Raise Your Glass to This!

Dr. Steven L. Sewell presents "Rugged Individualists or Saddle bound Proletarians: The Texas Panhandle Cowboy Strike of 1883"

Thursday, November 13, 6:30 PM

Join us at the New Magnolia Brewing Co. at 1616 Bevis Street for our lecture series on the second Thursday of the month.

Grab a pint, pull up a stool, and join us for an evening where Texas’ cowboy past meets the perfect craft brew.

🐎 The Cowboy Strike of 1883: Labor on the Open Range

In the spring of 1883, the dusty plains of the Texas Panhandle became the unlikely stage for one of the earliest organized labor actions in the American West. Known as the Great Cowboy Strike, this movement saw 328 cowboys—roughly three-quarters of the county’s voting population—refuse to work for seven major ranches, demanding fair and regular wages for their grueling labor.

🔨 Background: Life on the Range

Cowboys in the late 19th century were far more than romanticized figures of folklore. They were skilled laborers, often working up to 108 hours per week—sixteen hours a day from Monday to Saturday, and twelve on Sundays. Their pay was meager: "$30 and found," meaning $30 per month plus room and board. Yet their work required deep knowledge of geography, water sources, and range management, especially during spring cattle drives when their expertise was irreplaceable.

💥 Strike Ignition

The strike began on March 23, 1883, when cowboys preparing a herd for market approached their ranch’s general manager with a bold demand: regular monthly pay instead of a single lump sum at year’s end. The movement was catalyzed by Thomas B. Harris, a foreman at the LS Ranch, who—along with two others—drafted a formal ultimatum. It called for minimum salaries of $50 per month for cowboys and cooks, and $75 for outfit runners. The ultimatum came with a warning: those who violated the terms would “suffer the consequences.”

Demonstrations included intimidation tactics and the discharge of revolvers, underscoring the seriousness of their demands. The LS Ranch, owned by the Lee-Scott Cattle Company, became a focal point of the strike.

🌵 A Ripple Across the West

Though the strike in the Texas Panhandle lasted nearly two months, its impact echoed far beyond. From 1884 to 1886, similar labor actions erupted across the Western United States, marking a period of increased worker militancy among cowboys. These strikes challenged the myth of the lone cowboy and revealed a collective identity rooted in labor rights and economic justice.

❄️ Decline and Legacy

Despite its initial momentum, the cowboy labor movement waned due to sweeping changes in the cattle industry. The expansion of railroads reduced the need for long cattle drives, and several devastating winters decimated herds, weakening the bargaining power of ranch hands. By the late 1880s, the cowboy strike era had largely faded.

Yet the Cowboy Strike of 1883 remains a powerful reminder that even in the wide-open spaces of the frontier, workers sought dignity, fair compensation, and solidarity. It was a moment when the West wasn’t just wild—it was organized.

About Professor Steven L. Sewell

Steven L. Sewell has been a Professor of History at the College of the Mainland in Texas City, Texas since 2000. He also previously served as Dean of Academic Programs and as Chair of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department at College of the Mainland. Dr. Sewell served as president of the Southwestern Historical Association, 2012-2013 and served as the President of the Southwestern Social Science Association, 2023-2024. Dr. Sewell earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in History from Oklahoma State University. He has published extensively on the history of labor in the Oklahoma coal mining industry, published an article on the Texas cowboy strike of 1883 in the Red River Historical Journal and an article on Choctaw beer in the Journal of Cultural Geography. He also published a book chapter entitled, “The Spatial Diffusion of Beer from its Sumerian Origins to Today” in The Geography of Beer (2014).

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