cattlemen and cowboys

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Cattlemen and Cowboys-The growth of the industry

  • The cattle were originally looked after by the mexican vaqueros 
  • During the Civil War the cattle were left unattended,but they managed to survive and breed greatly- by 1865 it was estimated that there were at least 5 millon "longhorns" in texas 
  • By 1865 the construction of the railway was under progress- ranchers were promised ten times the local price if they could get their cattle up to the railway to supply the North, where there was an increasing demand for beef
  • The ranchers began driving their cattle up the plains along the new trails that were being devloped- (The Goodnight-Loving Trail, The Shawnee Trail, The Chisholm Trail and The Western trail)
  • Joseph McCoy set up "cow towns" along the railroad- towns that were specifically set up to receive the cattle herds from Texas- Abilene was the first of these in 1867
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Cattlemen and Cowboys-The cattle drive

  • The drive could take up to two months 
  • Average herds were about 2-3000 head in size 
  • It was a great responsibility for the cowboys as the loss of only a few cattle would cost the rancher a lot of money
  • There were many threats to the safety of the herd: (Stampead were the biggest danger- they could stampede several times a night and would often travel miles before they could be stopped, The weatherand landsacpe were very harsh- hot winds and torrential rain and hail storms, The Indians posed a serious threat- in 1870 the Cheyenne Indians stampeded a valuable herd and drove them off, Rustlers- they stole cattle and branded them with their own marks, Settlers- there were constant clashes; especially with the Homesteaders)
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Cattlemen and Cowboys-The changes in cattle herdin

  • The open renge- to save time and money, cowboys began herding and breeding the cattle further North than Texas on the open ranges of the plains
  • John Iliff helped produce a more sturdy cattle by cross breeding the Texas longhorn with Herefordshire cows from England 
  • Towards the 1880s, there was dramatically less grass on the Plains then was needed to sustain  the number of cattle being reared there 
  • After 1885 the demand for beef began to fall and so did the prices 
  • In the winter of 1886-87 many died due to the severe weather conditions 
  • In 1874 barbed wire was invented- this would help keep control of the herds on the Plains
  • Soon after windpumps were invented which provided regular and easy access to fresh water 
  • The role of the cowboys changed dramatically- they were no longer needed in such great numbers and there jobs became little more then a ranch handyman, fixing fences and such. The wild and free life of the cowboy had finally come to an end
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