Burns, D R 1970
D. Burns, former Pitchfork Ranch manager, talks about his family and the cattle industry in South and West Texas, in addition to the Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company.
General Interview Information
Interviewee Name: D. R. Burns
Additional Parties Recorded:
Date: c. 1970
Location:
Interviewer:
Length: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Abstract
Tape 1, Side 1:
Gulf Coast, South Texas,
Settlement (1820s and 1830s),
Cattle,
Family Background,
Arthur Burns, great-grandfather,
First settler in DeWitt County, Texas (1826),
Anne White, grandmother,
Migration to South Texas (1830s),
War between Texas and Mexico,
Cattle industry,
Parasites,
Cattle ranch settlements,
Modes of transportation,
Family background (again),
Columbus Burns, grandfather,
Cattle industry (again),
Abundance of cattle after Civil War,
Hazards of cattle ranching,
Inoculation for tick fever,
Beef cattle,
Trail drives,
Western Trail route,
Chisholm Trail,
Named after Thornton Chisholm, trail boss,
Importation of English Durham cattle,
Crossbreeding,
Produced vealer calves,
Cattle markets,
Elimination of parasites,
Texas fever ticks,
Screwworm flies,
Cattle ranches, West Texas,
Operating procedures,
Cattle shipment,
Railroad,
Cattle feed
Tape 1, Side 2:
Cattle industry (continued),
Loss of cattle during trail drives,
Drought (1917-1918),
Blizzard (January 1918),
Cattle losses,
Chisholm family,
Employment,
National Cottonseed Product Association (1929),
Pitchfork Ranch (1942),
Operation,
Cattle industry (again),
Cattle markets (again),
Pitchfork Ranch (again),
Water table levels,
Future of cattle ranching,
Pitchfork Ranch (again),
Owners,
Horse sales,
Land acquisitions
Tape 2, Side 1:
Pitchfork Ranch (continued),
Land acquisitions (continued)
Tape 2, Side 2:
Blank
Range Dates: 1917-1942
Bulk Dates: 1917-1942
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.
