Cowboys, Cowboys, Cowboys by Steve Smith

The English word cowboy was derived from vaquero, a Spanish word for an young men who managed cattle on horseback. Vaquero was derived from vaca, which came from the Latin word vacca meaning "cow". "Cowboy" was first used in print by Jonathan Swift in 1725. Although there are still cowboys in western ranches like the massive King Ranch in Texas, their zenith was between 1840 to 1900. In 1866 when Armour & Co opened its meat packing plant in Chicago, Dodge City transported more than 500,000 cattle to eastern markets. With the turn of the century came Wild West Shows and eventually movies which romanticized the western cowboy lifestyle. Enjoy the history and heroes of the old west in this 24"x 30" 1000 piece puzzle. By Stephen M Smith