Round'em Up! Take The Family On A Modern-Day Cattle Drive Looking for a rewarding and memorable family vacation idea? A cattle drive may be just the thing. We're talking about real ranchers on real working cattle ranches. Ranch vacations are a good way for them to help support the ranch. But it's not all business with them. They want to share their way of life and educate people about a quickly disappearing aspect of our American history and culture. Don't worry if you've never sat in a saddle before. Sure, some riding experience is helpful but the activities are geared for whatever skill level you have. All the ranches provide horse riding instruction for anyone who needs or wants it... In general, the more experience you have, the more you can expect to get into the thick of things on the cattle drive. Less experienced riders put in the back or at the sides. But that doesn't mean you will be bored. There's still plenty of action and hard work for everyone. Yes, I said hard work. This is not a lay-about-on-the-beach vacation. But that's the idea. You work hard and you play hard. This is a chance to tackle unique challenges in a fun and adventurous way. A cattle drive vacation can be a rewarding experience, particularly for children. It's a tremendous opportunity to build their self-confidence and self-esteem. You can typically expect to spend between 4 and 10 hours a day in the saddle. This will most likely mean a little discomfort but the rewards are worth it. Just be sure to bring a long pain relievers for muscle aches and antibiotic cream in case of a saddle sore or two. Some ranches have cabins or lodges where you sleep at night. Others put you in a tent on the trail. Some will even have you sleeping out under the stars. Besides cattle drives you can also participate in real cowboy stuff. You can help sort and brand the cattle. Learn roping. Check out the fence lines. And it's not all work and no play. Relaxing around the campfire, playing cards, pitching horseshoes or some good old-fashioned saloon dancing. Every ranch has a different program so check them out for what suits you and your family. Whatever ranch you choose, I think the whole family will be challenged and have a heck a lot of fun too. About The Author: The author, of this article, Peter Shannon, is the owner of the website http://www.1001-vacation-ideas.com. Here you will find a large collection of vacation and getaway ideas for travelers searchable by theme and location. History of Cowboy Boots Historically horsemen have always needed protective footwear as well as preferring boots with a higher heel. The origin of the cowboy boot that we know today comes from various boot styles including the Wellington boot, which originated from Britain's Duke of Wellington. At the time it was a straight plain leather boot with one-inch heels and straight tops. Cowboys also wore the Hessian boot, which had a V-cut in the front, and some of these had a silk or leather tassel hanging down in the V. The Coffeyville-style cowboy boots originated in Coffeyville, Kansas around 1870 and were normally black leather with a low Cuban heel. The front of the boot, known as the "graft", was higher than the back and was usually a different color. Texas cowboys were known to have a lone star inlaid in the graft. Cowboy boots continued to evolve through the late 1800s and the designs were influenced by the European cavalier style of boot, which were characterized by higher heels and better-quality leather. The toes of cowboy boots were square or rounded and this did not change to pointed until the 1950s. The straight lines of stitches across the top of the toe of the cowboy boot are called a toe wrinkle. Boot makers in the early 1900s started to add decorative stitching on the toes in addition to the wrinkle and these designs became and have remained to this day the personalized signature of custom-made boots. In the 1920s and 1930s cowboy boots became a fashion item as a result of the movies and radio shows about the Wild West. After 1940 boot designs became more colorful and intricate incorporating images of the west such as cacti, eagles, horses and horseshoes. In the 1950s when rodeos became a popular form of entertainment and country music started being heard, the popularity of cowboy boots skyrocketed and millions of pairs were reportedly being made in all shapes, colors and styles. After this the designs of cowboy boots followed the fashions and styles popularized in the movies - if John Travolta or Tom Cruise wore cowboy boots then those styles were immediately in demand. Since the early 1990s boot makers have become even more adventurous and we are now seeing styles incorporating studs, conchos, rhinestones and precious stones, no doubt partly as a result of the interest in line dancing. Of course it is still possible to buy an attractive plain leather boot. Part of the enduring appeal of the cowboy boot is that they can be worn by anyone. There is an excellent book that covers everything to do with the cowboy boot called appropriately The Cowboy Boot book, which you can get from Amazon. Copyright © Jakki Francis,(UK), 2005 About The Author: This article is copyrighted. Please feel free to use it in it's entirety including copyright information and information about the publisher. Jakki Francis operates the website http://www.1st-For-Boots.Com For information and resources on all types of boots. HOW THE OLD WEST HAS BEEN DEFINED People refer to the 'Old West' as the 'Wild West' or simply the 'West'. No matter how what they might call it, many look upon the American Old West as a wild and dangerous place that existed in the last half of the 1800's in the American Frontier, west of the Mississippi River in the United States. Even Europeans who dislike or fear George W. Bush are quick to call him a "cowboy", in a derogatory manner, as if his being from Texas automatically brands him as being like the outlaw cowboys that died at the O.K. Corral on October 26 1881, in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. Many other people from around the world romanticize the American Old West. They conjure images of cowboys, indians, guns, cattle, buffalo, trains and the simple life when they imagine the world of the Old West. Television, radio shows, and movies have all contributed to the romanticism of America's Old West. Television brought us "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza". Movies have come through time to further emphasize people's romantic ideas of the Old West. Movies that come to mind include "Far and Away" in 1992, "True Grit" in 1969, "Two Mules for Sister Sara" in 1970, "Dances With Wolves" in 1990, and "Tombstone" in 1993. And then there were my two favorite westerns of all-time, "Support Your Local Sheriff" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" which both came out in 1969. (People love their westerns, and the Internet Movie Database gave them the chance to rate their favorite western movies here: http://www.imdb.com/chart/western ) PEOPLE STILL THINK THE WEST IS ABOUT THE COWBOYS AND INDIANS Even in today's communication age, some people still believe that Oklahoma and Texas exist as it did in the 1890's. Back in the late 1980's, I had travelled to Florida. While there, someone asked me where I was from. When I said Oklahoma, they had this puzzled look come across their face. After a moment or two, this individual seemed to have made the connection they were looking for. She asked me, "So, how did you get to Florida?" I was confused. I said, "Well, I drove." She responded, "Oh, so you stopped along the way and bought a car?" I said, "No. I had the car before I left." I could see a "deer in the headlights" moment, and then I heard her soon-to-be-famous words, "I thought everyone in Oklahoma rode on horses and in wagons. What about the indians? Do you all still have problems with the indians?" True story. No kidding. It is hard to believe, I know. I would not have believed it myself if I had not been there to hear it. Yes, some people believe that we still live as we did 100 years ago. GOING WEST Prior to 1848, the people who lived in the American Old West were primarily the military men and lawmen, mountain men who often worked as trappers and/or traders, the native American population, cattle ranchers and their hands, and farmers. Then on January 24, 1848, the news of James Marshall's "Gold!" erupted from Sutter's Mill, California. Suddenly, everyone wanted to go west. "Go West Young Man!" was the cry that reverberated around the globe. "Thus began one of the largest human migrations in history as a half-million people from around the world descended upon California in search of instant wealth." (For more information about the California Gold Rush, visit this site: http://ceres.ca.gov/ceres/calweb/geology/goldrush.html ) THE HISTORICAL STORY OF INDIAN TERRITORY Indian Territory, also known as I.T., was established in 1830. The intent of the establishment of the Indian Territory was to have a place in which to relocate the Eastern Native American Tribes. In its early days, Indian Territory actually covered most of modern-day Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Indian Territory was not a territory by the legal established definition of a territory for several more decades. In the beginning, there was no government or laws governing Indian Territory. It was simply the place that was set aside to be occupied by the Native American tribes. In 1854, the American government decided that they needed to increase the lands that could be used by their growing population. So, at this juncture, they reduced the overall size of Indian Territory to cover most of what is now Oklahoma. During the Civil War, the Five Civilized Tribes who owned most of the land comprising Indian Territory, gambled their lot on the southern Confederate States. When the South lost, the Five Civilized Tribes lost more of their lands under the new treaties that had to be negotiated with the victors in Washington, D.C. Beginning with the Osage Reservation Act of 1872, the federal government began to treat Indian Territory more as a legally defined "territory". In 1889, the federal government finally established a federal court for the management of the Indian Territories. And then on April 22nd 1889, the "Unassigned Lands" of central Oklahoma were opened to white settlement. 50,000 people, who were called "Boomers", settled the "Unassigned Lands" that day. Then in May of 1990, Indian Territory was divided into Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory. Over the next several years, various "land runs" permitted the various sections of Oklahoma Territory to be settled. (For more information about the multitude of "land runs", check out this timeline: http://marti.rootsweb.com/land/oklands.html ) THE CHEROKEE OUTLET LAND RUN OF 1893 The famous opening of the Cherokee Outlet that was the backset for the movie "Far and Away", took place on September 16, 1893. When the Cherokee Outlet was opened, there were 7 original counties: O, L, K, P, Q, M and N. It was mandated by law that the settlers of each county would select the new county name after the run. The names selected were Garfield, Grant, Kay, Noble, Pawnee, Woods and Woodward. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE 101 RANCH IN NORTHERN OKLAHOMA Originally bound for California, Colonel George W. Miller found himself often sidetracked into various business ventures on his trek west. In 1893, Colonel Miller founded his 101 Ranch in northcentral Oklahoma near present day Marland, Oklahoma, south and west of Ponca City, Oklahoma. Colonel Miller became good friends with Chief White Eagle, the chief of the Ponca Nation. The Ponca Nation is situated to the south of Ponca City, Oklahoma, and just east of the 101 Ranch site. In 1903, Col. George Miller died and the ranch was taken over by his three sons. At its height, the 101 Ranch which was located in Kay and Noble counties in the Oklahoma Territory was comprised of a full 110,000 acres. It became the real nexus between the American Old West and the world-famous 101 Wild West Show, which featured cowboys and indians in the flesh and show dates around the world from 1905 to 1931. Even the shows at the ranch were noted to have attracted more than 65,000 spectators at various times. HOLLYWOOD MEETS THE WILD WEST Among the many notable accomplishments attributed to the Miller's and their 101 Ranch Wild West Show, was their role in the revitalization of the western genre in Hollywood. The first movie ever made of the western genre was "The Great Train Robbery" in 1903. By the end of the decade, most believed that the western was dead. In 1911, the Miller's signed a contract with the New York Motion Picture Company and its' subsidiary studio, the Bison Company. The 101 Ranch served as the backdrop for several Hollywood films, and the stars of the 101 Wild West Show staffed hundreds of early westerns. More than 100 cowboys, cowgirls and indians from the 101 Ranch Wild West Show participated in various Bison Company westerns. Even the great Will Rogers did a short stint with the 101 Wild West Show, before moving to Hollywood to become world-famous. Will Rogers is just one of the many famous names that came through the 101 show on their rise to stardom. Many of the names of 101 performers became so famous in their day that you may even recognize them today: Bill Pickett, Tom Mix and many others. If you want to know more about history, pick your favorite search engine and go hunting. You would be surpised how much wonderful history exists on the World Wide Web. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Platt is the owner of http://thePhantomWriters.com and http://Historical-WildWest.com . "Historical Wild West" brings the history of the American Old West to history buffs the world over. We provide history products in the form of dvd's, books and ebooks. Take a moment to investigate our flag ship product, the "101 Ranch Old-Timers Monument Hill Project DVD." $25 of the purchase price of this product will go to the registered non-profit group, "101 Ranch Old-Timers Association" to help finance ongoing projects, including their Monument Hill Project.   Cowgirl Boots Add Fashion Fun For Fall 2005 Originally a working man's boot developed to make riding and working safer for the cowboy, western boots have come a long way. Far from home, home on the range, far from chaps and spurs, and even farther from the rodeo circuit, western cowgirl boots are a fun, feminine, and flirty way to dress up, or down any outfit this fall. There are vintage cowgirl boots, dressy cowgirl boots, and rough out cowgirl boots. Stiletto heel or one inch heel. Square toe or pointed toe. Distressed leather or lizard, or python, or ostrich. Pink piping is being shown on a distressed brown leather cowgirl boot, and teal piping on shiny black leather cowgirl boots. Scrolled wingtips are available in blue, red, green, and pink. Low rise or tall rise, fringed or buckled, take your pick. Go online and have a pair of custom cowgirl boots made. You can actually create your custom cowgirl boot from the bottom up, the heel, toe, top scallop and stitch pattern. Anything goes. Western theme fashion is making a hit for fall 2005 and is being called by some the "new sexy". Cowgirl boots are being shown this year dressing up short denim skirts that are being worn with babydoll cami's and cropped velvet jackets, and with denim dresses accented with ornate silver and turquoise buckle belts. They are seen dressing down Mexican inspired lush silk crepe de chine dresses. They are being worn with multicolored tier skirts with sexy lace tees and short denim jackets. Blue jeans of any rise, low, medium or high are being shown with ornate embroidery worn with western inspired leather tooled belts and fringed suede jackets. The western look is made even sassier when paired with a large turquoise necklace and chandelier earrings. Cowgirl boots and western theme fashions are definitely making a hit for fall 2005! About The Author: Article courtesy of http://www.shoes-for-women.com

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