Big Ranches

Big Ranches By the 1800s, huge ranches spread throughout South Texas and into the northern portion of the state. XIT Ranch

Railroads and refrigeration 1880s – railroads extended into Texas Ship cattle from a point closer to home no refrigeration in Texas – had to send cattle to slaughterhouses Meat would spoil, otherwise 1868 - Refrigeration in Texas – introduction of slaughterhouses Could ship meat across country RR’s and Refrigeration helped boost the cattle industry – supported each other

The great spreads Ranches King Ranch – founded by Richard King and Mifflin Kenedy in 1852; South Texas (expanded to more than 1 million acres) one of the first to fence land JA Ranch – established by Charles Goodnight and John Adair in 1876; Palo Duro Canyon (more than 1 million acres, 100,000 cattle) Matador Ranch – founded by investors, A.M. Britton and H.H. Campbell in 1878; Matador land and Cattle Co. bought and expanded XIT Ranch – largest; located in Panhandle (3 million acres); XIT “ten in Texas” because it covered 10 counties

King Ranch, Kingsville, TX

JA Ranch Goodnight, TX

XIT Ranch

Mustangs Descended from Spanish horses; formed wild herds over time Used on ranches - Ideal for rounding up cattle Roundups and closing of open range reduced number of mustangs Wild mustangs no longer exist in Texas

Sheep and goat ranching Sheep Ranching – brought over with Spanish George Wilkins Kendall – 1850s; est. sheep ranch near Boerne, TX Raised for wool By 1880; over 1 million head of sheep in Texas Leading wool-producing state in nation for a time Concentration in Edwards Plateau

Barbed wire Barbed-wire fencing invented in late 1800s Decline of open range grazing Quick and cheap to install Cut off water supply; fence cutting became a problem Became a felony in 1884

Windmills Windmills – West Texas was dry; windmills pumped water from underground aquifers; water cattle

cowhand Movies, books and Wild West shows; exaggerated the life of a cowboy Overlooked the different kinds of people; African Americans, Tejanos, women Misrepresented the role of Native Americans – left out how they were provoked

Range of cultures African Americans suffered less discrimination on Texas ranches than other places during this time Daniel Webster “80 John” Wallace – former slave – served as a trail boss on several cattle drives and later owned his own ranch