Cowboys and Settlement of the West SS5H3a

The Beginning of the Cattle Industry 1. Ranching in the American West began in the 1700’s in what is now Texas, when that area was a Spanish colony. The first ranches were started with cattle brought from Spain. 2. By the early 1800’s settlers from the U.S. and Mexico had moved to Texas. Many of them started cattle ranches.

First Cowboys 3. The first cowboys were the Mexican vaqueros. American settlers learned cattle ranching from them in Texas. Native Americans and European Americans, English and Spanish-speaking, worked as cowboys, too. By the late 1800’s, many of the cowboys ranching in west Texas were African Americans.

Black Cowboys 4. Black cowboys were common in Texas beginning 100 years before. Many were former slaves who found freedom through being cowboys. Other cowboys did not discriminate against them like people in big cities and farming areas did. 5. After the Civil War black cowboys were able to get jobs running ranches. Some of them policed Native American territories for the federal government. A few were able to own their own farms or ranches.

The Rise of the Cattle Industry 6. Before the Civil War, cattle were raised mainly for their hides. Cows were cheap in Texas, selling for about $4 per cow. In the North, cows were 10 times as high as Texas. Texas ranchers made a lot of money selling their cows to people in the north. Money from the cattle trade helped Texas recover from the Civil War.

The Open Range 7. The Open Range was free federal land owned by the government. Many ranchers let their cattle graze on the open range.

Ranch Life 8. Living on a ranch was difficult. Women cooked and did other chores. Children cared for the horses and herded cattle. 9. Every spring and fall ranchers hired cowhands to drive their cattle from the open range to a stockyard. 10. At the stockyard, cattle were marked with a brand.

13. In order to get cows to northern cities, they shipped them on railroad cars. 14. “Cow towns” were where cows were bought and loaded on railroad cars. 15. Large holding pens, called stockyards, were built to keep the cattle in until they were placed on the railroad car. 16. Abilene, Kansas; Dodge City, Kansas; Ogallala, Nebraska; and Cheyenne, Wyoming were known as “cow towns.”

Cattle Drives 17. The best way to get cattle to a cow town was by a cattle drive. On a cattle drive, ranch workers on horseback would drive the cattle, or make them move to another place. These trips were called cattle drives. 18. Each drive took about 3 months.

19. During the cattle drive, a trail boss managed a crew of 10-12 cowhands, who were all skilled ranch workers. 20. A crew could move as many as 3,000 head of cattle during a long drive.

21.The Chisholm Trail Named after Jesse Chisholm, who owned a trading post in Oklahoma Carried cattle from South Texas to Abilene, Kansas Most popular cattle drive Over 5 million cattle walked the Chisholm Trail Over 800 miles long Used for 20 years after the Civil War

The Great Western Cattle Trails

22. The Great Western Cattle Trail Built by Captain John T. Ltyle Longer than Chisholm Trail It ran west of and parallel to the Chisholm Trail Carried cattle through Texas and Oklahoma to Kansas and Nebraska. Also known as the Western Trail, the Dodge City Trail, or the Old Texas Trail. Helped develop the cattle industry as far north as Wyoming and Montana.

The End of the Cattle Industry 22. Not all ranchers wanted to build fences on the Great Plains and not all farmers liked their land surrounded by barbed wire fences. This led to range wars where farmers and ranchers were cutting each other’s barbed wire fences. Finally, the government told the ranchers to either move their cattle or buy the land. Farmers began raising cattle themselves, ending the Cattle Kingdom.