Long, T E 1985-05-21

T. E. Long, longtime resident of Cottle County, reminisces over his years in the West Texas farming and ranching industries.

General Interview Information

Interviewee Name: T.E. Long

Additional Parties Recorded: None

Date: May 21, 1985

Location: Paducah, Texas

Interviewer: Richard Mason

Length: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Abstract

Tape 1, Side 1: Background, b: King County, Texas, 1901, Parents, Reasons for moving to King County, Maternal Grandparents, Father’s occupation, Building a stock tank, Mechanics, Placement, Windmills, Maintenance, Groundwater, Quality, Fence Building, Corners, Posts, Star land, Starr family, Putting lands in cultivation, Crops grown, Ginning cotton, Friction between farmers and ranchers, Livestock management, Range management, Isolation of bulls, Benefits, Calf lot, Cattle breeds, 1890s-1980s, Longhorns, Herefords, Cross breeds, Santa Gertrudis, Range land, Increase in Mesquite.

Tape 1, Side 2: Increase in Mesquite (continued), Native grasses, Types over years, 1890s-1980s, Range management, Changes over years, 1890s-1980s, Animal units per acre, Effect of tanks and windmills, Use of living water, Availability , Drought, 1917-1918, Winter, 1918, Death loss, Blizzard, Compared to other droughts, 1936 and 1950s, Response of cattlemen, 6666 Ranch, Drought, 1950s, Irrigation wells, Description of land in King County, Ground water, Irrigation (again), Systems used, Initial interest, 1950s, Change from ranch work to farming, Reasons for change, Heavy cultivation in Cottle County, Texas, Time periods, Crops raised, Good farming years, Selling out, Raising cotton, Yields, Varieties, Harvests, Labor, Availability, Mechanization, Cost.

Tape 2, Side 1: Cowboy experiences, Finding a job, 1930s, Tasks of a cowboy, Cook’s job, Meals prepared, Equipment, Diet, Changes over the years, Amenities, Crime rate, Cowboy experiences (again), Roundup, Shipping cattle, Changes over years, Personal ownership of livestock, Livestock judging, Changes, Characteristics of quality cattle, Cotton industry (again), Marketing, Cotton buyers, Co-op activities, Seed, Planting, Equipment, Changes, 1911-1985.

Range Dates: 1886-1985

Bulk Dates: 1901-1973

Access Information

Original Recording Format:

Recording Format Notes:

Transcript:

---

Thank you for your interest in this oral history interview. Our oral history collection is available to patrons in the Southwest Collection's Reading Room, located on the campus of Texas Tech University. For reading room hours, visit our website. Please contact Reference Staff at least one week prior to your visit to ensure the oral history you are interested in will be available. Due to copyright issues, duplications of our oral histories can only be made for family members. If an oral history transcript has been made available online, the link will be provided on this page. More information on accessing our oral histories is located here. Preferred citation style can be found here.