Development of the cattle industry in the American West

Pre civil war the cattle industry was centred around Texas, where the Texas longhorn were ranched. In the civil war many Texan cattle ranchers were out fighting for the confederacy. When they returned the number of cattle went up to five million because of these high numbers the price and demand for cattle decreased therefore the cattle industry started to slowly reach it’s end.

The long drives to the plains were done to get to the eastern states where the cattlemen surplus could be sold for more than in the West. Homesteaders dislikes these long drives as they were worried about their own cattle to catch Texas fever, a disease that got passed on by ticks off of the Texas longhorn. Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving began the first long drive north from Texas in 1866.

When the first railroad came into play Joseph McCoy arranged the first…