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Texas longhorn cattle were almost extinct by the 1920s since modern
day ranchers preferred a breed that could fatten up quickly, and
they no longer valued the longhorn’s ability to survive in high
heat on little water, but lots of cactus, weeds and brush. Beginning
in the 1930s, they were protected and bred in small stocks, mostly
out of the idea of the romance of the Old West but later longhorns
became popular for their lean, lower-cholesterol meat. Commercial
ranchers now breed them with other cattle for their many strong
traits including smarts and easy calving.
Artist Bonnie Marris had the opportunity to drive these cattle
across the river. “They are so wild, as in un-domesticated,” she
said. “When you stand 20 feet away from one you feel like you are
peering back into history, seeing what cattle were like before we
got our hands on them.”
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