Scouting, Volume 97, Number 5, November-December 2009 Page: 39
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moved quickly to hustle them back.
Dust flew. Whips cracked. It was
chaos at first. But the Scouts began
coordinating their moves and com-
municating with one another using as
few words as possible.
Brandon Hayes, nicknamed
"Custer" because of a mop of blond
hair that stuck out from under his
Mets cap, even sang to the longhorns
to settle them down. "It actually
worked!" he yelled.
The group herded the cattle across
a gravel road and cut across an open
pasture, making the activity even more
realistic. Exhilarated, the Scouts shared
their feelings about the experience.
"I now understand what it must
have been like to drive cattle on the
Chisholm Trail, over miles of open
range," enthused William "Wild Bill"
Holt, 17.
Added Tad Malone: "It makes me
feel proud to be part of history?'
DURING THEIR WEEK ON the trail, the
boys and leaders also visited Fort Reno
in El Reno, Okla., a military outpost
established in 1874 to help quell
unrest in that part of Indian Territory.
Their evening activities featured
demonstrations by members of the
Bowhunting Council of Oklahoma,
Cheyenne Chief Francis Deer, who
showed them how to set up a tipi, and
American Indian dancers who taught
the boys to perform traditional inter-
pretations of acts of bravery.
Townsend, Lockwood, and
legendary catde driver Ron Green,
Lockwood's dad, gave the boys lessons
in a variety of cowboy skills: saddling,
tying lead ropes, setting up a picket
line for the horses. The kids even took
part in a local rodeo, branding calves,
bulldogging, and riding a mechanical
bull.
They also listened to many tales of
the Old West, which impressed Senior
Patrol Leader Thomas Brubaker.
The boy had joined the cattle drive
because he was completing an Eagle
Scout project that included creating
a Web site about the trail, designing
the historic medal, and writing an
education pamphlet to distribute to
museums in Oklahoma.
"I thought it was only in the
Westerns I've seen," said the wide-eyed
17-year-old, "shoot-'em-up cowboy
movies, roping cattle, and all that!'
The weeklong ride symbolically
ended in the meadow outside Bison,
where the Land Rush began. And
though toughened by the hardships of
the ride, each Scout still hated to part
with at least one of his Chisholm Trail
companions: his horse.
"We spent a few moments talking
quietly to our horses, patting them
and thanking them," Tad said. "It was a
surprisingly heartfelt moment."
And it seemed clear to the leaders
that the Scouts had earned their
IF YOU GO
CHISHOLM TRAIL HERITAGE CENTER:
View a film in the Chisholm Trail
Experience Theater, take in art at the
Garis Gallery of the American West, and
admire Paul Moore's "On the Chisholm
Trail," a life-size, bronze sculpture of
cowboys, longhorns, and horses—even
a dog. Admission: adults, $6; kids (5-17),
$4. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-
Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. 1000
Chisholm Trail Parkway, Duncan, Okla.;
580-252-6692, onthechisholmtrail.com.
CATTLEMEN'S STEAKHOUSE: Chow down
at this historic Western eatery, where
you'll rub elbows with working cattlemen,
wealthy wildcatters, and a bunch of
curious visitors just like you. In between
bites of the Midwest-raised, corn-fed
beef, gaze up at the framed photos
of real-life cowboys—and some from
Hollywood—that cover the walls.
Hours: 6 a.m.-IO p.m. Sunday-Thursday
and 6 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday
1309 S. Agnew, Oklahoma City, Okla.;
405-236-0416, cattlemensrestaurant.com.
FORT RENO: Relive the Old West in
historic artifacts, photographs, and art
by famed painter Frederic Remington.
Then, tour 25 restored buildings at this
historically significant 19th-century
Army outpost, including an 1876
officer's quarters, 1878 bakery, and 1887
guardhouse. Admission: free. Hours:
10 a.m.-4 p.m. seven days a week. 7107
W. Cheyenne St., El Reno, Okla.;
405-262-3987, fortreno.org.
spurs. "I was concerned because
several of these boys had absolutely no
experience," Lockwood said. "But they
learned fast. I'm so proud of them.
They actually look like they belong
out here!'
Most of all, they learned something
about themselves, Mike Malone said.
"I think they discovered that they're
tougher than they thought." *
GUY DE GALARD has written articles
for Cowboys & Indians and Western
Horseman magazines.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2009 * scouting
39
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 97, Number 5, November-December 2009, periodical, November 2009; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth299168/m1/41/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.