In 1892 there were 10,000 prairie dogs on Fort Phantom Hill, Texas. In 1900 there was a prairie dog town that stretched south of Lubbock for 250 miles, it was 100 miles wide and was said to have a population of 400 million.

That adds up to a lot of holes. If a herd of long-legged longhorns took a notion to stampede, in the darkness of dust or night, it was mighty risky trying to turn the herd. If your pony "took a fall," a cowboy was liable to be stomped to death if the wreck didn't break his neck.