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In the fall of 1881, the already desiccated land of southwest Texas was withering under an eleven month drought. Water holes and feeder creeks that had served ranches for the last twenty years were gone. Ranchers, desperate to save years of their family’s livelihood, raided local town’s water supplies. Most tried by dark of night, often revealed by the very animals they hoped to save. Confrontations between lawmen and ranchers ended in confiscation of livestock, jail time, and sometimes worse. The ranchers were at a distinct disadvantage to organize a collective dispute due to sheer distances between them. But despite the difficulties, several land owners in the region managed to meet, put their demands to paper and authorize Clint Murray as their spokesman.
Clint, demands in hand, l
