"Old Spookses' Pass," written by Isabella Valency Crawford (1850-1887) in 1884 has many of the elements of cowboy songs. Night watch over 3000 head while short-handed, the stampede, cowboy lingo throughout- a fictionalized tale in verse of driving cattle through the southern Alberta-British Columbia portion of the Rocky Mountains. "Yaller Bull Flat probably refers to Old Crow Flats, and the 'Pass' is probably the Yellowhead. The poem has 53 eight-line stanzas. Found while searching for old 19th century cowboy poetry. I won't post it because of its length and doubts about 'singability' but it does have possibilities. Here are a few stanzas:
I. We'd camped that night on Yaller Bull Flat,- Thar was Possum Billy, an' Tom, an' me. Right smart at throwin' a lariat Was them two fellers, as ever I see; An' for ridin' a broncho, or argyin' squar With the devil roll'd up in the hide of a mule, Them two fellers that camp'd with me thar Would hev made an'or'nary feller a fool.
III We was short of hands, the herd was large, An' watch an' watch we divided the night; We could hear the coyotes howl an' whine, But the darned critters kept out of sight Of the camp-fire blazin'; an' now an' then Thar cum a rustle an' sort of rush- A rattle a-sneakin' away from the blaze, Thro' the rattlin', cracklin' grey sage brush. -------
XXVI Tearin' along the indigo sky Wus a drove of clouds, snarl'd an' black; Scuddin' along to'ards the risin' moon, Like the sweep of a darn'd hungry pack Of preairie wolves to'ard a buffeler, The heft of the herd left out of sight; I dror'd my breath right hard, fur I know'd We was in fur a 'tarnal run thet night.