First published 11/11/2009
“Goodbye Ol’ Paint”, the classic Cowboy song, as composed
and performed by an African American Cowboy, along on a
cattle drive because he was “a good cowhand and a great singer.”
The social and interpersonal aspect of life on a cow drive were
often more important than how well you handled
a horse or your skills with the cows or a gun.
One in four cowboys on cow drives were African Americans.
Source top photo: Black cowboy and horse [between 1890 and 1920?]
Western History/Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library. [Call Number: X-21563].
Source bottom Bunch of genuine old time cowboys and bronco busters at Denver, Colorado. Solomon D. Butcher. 1905.Nebraska State Historical Society. [Digital ID: nbhips 12615]