Farming/Ranching

Ranching on the Open Range The first West Texas ranchers owned little or no land Some ranchers bought land along a river or stream to have a reliable water source Livestock grazed on the open range Open range – vast area of undeveloped public land held by the state government for future sale Ranchers marked animals with a brand to show ownership

Ranching on the Open Range Several factors ended the open range in Texas A key factor was the expansion of railroads in the state Other factors included land policies, population growth and the spread of farming In 1850s, the state government offered free public land to encourage internal improvements

Changes on the Open Range Internal improvements – changes made by people which boost a region’s economy and population Railroads received 90% of this free land The free land policies forced open range ranchers to change Many ranchers felt they needed to own the land before someone else bought it Investors from Eastern United States and Britain provided money to ranchers

An End and a Beginning The end of the open range brought an end to cattle drives Railroads were built connecting Texas making cattle drives unnecessary Some states banned Texas cattle out of concern for the “Texas Fever” disease The open range was “fenced in” with barbed wire making it difficult to drive cattle

Changes for Cowboys The end of the open range and cattle drives meant changes for cowboys, too Setting fence posts and stringing barbed wire made them feel like ranch hands In 1883, cowboys went on strike – work stoppage to force an employer to meet certain demands Strike failed and cowboys lost their jobs Unhappy over the loss of their old way of life

The Big Die-up Ranchers built a series of “drift fences” from New Mexico to Indian Territory These fences prevented cattle infected with “Texas Fever” from “drifting” and mingling with healthy herds In 1885, a huge blizzard struck, cattle fled and drift fences trapped them Thousands of cattle froze to death long fence line – called the Big Die-up Marked start of modern ranching industry

Closing the Frontier The Big Die-up

Railroads Change Ranching Rail lines in Texas changed the cattle business In 1873, the Texas rail system linked to the nationwide rail network Texas ranchers began shipping their cattle by rail By 1890, the railhead at Fort Worth became collection point for Texas cattle Fort Worth became one of the largest meatpacking industry plants in 1901

Railroads Change Farming Railroads changed the way Texans farmed Farmers who grew more than his family needed could ship the surplus to market After the Civil War, Texans practiced commercial agriculture Commercial agriculture – is the growing of crops for sale in order to make a profit Farmers could also use the railroads to bring in seeds, plows and other supplies

Railroads Change Farming Railroads led people to begin farming the land in West Texas Growing crops in West Texas required a different method of farming West Texas climate was drier because there was less rainfall than in East Texas Railroads changed patterns of trade in Texas Texans could now deal with distant suppliers, buyers and markets

Farming and Growth By 1870, the Texas population was growing due to immigration Newcomers were encouraged to come to Texas The state needed workers to replace the freed slaves Most newcomers were from the South, mainly Georgia and Tennessee Cotton was major crop – demand was high worldwide and withstood drought

Changes in Texas Farming When slavery ended, few plantation owners had money to hire workers The number of tenant farmers grew Tenant farmers – person who rents a plot of land from its owner and pays for its use with a share of the crop Tenant farmers provided their own mules, tools and other supplies They kept 2/3 of crop and paid the rent for the land with 1/3 of the harvest

Changes in Texas Farming Tenant Farming

Changes in Texas Farming It was hard to succeed at tenant farming: Landowners gave tenant farmers only small plots of land Droughts and floods made crop prices unpredictable Tenant farmers paid interest on the money they borrowed on credit Interest – price paid for the use of money borrowed

Changes in Texas Farming This made it difficult to get free of the cycle of debt and the tenant farming system For tenant farmers to succeed, the price of cotton had to be high and amount of cotton to be produced had to be great When demand was high and supply was low, prices went up When demand was low and the supply was high, prices went down

Farming New Lands Much of West Texas could not support farming without irrigation – supplying water to land by artificial means The U.S. experienced 3 economic depressions between 1870-1890s Depression – period of low economic activity and high unemployment Thousands of West Texas farms failed Farmers went out of business, sold farms to wealthy men or became tenant farmers

Cotton and Corn Texas was the nation’s leading cotton producing state Technology changed how farmers harvested cotton Eli Whitney’s cotton gin – machine that removes the seeds from cotton Farmers found new uses for cottonseeds removed – cottonseed oil Corn – became 2nd most important crop in Texas and major food source/feed crop

Cotton and Corn Cotton Gin Eli Whitney Cottonseed Oil

Sheep Civil War helped boost demand for wool Cut off from Southern cotton during the war, northern textile mills began making woolen cloth The textile mills demanded large amounts of wool and helped the Texas sheep industry boom Texas ranked as the 2nd largest sheep producer in the nation

Quiz What industry came to Fort Worth in 1900s? A. coal mining B. lumber mills C. meatpacking D. textile mills What two things brought an end to the cattle drives? A. farmers and cattle ranch investors B. barbed wire and railroads C. railroads and land speculators D. barbed wire and farmers

Quiz What caused the death of the cattle in the Big Die-up? A. they were all slaughtered for food B. they froze to death because they were trapped by drift fences C. they starved to death because they could not eat on open range D. they all died from disease and drought What is a strike designed to do? A. drive up the cost of production B. temporarily end work so workers can get a rest C. force an employer to meet certain demands D. create a friendly work atmosphere