Cattle Drives and Trail rides Al reese, jr. Houston livestock show and rodeo Speakers committee

Both abundance and lack of resources led to the cattle drives End of the Civil War, North and East had factories, employment, money. They lacked meat. South was 60% rural poverty, no money, freed slaves with uncertain future, few employment opportunities Texas had over 6 million free-roaming Longhorns Cattle sold for $1.00 - $4.00 head in Texas; $35.00 - $50.00 in Kansas. What stood in the way was almost a 1000 miles of dirt.

The typical cattle drive Around 3,000 Longhorns 11 – 15 cowboys called “Drovers” Trail Boss, Cook and Wrangler Lead, Outriders and Drags 3 – 4 months from Texas to Kansas. Spring was the best time to start. Averaged 10 -12 miles each day. Drive would be 500 – 800 miles (with no detours)

The typical drover Independent and lover of the outdoors Always carried a gun. The Colt 45 was the gun of choice. Cost about ½ months pay and he could afford the bullets. About 1/3 were blacks or Hispanic Wages ~$1.00/day, paid at the end of the drive. Around 35,000 cowboys participated in the cattle drives

What made the cattle drives successful An abundance of cattle in the wrong place. The cattle were in Texas, the railroads in Kansas and the people in the East The Longhorn was a sturdy breed. Roots were in the Spanish cattle from the late 1400’s breeding with the English and domestic cattle that roamed Texas in the 1700’s and 1800’s During the Civil War, many of the farms and ranches in Texas were destroyed allowing the cattle to roam free

Other factors that led to the success of the cattle drives The “Cowboy”. His independence. The opportunity to see places that he might never be able to see. The history of the Mexican/Spanish cowboys joining the drives No fences Unsettled countryside. Vast, wild and lawless

The economics of the cattle drive 3,000 cattle at $40 head is $120,000. 11 – 15 men per day for 120 days at ~$1.00 day is $1,500 - $2,000. Say $5,000 total counting provisions and other costs Profit $115,000. Value in Texas $3,000 - $12,000 ($1.00 - $4.00/head)

The Chisholm trail Ran from Brownsville, Texas to Abilene, Kansas 1000 miles of open territory

The Chisholm Trail Founded in 1864 by Jesse Chisholm and Joseph McCoy Used in the latter part of the Civil War for trade with the US Army and the Native American tribes After the war, extended to Abilene, and deeper into Texas. In 1867, the first year as a Cattle Trail, 35,000 cattle made it from Texas to Abilene. By 1872, the number topped 3,000,000

Other trails begin to arrive Newton and Wichita, Kansas, both on the Chisolm Trail, built railroad terminals and took business away from Abilene. Dodge City was the terminus for the Western Trail a.k.a. the Texas Trail and was the primary terminus during the late 1870’s and early 1880’s

Just the numbers By the end of the Cattle Drives over 5,000,000 cattle walked from Texas to Kansas. The largest migration of livestock in the history of the United States At roughly $40 a head, over $200 million of cattle were sold

By the late 1890’s the cattle drives came to an end What killed the cattle drives? Progress! Arrival of the railroads to Texas and points West. Settlers, Oklahoma land rush of 1889 Barbed wire Law and order Other opportunities

HLS&R doesn’t have cattle drives, but we do have trail rides! First one was in 1952. Four guys from Brenham rode horses to Houston for the rodeo. In 1953, 80 people joined and by 1954, over 800 joined in the Salt Grass Trail Ride, the oldest trail ride in our history

Trails rides today Today, more than 3,000 riders saddle up from all directions, including Louisiana. 11 Trail Rides participate in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Downtown Rodeo Parade. Over 1,300 miles are covered by all 11 Trial Rides. Longest Distance = 239 miles: Mission Trail Ride begins in San Antonio, TX Shortest Distance = 71.5 miles: Valley Lodge Trail Ride begins in Brookshire, Texas.

Trail rides today All Trail Rides are led by Trail Bosses, who a responsible for ensuring safety.  Many of the horses on the ride are rescued animals. The Texas Independence Trail Ride has such animals, as well as three century-old wagons. Many of the trail rides include family members and generations of all ages. Some trail rides distribute scholarships to area students and visit schools to share the history of the Show and trail rides.

Saddle Up! 11 Trail Rides Mission Trail Ride starts in San Antonio, longest at 239 miles Old Spanish Trail starts in Louisiana Valley Lodge starts in Brookshire and is the shortest at 71 miles All trail rides end in downtown Houston in the parade on Saturday, February 23

Thanks! Any Questions?