Black cowboys

Common card · No. 325459

Black cowboys in the American West accounted for up to an estimated 25% of cowboys "who went up the trail" to participate in cattle drives from the 1860s to 1880s, estimated to be at least 5,000 individuals. They were also part of the rest of the ranching industry in the West. Typically former slaves or born into the families of former slaves, many African American men had skills in cattle handling and headed West at the end of the Civil War. Compared to other industries of the time, Black men in the cattle industry were able to hold a range of responsibilities and get paid relatively equally to White men, although racial discrimination persisted. Black cowboys participated in the rodeo competitions that grew out of the cattle industry starting in the 1870s, but since they faced discrimination in most White-sponsored shows, many organized their own shows that traveled around rural communities up to the 1940s. The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo and other Black rodeo organizations continue...

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