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You are here: Home / History / Why were cowboys in the American Old West called cowpokes or cowpunchers?

Why were cowboys in the American Old West called cowpokes or cowpunchers?

August 4, 2020 by Karen Hill

Cowboys in the American Old West were called cowpokes or cowpunchers because poke and punch is what they literally did to cattle that balked at going up the ramps leading to railcars and packing plants.

Cattle prods were used to help move cattle to where they wanted. Back then, they didn’t have electric cattle prods that delivered an electric shock which help make the prods more effective these days.

So in addition to poking the cattle with a cattle prod, they probably also punched or nudged them with their bare hands.

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Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where did the American Old West ranchers get their horses and cattle if they didn’t transport them from back East?
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