Question

PLEASE HELP ASAP!!!!

Write a journal entry as if you are a cowboy taking cattle to market. Include why you do this, what kinds of challenges you face and how you over come them, where you are starting from and where you are going. Include a few specifics from your reading and research. Your entry should be at least two paragraphs long.

Answer 1

The detailed answer provides a first-person account of a cowboy's journal entry, discussing the importance of cattle drives in western expansion, the challenges faced, and the spirit inherent in the cowboy's labor.

Step-by-step explanation:

April 18, 1873
Today marks another hot day on the long trail from San Antonio, Texas, to Kansas, where the railroads await to take our herd east. It's an arduous task, driving these thousands of longhorns, but with as many as five million waiting to be claimed post-Civil War, a man could make a decent sum. The cattle drive is about more than just profit; it's how we're opening up the West. Despite the romance lacking compared to the Gold Rush, this work plays a pivotal role in western expansion.

Challenges present themselves daily. River crossings test our patience and skill, as cattle are naturally skittish creatures, and a stampede is always a risk. The land is vast, with every horizon presenting either a blessing in the form of fresh grasslands or a curse when a storm rolls in. But we cowboys hold steady, our camaraderie forged in the face of adversity. The days are long, and the work is relentless, yet there is a certain pride in driving these hardy beasts and knowing that back east, our labor translates to fortunes for those with the vision to see this opportunity. At times, I ponder on the rampant speculation in the cattle industry, making and breaking fortunes, but for now, I focus on the journey and the day-to-day victories we achieve in the saddle.

Answer 2

I am so upset at myself. I don’t know where my head was. Finally, here I was, with $80 to my name (which is meager compensation for a two-month cattle drive), and then I lose it all gambling. Just one night, and now I am bankrupt all over again. Yesterday was my 22nd birthday, as well as my payday, so I allowed myself a little gambling in Abilene, Kansas, a cow town. But I got so caught up in the action that I couldn’t stop, and pretty soon, I was broke.

I had been hoping to save enough money to start my own business, Bronco Jones and Company, but I suppose that will just have to wait for the next cattle drive. Hopefully, by then I will have better sense.

But enough talk about that. I shall write about the cattle drive, in case I ever look back in this journal 20 years from now and wonder what it was like. Cowhands have very tough jobs, not to mention boring at times. I am a swing rider, and I help keep the cattle from straying. There are several other cowhands and, of course, a point rider and a cook. Lucky for us, we now have a talented cook who can turn anything into a delicious meal. We've had much worse cooks in the past.

One little piece of excitement that sticks out in my mind is the day a single gunshot started a cattle stampede. I didn’t even have time to wonder where it came from, for in a split second, the longhorns had already taken off at an alarming run. It was all chaos for some time. Finally we managed to slow down the stampeding herd by turning them in a wide circle. That memory shall certainly amuse me for some years to come, and I do need some fun, for tomorrow I am returning to Texas for yet another cattle drive. I hope it's my last.