That American Gangster !!

The pictures are Courtesy of Smith's Collection.
Open-range ranching was seasonal, like agricultural work. There were four annual phases to the cowboy's back-breaking job: the spring roundup, the trail drive, the fall roundup, and winter work. To fully document all aspects of this cycle, Smith had to be on the scene throughout the year, especially during the spring and fall roundups when so much activity took place.

The best photographic opportunities were during the roundups, and Smith was there at the appointed time. The cattle were allowed to graze freely throughout the winter, but in the spring they were gathered together and sorted by ranches. The spring roundup would last as long as thirty-five days. The process included cutting out, or separating, individual calves for branding, castration, and dehorning, then cutting out mature steers (or beeves) to be driven to market. Strays were cut out and returned to their ranges by the "stray man" that would travel from outfit to outfit. The remaining cattle were then returned to their own ranges. Fall roundups were similar, except that mature cattle would not be taken to market.

Right before the trail drive, the cowhands often branded the cattle. They would build a wooden chute and run a string of cattle through it, applying the brands through the chute slats. But not all cattle were branded during a roundup. Some were missed and, while unbranded, were considered mavericks that could be claimed by any outfit. When these unbranded animals were discovered, the cowboys had to brand them quickly with whatever implement was available. Smith documented the practice of branding on the open range with a branding iron made from a ring off of a cinch. Rather than stamping the iron down flat on the hide, as one would normally do, the cowhand created the brand by simply drawing the mark with the hot edge of the ring.
Right before the trail drive, the cowhands often branded the cattle. They would build a wooden chute and run a string of cattle through it, applying the brands through the chute slats. But not all cattle were branded during a roundup. Some were missed and, while unbranded, were considered mavericks that could be claimed by any outfit. When these unbranded animals were discovered, the cowboys had to brand them quickly with whatever implement was available. Smith documented the practice of branding on the open range with a branding iron made from a ring off of a cinch. Rather than stamping the iron down flat on the hide, as one would normally do, the cowhand created the brand by simply drawing the mark with the hot edge of the ring.

The chuck wagon was an ordinary supply wagon that had been altered by the addition of a chuck box on the back. The first wagon alteration was made by Charles Goodnight, the famous "Cattle King" of the JA Ranch in the Palo Duro Canyon. The box was stocked with food and utensils, and the wagon carried the pots and pans, medicine, tools, weapons, and bedrolls for the whole outfit. Kindling was stored underneath the wagon, and a water barrel was attached to the side. A hinged lid folded out from the wagon into a table, which the cook used as a countertop.

The chuck wagon was the center of the outfit's world. Not only was it the vehicle that transported most of their gear and all their food, it also provided shade. A tarp was often pulled out from the back of the wagon and supported by poles. Because it was such an important area of activity, the chuck wagon appears in many of Smith's images, even when it was not the primary subject
Derived from the Spanish word for "relay of horses," the remuda was the large herd of extra horses that accompanied an outfit during the roundups and trail drives. Each cowboy had a string of six or more cowponies he could use. When they were not being ridden, the horses were penned in a rope corral. The horse wrangler monitored the remuda and would have fresh mounts ready for the cowboys in the morning, at noon, and in the evening for night herding.
Most range bosses laid cowhands off in the winter, telling them to come back in the spring. But the good workers and men with families were sometimes kept on to help with winter work, which consisted of holding cattle on a particular area of the range for the season. Cowhands who were hired on to do this work lived in a line camp. Sometimes cattle would have to be fed hay or feed while they were on winter ground. If so, the cowhand was called a "feeder" or "hay shoveler." He was responsible for riding the fence line and making sure that the cows were staying on their side. He also made sure that the fence was in good repair. If windmills were on the range, then repairing them was also his responsibility, for a herd could not last long without water.

While Smith did most of his photography during the peak times of activity, he was able to capture typical winter scenes on more than one occasion. In 1906, while visiting his cousin's ranch, he was surprised by the severe weather of a "blue norther." He took the opportunity to secure photographs of cattle seeking shelter on an ice-covered prairie and a lone fence rider on patrol. At another time, he made several winter photographs at the Matador Ranch's line camp, which had originally served as the ranch's headquarters.
Information Courtesy of Ewrin E. Smith