GCSE American West - The Changing Role of the Cowboy

Originally, the role of the cowboy included:

• Branding cattle
• Checking ranch boundaries
• Mending fences
• Rounding up cattle in the spring
• Embarking on the Long Drive in the autumn, driving cattle hundreds of miles across the Plains

However, following the end of the 'Beef Bonanza' of the 1870s and 80s, the system of cattle ranching changed entirely and with it, the role of the cowboy.

THE END OF THE OPEN RANGE:

The winter of 1886-7, known as the 'Great Die Up' was particularly harsh…