Charlie Dye (1906-1972)

In the years following the American Civil War thousands of settlers from the East travelled westward across the United States in search of a new life. Resourceful cattlemen, including Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving, saw an opportunity to supply these new inhabitants with beef, sending vast herds of cattle overland from their ranches in Texas to markets in Kansas, Colorado and other states. Vastly outnumbered, cowhands driving these herds often relied upon a lead steer, the most famous of which was Goodnight’s Old Blue. To the Tune of Old Blue's Bell features the steer proudly leading a herd with his distinct gold bell. Old Blue is said to have lead thousands of cows on the over 200 mile journey from Goodnight’s JA Ranch in Texas to markets in Dodge City, Kansas, over the course of multiple trips, before being retired on Goodnight’s ranch near Palo Duro Canyon.