He was reported to have commanded one of the longest recorded cattle drives, which started at Lavaca County and ended at the Canadian border.
In 1870 he agreed to contract out with the government to deliver 14,000 head of longhorns to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in Montana.
In 1880 with his wife Kittie, West moved to Live Oak County and purchased 140,000-acre of land and 26,000 cattle.
In 1912 West turned his efforts towards development by donating $100,000 and a legal right, through his ranch to San Antonio, to Uvalde and Gulf Railroad.
West spent $50,000 building schools, highways, bridges, public utilities, and a hotel across from the railroad depot.