traded for sugar and many other articles the early settlers were compelled to have at that time. His second drive in 1865 was to Shreveport, Louisiana, and he sold his herd to a Mr. Spencer. In 1867 his third drive was started to Baxter Springs, Kansas, and at Fort Gibson in the Indian Territory he sold his herd and returned home. After that he only made one short drive in Texas and remained with his ranch and raised cattle. His last severe fight with the Indians was in 1870, on Salt Creek, in Young county, Texas; at the time Shapely Carter and many others were killed. Shapely was the oldest son of Colonel Kit Carter, who was the first president of the Cattle Raisers' Association for many years.

Captain McAdams during the Indian wars of Texas was called a "minute man"; he kept his horse especially for long and hard rides and it was said of him by his associates he could ride further with less food and sleep than any man of his day.

Captain McAdams and his good wife were both adherents of the Methodist church and believed in the good old-fashioned camp meetings and Mrs. McAdams would go to any length possible to arrange for some good Methodist pastor to hold annual camp meetings on their ranch near Sand Valley Peak, Palo Pinto county, and it was nothing uncommon to see thirty or forty women shouting and praising the Almighty for the great things He was accomplishing.

RICHARD ROBERTSON RUSSELL

One of the active builders of West Texas was Richard R. Russell, who died in San Antonio in 1922. Mr. Russell was born in Georgia in 1858, and with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Russell, came to Texas when he was twelve years old, locating in Menard county, where Dick Russell grew to manhood. For many years he was in the employ of his uncle, Peter Robertson. During the seventies

Menard county was the scene of numerous Indian raids

and young Russell, catching

R. R. RUSSELL

the spirit of the times, enlisted in Captain D. W. Roberts' Rangers and remained with that company for two years, resigning to embark in the cattle business. In 1886 he was elected sheriff of Menard county, and held that office for ten consecutive years. He refused to be a candidate for re-election at the end of that time, as his personal affairs needed his attention. He was interested with William Bevans and James Callan in various cattle deals and ranch operations. In 1909 he organized the Farmers & Merchants Bank of Ballinger, Texas. He headed the organization of the Bank of Menard, of which William Bevans was active manager. He was a stockholder in the Citizens National Bank of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, a stockholder in the Central Trust Company of San Antonio, and was organizer of the Del Rio Live Stock Loan Company, and identified with Del Rio banking interests. He was also identified with the Ballinger Cotton Oil Company, the Winters Oil Company of Runnels county, the Russell-Coleman Oil Company of San Antonio; he was interested in extensive ranch holdings in Runnels and Menard counties, as well as ranch interests in Oklahoma. His largest individual Texas holding in one tract of land was as a stockholder in the Big Canyon Ranch in Terrell and Pecos counties, which consists of 245,000 acres of land and thousands of cattle and sheep. For the past several years and until his death he has been connected with leading banking firms in San Antonio.

Mr. Russell came from a pioneer family. His father

J. O. Russell, and two uncles settled and built the first houses on the site of Denver, Colorado. This settlement was made in 1857, and the city was duly platted and named Auroria. W. A. McFaddin was president of the company, and Dr. L. J. Russell was secretary. Another uncle, Green Russell, mined the first gold in that section of Colorado.

In 1892 Mr. Russell was married to Miss Mattie E. Strickland of Tom Green county. Two daughters were born to them.

FROM THE NUECES TO THE NORTH PLATTE

J. R. Humphries, Yoakum, Texas

In my earliest boyhood days the great ruling ambition was to become a cowboy, and the information that my brother was to take up a bunch of cattle in Live Oak county my ambition was about to be realized, as I was to be a member. In March, 1883, we left Yoakum and went to George W. West's ranch in Live Oak county and took charge of 2,500 old cows and brought them to Lavaca county, where grass was plentiful. This was my first drive and no happier boy lived in the great state of Texas. These cows were ranged on the prairies now where the little thrifty city of Shiner is located. After this we were sent to the Bennett & West ranch in Jackson county to get 3,000 yearlings and brought them back with us. A few days after this we started on the trail with the herd, for the North Platte in what was then regarded as the very life itself of the cattle movements. The trip might well be called "The River Route," as we crossed practically every river of any importance in this country. The San Antonio, the Guadalupe near Gonzales, the San Marcos, the Colorado at Austin, the Brazos and Lampasas, the Pease at Vernon, the Red River South Fork at Donner, Okla., the Cimarron, the Wichita and the Arkansas, all rivers of more or less importance and as there

were no bridges in those days, fording was the means of crossing.

On this trip we made good headway and crossed into what was then the beautiful Indian Territory. A few Indians were seen and some very fine ranches and thoroughbred cattle. We were now nearing the junction of the eastern and western trail and the wonderful city of Dodge was our destination. Dodge City enjoyed a reputation of being the fastest cowboy town on this side. of the globe and it was our joy and delight to know that ere long we would see that famous place. It is told that a drunken cowboy got aboard a Santa Fé train at Newton one day and when the conductor asked for the fare, the boy handed him a handful of money. The conductor said, "Where do you want to go?" and when the boy replied: "To Hell!" the conductor said, "Well give me $2.50 and get off at Dodge."

Numerous stories of this sort permeated the lower section of the cattle country about Dodge and everybody wanted to see that "tuff guy."

The first trouble of any consequence that we had with our herd was the night we crossed the Arkansas River. The cattle stampeded and in the excitement my horse fell with me and my first thought was that the joy and pleasure of the continuance of the trip was gone. A fearful storm was raging, and everything seemed to have turned to thunder, lightning and rain, and all was confusion. After the storm abated, the sun shone brightly, and we had rounded up the last yearling, we made an excellent entrance into the town of Dodge. We spent one or two wild and joyful days there and on the 17th of July we left for Ogallala, Nebraska. The trip had taken us nearly three months, and now one can go to the same place by train in two days.

On our way to Ogallala we were met by Mr. West, the owner of the cattle that we were driving, and he told us that he had sold 1,600 of the yearlings to a ranch owner

in Colorado. We turned back and delivered this sale, and we returned to the outfit which was in charge of Arthur Burnes. My brother, Charley Humphreys, was main boss of the herd from Texas to the North Platte, and to my young imagination no finer cowboy ever rode a saddle.

Burnes had then about 3,500 head of cattle of all sorts and sizes and soon after this he quit and I was given his herd. Bill North, an old Texan, was there with 2,000 steers also owned by Mr. West and the two outfits were put together, making a herd of something like 6,000 head and with this immense herd of cattle we started to the Shandley ranch where they were rebranded and then we headed towards Wyoming in the woolly west. We arrived on the North Platte on September 1, and after a few days' of milling around there we were paid off and began making our plans to hike back to South Texas, the land of flowers and warm sunshine.

In March the next year I was again at the George W. West ranch, rearing to start on the trail again. Again under Charley Humphreys, my brother, we gathered up about 3,000 head of yearlings and on April 1st, 1884, we began the journey which took us to an entirely different section of the world, to the Rio Grande.

In this outfit there were ten men with the herd, one cook, one with horses and the boss, making thirteen men in the outfit. We passed Pearsall, Uvalde, Devil's River, Del Rio, the Painted Caves, and up the Devil's River to Beaver Lake, then to Howard Wells, and Live Oak Creek to the Pecos River. From Del Rio to the Pecos one of those many-year droughts had prevailed and there was no water or grass, and some suffering was done by both men and cattle, but no complaints. We left Del Rio May 1st, and reached Pecos City June 1st, a distance of 300 miles. There our bunch was increased about 4,000 head that had been brought there by Jeff Bailor and Bill Calloway. We now had about 8,000 head and with this we started to Old Fort Sumner on the Pecos River.