April 2007
Ranchers Blaze New Trail to State Capital

Cattlemen Drive Longhorn from Andalusia to Montgomery     The cattle drive passes one of its most recognizable stops along the route, the state Capitol building, shortly after noon on the last day of their weeklong journey. Spectators of all ages peppered Goat Hill for the unique event. By Kellie Henderson In conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the Southeastern Livestock Exposition in Montgomery, just over two-dozen horses and riders and four horse-drawn wagons set out for an adventure most people would have thought impossible in the year 2007. On the morning of March 2nd, a voice from a bullhorn fell over the excited group assembled at the Lonesome Dove Ranch in Covington County, reminding the modern day cowboys and cowgirls that all release forms must be signed before departure. Minutes later, they all bowed their heads in a prayer for the safety of every horse and every rider taking on the task of driving 50 longhorn cattle from Andalusia to Montgomery.   Buddy Harper (right) riding his black and white paint horse stays near his lead longhorn steer as they approach the crowd gathered around the Capitol.   The ride began at Buddy Harper’s Lonesome Dove Ranch, winding around Andalusia via the bypass, and traveled through Brantley and Luverne and the smaller communities that dot US Highway 331, before arriving at the city of Montgomery on the evening of Wednesday March 7th. Along the way people gathered to see the cattle drive and wagon train make its way to the capital city, and on Thursday, March 8th, the last leg of the trip took them through downtown Montgomery, by the Capital and finally to Garrett Coliseum. "I guess we’d all watched Lonesome Dove too many times," says Buddy Harper. "We all thought it would be so exciting to live in those times, driving cattle all that way up through the country. I’ve been to Fort Worth Frontier Days and seen how much fun they were having taking those longhorns through downtown, and we thought we could do it here."     The Western Bypass took on a new meaning in Andalusia as Alabama cowpokes brought a piece of American history to life by driving 50 longhorn cattle from Lonesome Dove Ranch in Andalusia to the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the SLE Rodeo. Buddy, who might be called the Trail Boss on this ride, along with his brother, Johnny Harper, and lifelong friend, Bobby Wilson, set out to make their dream a reality this year, deciding that the 50th SLE was the perfect time to make the trip. And while the journey took them a week to make, preparations were underway long before the cowboys saddled-up. Not only did these men meet with officials to get their plan approved, they also secured sponsors to fund the event, including Andalusia Farmers Co-op. "We couldn’t have done this without the support of the Co-op and our other sponsors. It’s a big investment, and they’ve helped absorb some of that cost," Buddy says.   The cattle drive got underway from the Lonesome Dove Ranch in Covington County on Friday, March 2   They had to find the right mix of cowhands to help them make the trek as well. "My son ropes, so a lot of the people who agreed to ride with us are other ropers we’ve met or other people in the cattle or horse business. To be honest though, we wanted to limit the number of riders we took with us. One of the biggest challenges in planning was finding places to overnight 50 cattle plus wagons and outriders. Once we found someone with property that could accommodate us in each area we needed to stop, we wanted to be no more trouble for them than necessary. So we made the decision to limit the number of riders and wagons and stuck with it," says Buddy.     Whip in hand, Johnny Harper keeps a watchful eye over his brother’s herd as they near the Capital in downtown Montgomery. Finding the right cattle was another important challenge in preparing for the journey. Buddy says he’s been in the cattle business since the late 1960s, with a herd of 400 cross-bred beef cattle and a couple hundred longhorns of his own, and they chose from his stock the select 50 they would use. "We started practicing last year with about 80 head of cattle, to get them accustomed to it and to see which ones would be the most steady and predictable. We gradually culled the trouble cattle down to the 55 we felt the most comfortable using, leaving 5 extras in case we needed them," Harper says. One steer was a shoe-in from the beginning though, a 2,800-pound black steer Harper purchased out West.   Shortly after hitting the Andalusia Bypass, cattle, horses and riders pass a stop sign near Andalusia Elementary School where students waited to catch a glimpse of the unusual traffic outside their school.   "He’s been on some cattle drives in Fort Worth, and we knew we could count on him as the lead steer. He’s got the experience to be calm, and the horns and the size to be impressive for onlookers," he says. And impressed they were. Children in boots and cowboy hats stood next to state employees in pin-stripe suits on the steps of the Capital building as the cattle and horses paraded through the downtown area, the riders wearing smiles as big as those of the spectators. "We really wanted to bring a little bit of Texas to south Alabama," says Bobby Wilson, who along with his dog Willow drove one of the covered wagons. "It’s really something for the kids to see, and a story they can tell forever. It’s likely nobody else will try something like this for a hundred years," Wilson says. Kellie Henderson is a freelance writer from Troy.