Pitchfork Land and Cattle has weathered the storm

n By Ol’ jim cathey

On The Back Porch

Texas is famous for its large cattle ranches, cowboys, and horses. Most ranches can’t boast of being larger today than during the years of start-up. But the Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company was founded Dec. 13, 1883, with 52,500 acres in the middle of West Texas and has survived bad cattle prices and dry weather and today has grown to cover 165,000 acres in two Texas counties, Dickens and King, near the town of Guthrie. They also have holdings in other states. 

The Pitchfork’s main emphasis is cattle with about 4,500 mother cows. The Pitchfork cowboys still work the range similar to how it was worked in the 1800s. They have always rode good horses and developed better horses. 

These horses began as small native animals that were upgraded in size and stamina with the purchase of a thoroughbred US Military remount named “Trimmer” and then added quarter horse blood with the purchase of  “Seal Brown” and after his death they  acquired a gray stud horse named “Joe Baileys King” The resulting gray horse with a black mane and tail became known as “Pitchfork Gray” and has become as famous as the ranches pitchfork shaped brand. Through the years, the bloodline has been maintained and improved and the ranch offers for sale some of these horses but primarily breeds them for ranch use.

Partners 

Just a young lad on the Pitchfork range, he was destined to witness great change,

He rode browns and sorrels and bays, but at the end, it was Pitchfork grays,

To their quality he would attest.

But his favorite among these few, was a big gray stud called Ol’ Blue,

Of these grays, he was mighty fond, this man and horse seemed to bond,

Without a doubt, they met the test.

These two seemed to think the same, they savvied one another’s game,

Over time days turned to years, then slowly youth disappears,

They were icons of the west.

It was time to move along, and the old hand knew he wasn’t wrong,

He’d got stiff and his sight was blurred, he’d not wait for the boss’s word,

Shore funny how life progressed.

Rolled his blankets and rode away, to the cabin where he would stay,

Took the bridle off his hoss, time for him to be his own boss.

He certainly deserved a rest.

They’d worked together a long time, both had found themselves past their prime,

And this task was mighty hard, but this was to be Blue’s reward,

The old hand did what he thought best.

So, they went to valley’s edge, turned him loose near mountain ledge,

Where the wild bunch chose to roam, now the valley would be his home,

He thanked the Lord that they’d been blessed.

Time had passed and life was good, he missed that hoss, but understood,

That he’d made his way into the herd, that’s the life that he preferred,

He was no longer just a guest.

But the old hand’s heart would often yearn, knowin’ Ol’ Blue would surely spurn,

Any effort that he might make, to visit an’ perhaps partake,

To attempt any such request.

It’d only been less than a year, since the old hand visited here,

He was careful to keep himself hid, lest his handiwork he undid,

He figgered he must be obsessed.

Then he heard a hoof hit stone, and he knew he warn’t alone,

Through the twilight he could see, the herd easin’ through the valley,

He’d caught up to his quest.

So, he stood silent by that rock, where he could easily take stock,

Of just how the herd had fared, funny how a feller cared,

He felt a tightness in his chest.

 There was some he could make out, but ol’ blue was still in doubt,

Purty soon darkness would fall, an’ he could not see atall,

And he felt a bit distressed. 

Then Ol’ Blue come prancin’ there, this herd of mares in his care,

An’ he was intent upon his job, keepin’ close watch on this mob,

His leadership was manifest.

Ol’ Blue knew the old gent tarried there, with worried look, on his lips a prayer,

So, he knickered soft and low, knowin’ that the old gent would know,

Their partnership could not be suppressed.

Then the old hand felt at ease, with this herd Ol’ Blue oversees,

This is just how it should be, Ol’ Blue runnin’ wild an’ free,

In this glorious land of the west!

So once again he bowed his head, looked toward heaven and this he said,

Lord, I thank you for these blessed years, you gave direction and calmed our fears.

In this life, I’m shorely blest!

©  Ol’ Jim Cathey

1 Corinthians 3:9  For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

God Bless good partners and God Bless America!