In 1899, at the age of 13, H.B Howell worked his first cattle drive from Alpine, Texas to the new railhead in Sweetwater, Texas. H.B. was a very early settler in Lynn County, Texas arriving around 1901. He worked on ranches around the Lynn County area and later purchased a wagon and team and began hauling freight from the railhead in Big Spring, Texas to the new town of Tahoka, Texas. He became a rancher, cattle feeder, and farmer after the railroad came to town. He continued to ranch on his own on land and land lease from the T-Bar Ranch. His son S.W. and his grandson, Sam, found the allure of the old days in chuckwagon cooking. S.W. grew up farming behind a team and hauling grain and cotton in a wagon. Sam did some farming in the 70's but his real love is cooking. Sam started dutchoven cooking at the age of 12 in the Boy Scouts and has never quit. The Cocklebur Camp wagon is a "STANDARD" with F.W.W. Flint Michigan on the hubs. The Flint Wagons Works in Flint, Michigan started in 1882. Click here for more history on the Flint Wagon Works. The plant started producing Buick and Chevrolet autos in 1903 and 1914 respectively.. This wagon started its life as a farm and grain wagon before S.W. converted it to a chuckwagon. The Cocklebur Camp could have been anywhere along the trail but ours is headquartered in Skeen, Texas. Skeen, Texas is a town of the past just like the cattledrives. It was once a community on the now abandoned Santa Fe Railroad running from Slaton, Texas to Lamesa, Texas.

2000 Cookin
Lubbock, Texas 		3rd Place Cobbler
Odessa, Texas		3rd Place Beans
Ruidoso, New Mexico   	1st Place Meat
			3rd Place Cobbler
2001 Cookin
Abilene, Texas 		3rd Place Meat
Amarillo, Texas  	5th Place Cobbler 
Lubbock, Texas 		4th Place Overall Food  
			3rd Place Beans
Midland , Texas 	1st Cobbler
Ruidoso, New Mexico   	4th Overall Food
			1st Place Beans
			2nd Place Bread

2002 Cookin
Logan, New Mexico  	4/27/2002	1st Place Beans
					3rd Place Meat

Abilene, Texas		5/11/2002	3rd Place Potatoes
Amarillo, Texas  	6/01/2002	7th Place Meat
Lubbock, Texas 
Midland, Texas	 
Ruisoso, Texas		10/12/2002	4th Bread

2003 Cookin
Abilene, Texas		5/10/2002	2nd Place Bread
Amarillo, Texas  	
Lubbock, Texas 
Midland, Texas	 
Ruisoso, Texas