Western Expansion: Cattle Industry, Barbed Wire & Closure of the Frontier

Western Expansion: Cattle Industry, Barbed Wire & Closure of the Frontier

Origins of the Cattle Industry Cattle brought to America by the Spaniards. Spaniards & Mexicans established large ranches in Northern Mexico & Texas. 1 st cowboy was the Spanish vaquero. Culture taught to Anglos that settled in area.

Cowboys of Texas 1/3 were African-American (ex-slaves), Tejanos, and women.

Maria del Carmen Cavillo Born 1765 near San Antonio Father murdered on his ranch. María preserved title to the land through 4 different political administrations: Spain, Mexico, Republic of Texas, and the U.S. She had 2,000 head of livestock. Through efforts of women like María del Carmen, Spanish laws protecting women s rights to inherit and manage property became part of Texas law.

Bose Ikard Born a slave in1843. Learned to farm & ranch while working on a Texas Ranch. After the Civil War he worked for Oliver Loving & Charles Goodnight on their trail. Reputation of being brave & a good fighter. He was loyal to his employer and trusted by others. Fights Quanah Parker s Comanche s during the Indian raids.

Elizabeth Lizzie Johnson Williams Born 1840 Became a teacher in Austin. Invested money in cattle & property. Traveled & bought expensive jewels & became known as the cattle queen 1 st woman to ride the Chisholm Trail.

Daniel Webster 80 John Wallace Born September 15, 1860 in Victoria County. Ran away at 17 to work with cattle. Doesn t learn to read & write until he is 25. Gets nickname from branding 80 so fast into cattle. Saves money & buys cattle & property. Dies March 1939 with an estate of more than a $1 million.

According to the biographies above, what did the cattle industry do to improve their lives?

King Ranch Established by Richard King in 1853. 1 million acres of land (size of Rhode Island) 1869-1884 sent 100,000+ cattle on trails

Own unique type of cattle- Santa Gertrudis - mixed Indian Brahman with British Shorthorns = Santa Gertrudis

XIT Ranch Largest ranch in TX. Located in the Panhandle. 3 million acres of land. Almost the size of Connecticut. Land given for building the state capitol in Austin.

Major Cattle Trails Cheyenne Ogallala Denver Pueblo Ellsworth Abilene Sedalia Dodge City Baxter Springs KEY Goodnight-Loving Trail Great Western Trail Chisholm Trail Sedalia (Shawnee) Trail Towns Forts Railroads Rivers Fort Concho Kerrville Austin

Chisholm Trail Named after Jesse Chisholm. Trail went through Indian Territory to Abilene, Kansas. Ideal route for cattle drive = far away from farms

Goodnight - Loving Trail Started by Charles Goodnight & Oliver Loving Trail went into NM & into Colorado & WY. Became the most traveled route in Southwest.

Wrangler Remuda Drag Flank Swing Point Chuck wagon Drag Trail Drag Boss Flank Swing Point This diagram shows a typical cattle drive formation. The Pointers guided the cattle in the desired direction; the Swing Riders, behind the Pointers, assisted in guiding the cattle, and in keeping the herd in formation. The Flank Riders worked at keeping the formation intact. The Drag Riders, the most undesirable position because of the dust, depending upon the wind, kept the weaker, lagging cattle from slowing the formation down. TYPICAL CATTLE DRIVE FORMATION

Barbed Wire Invented by Joseph Glidden. Inexpensive to make & inexpensive to buy = everyone is going to use it. By 1880 Texas ranchers were closing off their property- ending the open range of the Texas Plains

Longhorn- mixture of Spanish & English cattle.

Longhorns Very important breed of cattle in TX. Could survive on little water. Resistant to cattle disease called Texas Fever.

*Texas Fever An infectious disease of cattle first identified in Texas, characterized by high fever, anemia, and emaciation and caused by a parasitic protozoan (Babesia bigemina) that is transmitted by cattle ticks.

What was the need for all the ranches, trails, & cattle drives? Cattle supply had gone down since the Civil War. Northerners wanted beef. Cattle selling $3-6.00 in TX were selling for $30-40.00 in Kansas $80.00 in NY

The Cattle Industry starts doing poorly. How & Why?

Why did Cattle Drives End?

Sheep Ranching Ranchers found that they could make more money $$$ raising sheep. Wool from sheep could be shaved off & replaced when it grows back. Cattle once they re sold- sent to their death never to return.

Windmills Invented to pump water from underground to irrigate (water) crops that are not near rivers or lakes. This invention allowed the expansion of farming on the plains. Many ranches were sold off as farmland

More Railroads Railroads began to use refrigerated cars. This meant that beef no longer had to be shipped alive.

Overgrazing Large numbers of cattle were being raised with limited amounts of grass. Cattle overgrazed the land eliminates the grass and destroys the soil.

1. What trail would you use to take cattle directly to Abilene, Kansas? 2. What trail goes through New Mexico & into Colorado? 3. What trail would you use to take cattle directly to Dodge City, Kansas? 4. What was the purpose of these cattle trails being established in Texas?