Synopses & Reviews
This brief and entertaining history of the Texas Longhorn details the development of the first distinct American breed of beef cattle. The Spanish herds that had roamed Texas for generations, when mixed with English Longhorns brought by Anglo settlers in the early 1800s, yielded a rangy hybrid that could thrive in Texasand#8217; climate and was ideally suited to ranchersand#8217; aspirations.
Almost extinct by the turn of the century, the Texas Longhorn was preserved by the efforts of just a few people who recalled with fondness the days when the cattle had thundered on the trails. Some U.S. Forest Service officials, several ranchers, and even a folkloristand#151;J. Frank Dobieand#151;gathered the animals for breeding and successfully managed the small herds until they stabilized and began to increase. The Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America was formed in 1964 to preserve and promote the breed, and a growing interest in improving health by eating leaner meat has spurred renewed interest in the lean Longhorn as more than just a nostalgic novelty.
Review
and#8220;The Texas Longhorn is an authoritative and readable short history of this home-grown hybrid, and presents the Longhorn as much more than a historical curiosity and a romantic noveltyand#8230;.[It] is a detailed and entertaining overview by one who knows his subject well.and#8221;--Michael B. Husband
About the Author
DON WORCESTER is the author of several books and many articles about the Old West, and of the poignant book A Visit from Father and Other Tales of the Mojave, also published by Texas AandM University Press. He is a professor emeritus of history at Texas Christian University.