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Archiver > VERMONT > 1999-05 > 0926621918


From: "Jackie M. Botala" <>
Subject: [VERMONT-L] more old papers...
Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 11:58:38 -0700


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Livestock Dealer

My Grandfather, Byron H. Combs, started in the livestock
business about 1800. One day he and his partner, John Gross
of Richford, went to Canada to drive home some native Canadian
cows. There was no duty to pay in those days.
It was a hard journey home, and one old cow collapsed and
couldn't get up. To complictae matters she fell dangerously
close to the edge of a steep bank. As she was about to roll over,
both men grabbed her and while the three hung on the brink,
Grandfather bought out his partner's interest in the cattle business!
At first he drove the cattle from his home in East Berkshire
to Sheldon to the St. J. and L.C. Railroad because he felt the
Missisquoi Railroad charged too high rates. The latter railroad
eventually saw the error of it's ways and put on a special train on
Fridays, as Friday was shipping day.
As a rule farmers brought in their livestock to the shipping
point but there was still much work for the drovers. To be on
time for the morning train, Canadian cattle would often arrive
in Richford Thursday night. The drovers would have to go to
the Richford, five miles away, to take the cattle out and let them
"bait" (eat).
After loading at Richford, the train would reach East Berkshire
about ten o'clock and usually four drovers worked hard to load
in about one half hour. All animals had to pass over the scales
and teams would be lined up for some distance. Other wagons
would be pulling in with their horses on a dead run and sometimes
all hands went out to help drive in a herd.
Animals had to be sorted and partitions built. Some of
this work was done en route. In addition to the cows, the train
carried bulls, hogs, calves, turkeys, sheep and chickens.
If the train was crowded, the chickens might ride in boxes
nailed to the tops of the cars. Sometimes there would be a
whole car load of turkeys, four decks of them. Occasionally
decks were built over the cattle to hold the hogs.
Any attempt to drive in a flock of turkeys was made early
in the day. If dusk caught them on the road, they would fly into
the trees and would could do nothing but wait for them to come
down the next day.
Friday night would find the men loading in Georgia. Satuday
morning they would meet the through freight in Rutland. The
animals going to New York would board the New York Central
Satuday night. Sunday was no day of rest- it meant feed and
water and preparations for Mondays sale.
The cows which were not good milking cows were termed
"store" cattle and these were sometimes sold along the way
to farmers who wanted to fatten cows for beef.
The drovers depended a great deal on their well trained
dogs. An early story mentions a dog who usedto ride back
from Boston on a stage coach. "Trip" could change cars by
himself at White River and come home safely. "Prince" ,
another dog, loved to walk or just ride on top of the cars.
Many feilds were not fenced in those days, and the dogs
had a hard time to keep the cows they were driving from
mingling with another herd. In addition, they had to fight off
other dogs along the way.

(To be continued....)

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