Joshua Tree National Park - Cowboys

In the early years the desert was open range and cattlemen moved their animals seasonally from one area to another in search of adequate food and water. "In those days, if you were a cowpuncher, you had a pair of chaps, a horse and a pack horse, a bedroll, salt, staples, a six-shooter, and a big chew of tobacco." according to Jim Hester, an early area cowboy.