Spur Act of 1887

Origins

This law was passed on October 22 of 1887 by the Texas state government. It not unlike the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartering_Act Quartering Act of 1765] , due to the rather rambunctious and vexatious nature of a cowboy's spur to the nearby listener.

Causes for the Spur's OutlawFor a cowboy, the spur was a required tool for his job. In order to successfully enable his horse to move quick enough, a cowboy needed the spur. Without it, the now rendered slow horse would not be able to keep up with the large groups of cattle. However, many of those who were not in that business grew exasperated at the seemingly constant "clanging" of the spurs. In time, it was sought that they should be banned for the sake of maintaining a peaceful environment. On October 22 of 1887, the Texas state government outlawed the use of spurs. Those who ignored the law were to be punished by law.

Effects On The "Cowboy" CultureOne might wonder why the cowboy is no longer an existing job, or way of life today. Upon the outlaw of spur use in 1887, the cowboy became rendered extremely inefficient. Some tried to continue herding the cattle, but without the spur, a horse simply could not move fast enough to be effective. By the late 1800's, there were virtually no cowboys left to be seen.