Tall Tales and Short Stories: A Family Legacy

By Chimp Robertson

His younger brothers and sisters were in shock. BEN ROBERTSON, fifteen, son of a South Texas share-cropper and with dreams of being a cowboy, started walking toward town. He climbed in a boxcar and rode three days and nights to Channing, Texas where his older brother, FRED ROBERTSON, was working on a ranch. Fred got him a job and Ben spent the rest of his life, mostly horseback.

Four years later, his younger brother, ALTON ROBERTSON, also fifteen, walked that same dusty road with the smaller kids running along behind, pulling on his sleeve and begging him to come back. But, he climbed into a boxcar, riding day and night with no food or water, and hopped off in Channing, just as Ben had done. He caught a ride with a supply wagon out to the ranch where Fred and Ben were working and they got him a job. His childhood was spent riding rough horses, rounding up cattle, branding, shipping, and sleeping on the ground. Alton and Ben learned the cowboy life the hard way, by experience.

Life on big Texas ranches in the twentys was hard. Long days in the saddle for weeks at a time caused many a cowboy to look toward the horizon, in the direction of some small town where occasional Saturday night dances were held. Alton and Ben made many of those rough-house dances where pretty girls were scarce and fights were common and they never turned down either, the pretty girls or the fights.

Bucking horses, runaway horses, wild horses, and lots of good horses, Alton learned the cowboy way just as many other young men had done before him. Ride those bucking horses or draw your pay and hike back to town. As time passed, he found a sweetheart, got married, lived in a one room shack without the benefit of electricity, plumbing or running water, raised a family, and served his country in the US Army.

Later in life, Alton owned a wind mill rig with Ben, broke horses, worked at the sale barn in Dalhart, Texas, purchased a tough bar in Lawton, Oklahoma from his brother-in-law, EMERY COWLEY, and eventually bought a good grass ranch in the northwest Arkansas town of Green Forest. He settled down there for the reminder of his life, running a small cow herd, helping his neighbors, and meeting the three best friends of his life, CLAY THARP, and his brothers, Claude, Clell, and Clinton.

The lives of true cowboys are colored into this account of four generations of a family that lived, enjoyed and overcame the hardships of working on the ranges of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. It is compiled for the appreciation of all who have been cowboys or have ancestors whose lives were enriched by cowboy life. This book opens the corral gate beckoning to the young ones who feel the calling to live in an honorable, hard-working and determined commitment to life that few find nowadays. Enjoy the hardscrabble humor, sweat and endurance of those who have preceded us in this great adventure of the American West.

Chimp Robertson

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781481744225

Chimp Robertson

Robert Lorbeer, Colonel, US Army, Infantry, Airborne/Ranger, retired, 40 years active duty and reserves, commanded a Rifle Company in Vietnam, 1970-1971, C Company, 1st Bn. 506th. Airborne Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). Also served in Berlin in 1969-1970; recalled to Active Duty for Desert Shield/Storm. Robert’s post military career is attorney at law. Robert’s recreation/avocation is equestrian activities; he rode with the Sacramento Sheriff’s Posse for 15 years, and has ridden with the Long Beach Mounted Police for 20 years. Robert judges throughout the US. Robert is married to Western Music’s top female recording artist, Belinda Gail.

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© 2013 by Chimp Robertson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/19/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4817-4423-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-4422-5 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

About The Book

Dedication

Punchin’ Those Cows

Chapter 1

Ben Leaves Home…

Alton Leaves Home…

The Beginner…

Dancin’ Partners…

The Boss’s Old White Horse…

Grandad Alphus Jack Robertson…

Don’t Call Me Shorty…

The Deputy…

Alton Starts Smoking…

Alton And The Railroad Bully…

Ben And Alton Work For The J’s…

Bucking Horses…

Breaking Broncs…

Those Bad Brahma Bulls…

Milking Out Wild Brahma Cows…

Ben Brings Lunch…

Whipping And Riding…

Ben Gets A Draft Notice…

Alton Gets A Draft Notice…

Chapter 2

Two Broncs For Two Brothers…

Pine Knot…

Chappo…

The Run-A-Way Mules…

Bee Stung…

The Xit Rodeo…

Uncle Jack…

Ira’s Bar…

The Silver-Horned Saddle…

Ole Joe…

Oilin’ Saddles…

Papoose…

Riding Broncs In The Dark…

The Bob Tail Bronc…

Chapter 3

Highlife On The Houghton Ranch…

Knocked Out And Still Riding…

The Johnson Ranch…

Ben, The Lineman…

Runnin’ Around The Barn…

A Cold Day In Dalhart…

Jack And The Saddle Room…

Barbara’s Beads…

Old Kruchev…

The Dumas Rodeo…

The Boise City Rodeo…

Re-Ride…

The Hayden Rodeo…

Sunday Roping…

Working Alone…

Chapter 4

Alton’s Mares…

The Stray Horses…

The Charging Palomino…

Are My Socks Mates…

The Phone Call…

The Protectors…

Breaking The Record…

The Tough Guy…

The Wild Arkansas Bull…

Slowing Down…

Gary Ropes A Steer…

The Stinnett Rodeo…

Wheat Pasture Cattle…

Riding Sale Barn Bulls…

Chapter 5

Hanging Up…

Filling Robert’s Boots…

Uncle Ben…

The Matador Ranch…

Pokey Horse…

Dalton…

Frozen Ground…

Roping In The Movies…

Jess’s Boys Ambush Ben…

The Rescue Race…

Going On Wheat Harvest…

The Mesa…

Chapter 6

Riding And Roping…

Plowing With Quarter Horses…

A Few Memories Of Alton…

The Pacifier…

Bryan Remembers Alton…

Alton’s Dream…

Runnin’ On Ice…

Chapter 7

From Cliff White: Cowboy…

Chapter 8

The Culbertson Ranch…

Gentle Giant…

The Lone Pine Tree…

Let’s Ride…

About The Author

ABOUT THE BOOK

His younger brothers and sisters were in shock. BEN ROBERTSON, fifteen, son of a South Texas share-cropper and with dreams of being a cowboy, started walking toward town. He climbed in a boxcar and rode three days and nights to Channing, Texas where his older brother, FRED ROBERTSON, was working on a ranch. Fred got him a job and Ben spent the rest of his life, mostly horseback.

Four years later, his younger brother, ALTON ROBERTSON, also fifteen, walked that same dusty road with the smaller kids running along behind, pulling on his sleeve and begging him to come back. But, he climbed into a boxcar, riding day and night with no food or water, and hopped off in Channing, just as Ben had done. He caught a ride with a supply wagon out to the ranch where Fred and Ben were working and they got him a job. His childhood was spent riding rough horses, rounding up cattle, branding, shipping, and sleeping on the ground. Alton and Ben learned the cowboy life the hard way, by experience.

Life on big Texas ranches in the twenty’s was hard. Long days in the saddle for weeks at a time caused many a cowboy to look toward the horizon, in the direction of some small town where occasional Saturday night dances were held. Alton and Ben made many of those rough-house dances where pretty girls were scarce and fights were common and they never turned down either, the pretty girls or the fights.

Bucking horses, runaway horses, wild horses, and lots of good horses, Alton learned the cowboy way just as many other young men had done before him. Ride those bucking horses or draw your pay and hike back to town. As time passed, he found a sweetheart, got married, lived in a one room shack without the benefit of electricity, plumbing or running water, raised a family, and served his country in the US Army.

Later in life, Alton owned a wind mill rig with Ben, broke horses, worked at the sale barn in Dalhart, Texas, purchased a tough bar in Lawton, Oklahoma from his brother-in-law, EMERY COWLEY, and eventually bought a good grass ranch in the northwest Arkansas town of Green Forest. He settled down there for the reminder of his life, running a small cow herd, helping his neighbors, and meeting the three best friends of his life, CLAY THARP, and his brothers, Claude, Clell, and Clinton.

The lives of true cowboys are colored into this account of four generations of a family that lived, enjoyed and overcame the hardships of working on the ranges of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. It is compiled for the appreciation of all who have been cowboys or have ancestors whose lives were enriched by cowboy life. This book opens the corral gate beckoning to the young ones who feel the calling to live in an honorable, hard-working and determined commitment to life that few find nowadays. Enjoy the hardscrabble humor, sweat and endurance of those who have preceded us in this great adventure of the American West.

Chimp RobertsonDEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the memory of my dad, Alton T. Robertson, a Texas cowboy and WW II combat veteran, Okinawa, 1945.

I also dedicate this book in memory of my mother, Ruby Alice Melissa (White) Robertson; my brother, Jack Clifton Robertson; my grandfathers, Alphus Jack Robertson and H. C. Cliff White; and my uncles, Fred, Jack, Ben, Jess, Robert, and Emery.

A special tribute goes to my sons, Bryan and Gary Robertson, for coming up with the original idea of this book while we were driving down the highway telling stories about Alton and all those who have gone on before us. They thought it would be a good idea to have these stories written down so they won’t get lost in time. We are certain these tales will be helpful for future generations!

If mistakes are found, I’ll take the blame. But, if the reader will count each mistake as love for the ones these stories are about, I’ll be okay with that.

PUNCHIN’ THOSE COWS

By Chimp Robertson

When I was a kid, my dad was a cowboy,

But I see it just like it was now.

I’d run down to the fence and say, Dad, what ’cha doin?

He’d laugh and say, Punchin’ those cows.

I still hear him laughin’; I still see his face.

God knows I’m still missin’ him too;

But he’s punchin’ those cows up in Heaven tonight

Ridin’ Little Boy Blue.

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Ruby and Alton Robertson, 1929

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Alton Robertson, Dalhart, Texas 1944

CHAPTER 1

"There never was a horse that couldn’t be rode,

And never was a cowboy that couldn’t be throwed."

BEN LEAVES HOME…

Ben Robertson was born in 1907. Along about 1922, he just started walking down the road towards town and told the rest of the kids he was leaving and wasn’t coming back. They lived out near Bowie, Texas, at the time. He told them he was heading out to the panhandle town of Channing, Texas, where their older brother Fred was working on a ranch.

The kids followed him down that long dusty road begging him to come back home, but he just kept on going. He caught a freight train about dark and after a couple of days when the train pulled into Channing, he hopped off just in time to catch a ride with a supply wagon going out to the ranch where Fred worked. Fred borrowed him a saddle, some boots, a bedroll and other cowboy gear and got him a job. Ben was about fifteen years old.

ALTON LEAVES HOME…

Ben was four years older than Alton, and about four years after Ben left home, he did the same thing. He decided he’d go out to where Ben and Fred were working and get a job so he started walking towards town, and just as the rest of the kids had done when Ben left, they all followed Alton down that same dusty road begging him to come back home, but he just kept on walking.

He caught a freight train at the same place Ben did and rode off into the night. He managed to get to Channing a few days later and hung around town until he found a ride out to the ranch where Fred and Ben were working and they got him a job. He was also about fifteen years old.

THE BEGINNER…

My dad, Alton, started his life just like Ben had done, with borrowed gear. He had to learn how to saddle a big rank bronc in the dark and work cattle on him all day without getting bucked off. Many times they would ride fifteen miles, get off and build a big soap weed fire to get warm while waiting for the sun to come up so they could start their cattle drive.

By the time Alton got to that ranch the cook had quit and Ben was cooking for the chuck wagon. One morning Alton led a big stout bronc out of the rope corral and saddled him, but every time he tried to get on, the bronc would rear up and fall over backwards. Dad was barely sixteen years old and it was dark and cold and those horses were known for being tough. To top it all off, if you couldn’t ride the horses in your string, you drew your wages and hoofed it on back to town.

Ben saw Alton couldn’t handle this particular bronc so he rolled up his apron, pulled down his paper sack cooks hat, and walked out to where the foreman and the rest of the cowboys were sitting on their horses, smoking and watching that old spoiled bronc give Alton a hard time. Ben figured they needed a cook bad enough they wouldn’t fire him and with that in mind, they wouldn’t fire Alton either, and besides, he loved horses that fought back. He took the rains from dad’s hand, picked up a three foot piece of steel sucker rod from an old windmill and proceeded to teach that big bronc that there was more to life than just eating and bucking off cowboys.

Every time he started to climb on, the bronc would rear up and before he could fall over backwards, Ben would stand up in the stirrups and hit him between the ears so hard the horse would fall down. Ben would step off and let the horse get up then start back up on him. Same thing, the bronc would rear, Ben would stand in the stirrups and slam down hard between the ears with that steel sucker rod and the bronc would drop flat on his belly. After about the fourth time, the horse stopped rearing up so he handed the reins back to Alton, pulled the paper sack cooks hat up off his ears and ambled on back to the chuck wagon. Dad got on and fell in behind the foreman and the rest of the cowboys and no one said a word.

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Alton Robertson, Romero, Texas, 1929

DANCIN’ PARTNERS…

Back in the old days in the Texas panhandle there were hardly ever enough girls to go around at the Saturday night dances, so once in a while some of the cowboys and their buddies would dance together, just having a good time and joking around. One night a couple of the boys were having a good time and started doing a little jig together and a big old fellow no one had ever seen before jumped on them and whipped them both, saying loud enough for everyone to hear that he didn’t like to see two men dancing together and would kick anybody’s ass who did that again while he was there. Ben walked over to a friend and borrowed her silk scarf and put it on his head like a girl and tied it under his chin and told Alton, Waltz me over there by that big feller.

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Ben and Alton Robertson, Middle Water, Texas, 1931

They danced over to where he was, whirled around, and Ben bumped into him real hard. They made another whirl and slammed into him again, almost knocking him down. The old boy took a swing, but Ben ducked and hit him on the jaw and sent him sprawling across the dance floor. Ben was laughing and went ahead and whipped him while still wearing the scarf on his head. When the fight was over, and as people helped the old boy to his feet, Ben and Alton kept right on waltzing around and around him all the way out the door. That big boy never came back to that dance hall.

THE BOSS’S OLD WHITE HORSE…

Alton and Ben were on a cattle drive from Borger, Texas, herding a thousand big steers up to Romero, Texas. The foreman was a grumpy old fellow who rode a big white horse. Every night when the cattle were bedded down and the cowboys were in their bedrolls that old white horse would slip away from the rest of the horses and head back to the ranch. Then every morning whoever the cowboy was that was supposed to be night herding the horses would have to take off and ride until he caught up with him, rope him, and bring him back.

Alton and Ben decided they’d break that the old white horse from running off every night so after it got dark they’d rope him and put one of their saddles on him, turn their own horse loose and ride him all night guarding the rest of the horses. One night when Alton was on guard