Or How I Helped Charles Goodnight Invent the Chuck Wagon
ISBN: Paperback: 978-1-964830-14-8; ISBN: Kindle: 978-1-964830-15-5
by Preston Lewis
During the great cattle-drive era of the late 1800s, Old Blue became the most trusted longhorn lead steer in the herds of pioneering Texas rancher Charles Goodnight. When thousands of cattle thundered north toward railheads and growing towns, it was Blue’s calm instincts—and not the cowboys’ feeble efforts—that kept the drives moving safely over prairies, across rivers, through storms, and away from hungry predators.
Yet through the decades, Blue’s remarkable story faded into myth. Cowboys claimed they did all the hard work, and history books focused on the men, not the animals who made the West possible. Then, in 1998, a weathered packet of pages surfaced: a mysterious manuscript written with a bold, unforgettable perspective. Author Preston Lewis, a Spur Award–winning storyteller of the American frontier, recognized it at once—Old Blue had written his own “autobiography,” a firsthand account of the cattle trails from the steer who actually led them.
Blending humor, authentic Western history, and animal-centered adventure, this book opens the gate to a world where talking critters tell true stories—stories often overlooked by traditional accounts.
They Call Me Old Blue debuts the Old West Critters Collection, an engaging new series that invites young readers to explore America’s past through the animals who shaped it: longhorns, buffalo, horses, and even camels.
EXCERPT: About My Origins
They call me “Old Blue,” but I’m not blue. As for old, I never felt old until the last few years. Leading a trail herd will age you, and I’ve led plenty. I took some into New Mexico Territory, others into Colorado, and most through Indian Territory and into Kansas.
Now, the cowboys who rode with me claim they did all the work. They’re wrong. How could you believe any- one who would call me “Blue” when my hide is gray with white spots? Even Mr. Charles Goodnight, the smartest man I ever knew, called me “Blue.” But I never made a fuss over my name, because you’ve got to be called some- thing. I’ve heard cowboys use a lot worse on animals and men alike. As for me, I never called them by the color of their hides, because my momma taught me better.
I was born a Texas longhorn down in the brush country of South Texas. I’m proud to say that I’m known as the best lead steer ever to set a hoof in Texas. As a lead steer, I guided great cattle herds to their destinations. Some might say it didn’t take talent to be a lead steer. Ones who say that have never tried to calm a herd during a thunderstorm. They’ve never had to keep walking when their throats were as dry as gravel and their hooves were afire from plodding across the baked plains. Mr. Goodnight knows a lead steer’s worth, and because of that, he has kept me employed at the JA Ranch for years.
But more than being a lead steer, I am proudest to call myself a survivor. Surviving is what life is all about. There aren’t as many Texas longhorns around as there used to be, and only a few of those have lived to be as old as me.