PREFACE
The term ‘Buckaroo’ was the original term used to describe a Broncobuster in the early 1830’s and thereafter. A Broncobuster was your typical individual, usually a young male, whose chief duty it was to break broncos to the saddle. Broncos were mainly known as wild Mustangs, which were found in the Western United States.
The name Buckaroo was later replaced with the more familiar name of today, that of Cowboy. By the late 1860’s, ‘Buckaroo’ was seldom used anymore. Over time, the word ‘Cowboy’ had grown to encompass the full scope of what true Cowboy’s grew into.
Your average cowboy had little or no book learning, but his word was his bond. A handshake made many a deal, never to be broken without dire consequences indeed.
They were very accomplished riders, and as hired hands, ranchers used their expanded skills not only to break broncos, but to now tend to cattle and horse herds.
These herds ranged from small to extremely large. Cowboys’ were known for their great bravery while tending herds on the open range. From the 1860’s to the 1880’s the vast open range saw many trail drives, mainly cattle, to railway stations in up and coming new towns. Cattle were then shipped east to growing markets of the larger cities.
Many in the Eastern United States, and later those in the West saw the Cowboy as folk heroes, due to their self-reliance and courage in the face of danger.
After the 1880’s, the open range ended because of railroad expansion, which brought in settlers and farmers who fenced off their land with barbed wire. The original Cowboy died out by the turn of the new century.
This here is the story of Horace ‘Buckaroo’ Douglas Muldoon, his peaks and valleys during his time spent in the old West.
In order to better understand who he was, and how he came to be, the first part of this here book will tell of his Grand Pappy—Nathaniel Horace Muldoon—and then of his parents; Bernard Douglas and Victoria Elizabeth Muldoon, touchin’ on his sister’s and brother’s as need be.
So sit back in your easy chair, pour yourself a sweet drink, and enjoy his life and adventures.