The Coyote in Southwestern Folklore

Authors

Wyman P. Meinzer, Benjamin, Texas

Date of this Version

January 1995

Document Type

Proceeding

Citation

Published in Coyotes in the Southwest: A Compendium of Our Knowledge, Symposium Proceedings, December 13–14, 1995, San Angelo, Texas

Edited by Dale Rollins, Calvin Richardson, Terry Blankenship, Kem Canon, and Scott Henke

Comments

Published 1996, Austin, Texas. Used by permission

Abstract

Perhaps one of the first mentions of the coyote (Canis latrans) by Anglos in early-day journalism was from Mark Twain's notes during his travels through the plains frontier in the early- to mid-19th century. Touring the frontier region before its inevitable subjugation to ranching and farming, Twain wrote of the coyote and its larger more infamous cousin, the wolf(C. lupus), In words which left no doubt to the reader the popular sentiments for such predators of the day. Although derogatory in some respects, Twain did concede respect for C. latrans and made mention of the tricks the coyote would play on domestic dogs as the wagons lumbered across the pristine landscape.