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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