Overton, Charlie 2007-07-02

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Charlie Overton talks about his early life, his life on the Yeso Ranch, and different techniques involved in running the Yeso Ranch.


General Interview Information

Interviewee Name: Charlie Overton

Additional Parties Recorded:

Date: July 02, 2007

Location: Yeso, New Mexico

Interviewer: David Marshall

Length: 02:41:45


Abstract

Introduction; Born in Lubbock, Texas; Early memories on the Yeso Ranch; Family history; Grandfather owning four different ranches; Changes in ranching; Working on the ranch as a boy; Breeding horses for the ranch; Buying horses from the Navajo people; Hierarchy of getting horses; Receiving a horse named Rat; Branding calves over the summer; Coyote drives; Receiving a race horse; Father being thrown from Geronimo; Reasons for killing coyotes; Mom goes on coyote drive; Dead Man’s gulch; Rat gets arthritis; Father purchases more colts; Becoming the ranch horse trainer; Checking fences for coyote digs; Getting a new colt named Flash; Competition to kill coyotes; Developing predator control program; Mexican Gray Wolves; Coyotes getting much larger; Wildlife impacted by coyotes; Mountain lions in the area; Trapping Mountain lions; Coyote population rising; Accessibility to information on predatory animals; Game birds on ranch; Becoming a fur trapper; Changes on the ranch during the 1960’s; Downfall of the sheep industry; Predator poison banned; Wool Act of 1933; Deciding to sell the family’s sheep; Increasing the number of cattle; Starting hunting operations; Selling hunting permits; Money from hunting permits; Animals that are hunted; Old techniques for breaking in colts; Injuries from horses; Changing breaking techniques; Procedure of training horses; Imprinting young colts; Pressure and release technique; Getting the young colts used to ropes; Teaching young colts their direction; Picking up tips on horse training; Teaching horses respect; Preparing oneself to be bucked off of the colt; Reading a colt’s personality; Not enough time to train all of the colts; Selecting different breeds of horses; Breeding horses; Going into partnership; New law passed on horses; Killing old horses is illegal; Treatment of old horses; Cattle drive; Getting knocked down by calves; Flanking calves; Firing kilns; Customs and routines; Branding and flanking seals; Earning the right to brand; Roping calves; Rain providing feed for livestock; Types of grass grown; Tobosa grass; Invasive species; Broom snakeweed; Studies to control broom snakeweed; Cholla cactus plant; Spraying ranch for mesquite; Drought creates creek; Creek gets deeper; Building dikes to prevent flooding; Flooding of Yeso Creek; Vaquero influence on ranch; Family hires vaquero cowboys; Types of vaquero style; Different philosophy on working cattle; Differences in roping techniques; Charro rodeo events; Weak vaquero influence; Vaquero cowboys were reserved; Using hobbles on horses; Job responsibilities; Vaqueros aging on the ranch; Driftwood horses; Music on the ranch; Learning to play the piano; Forming a family band; Playing in Fort Sumner, New Mexico; The Yeso Ramblers; Father killed; Deciding to play the fiddle; Wool Growers Association; Summer conventions; Playing at the Ms. Wool pageant.


Access Information

Original Recording Format:

Recording Format Notes:

Transcript: No transcript available



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