the Panhandle (Facebook)