CATTLE RANCHERS Opening the Frontier 1

Critical Thinking Why do think people wanted to move further West after the Civil War? Do you think this will impact the Native Americans that already live in this area? How do you think the settlers will go about removing the Native Americans from their land?

Vocabulary Constitution of 1876- written at the end of Reconstruction; Texas still follows it today. Reservations- pieces of land set aside for and given to American Indians. Buffalo Soldiers- former slaves who fought during the Indian Wars Free Enterprise- an economic system in which private business operates in competition and largely free of state control. Enclosures- an area that is sealed off with an artificial or natural barrier.

Texas Cattle In the 1800’s, ranchers in Texas raised and sold longhorn cattle. Longhorns were tough, strong animals that were brought to North American by Spanish settlers. Texas became apart of the United States in 1845 and the Mexicans in Texas became U.S. citizens. They faced prejudice from other Americans. Prejudice-preconceived judgment or opinion 4

Cattle Market Texas had a LOT of cattle; however, it was not a good market to sell cattle. A market is a situation in which people buy and sell goods. In a market, producers find buyers for their goods, and consumers find goods to buy. The cattle in Texas sold for ONLY $4 dollars EACH!!! In other places, line in the eastern and northern United States, cattle sold for $40 dollars each. 5

Supply and Demand The price of cattle was set by supply and demand. Demand is the amount of something that people want to buy at certain prices. When the price of something is low, people usually want to buy more of it. Supply is the amount of something that people want to sell at certain prices. When the price of something is high, people want to produce and sell more of it. 6

Cattle Drives Cattle Drive is the process of moving a herd of cattle from one place to another, usually moved and herded by cowboys on horses. Supply and demand affected the price of cattle. Texas ranchers wanted to sell their cattle where they could get their highest price. They would ship their cattle to cities in the east and the north. They would do this because they could sell their cattle for a higher price. 7

Cattle Drives To get these cattle to the cities, the cattle had to be led by railheads. Railhead-a town where railroad tracks begin or end. This is where the cattle were loaded onto the train. Cattle drives took weeks or month to finish. They followed trails that took the cattle near water and grass to keep them nourished. 8

Cattle Trails 9

Black Cowboys of Texas In the early days of Texas, the work of the cowhand was essential to the newly arrived settlers. African-American cowhands worked side-by-side with the cowboys.

The end of Cattle Drives Cattle drives lasted for about 20 years. They began in the 1860’s and ended in the 1880’s. They ended for 4 reasons: 1. The invention of Barbed Wire-a twisted wire with a sharp barb, or point, every few inches. 2. The growth of railroads-built in 1870 in Texas 3. Too many cattle grazed on crowded ranges- there was not enough grass for all the cattle 4. Cold Temperatures during 1886-1887-freezing weather killed thousands of cattle

Technology in 1880’s

Warm-Up Without technology, I couldn’t function on a daily basis Read through the 4-statements in front of you. Select the statement you most agree with. Be ready to share why. Without technology, I couldn’t function on a daily basis Society relies on technology too much to survive Technology is necessary for society to get better Technology makes life easier for people

Barbed Wire - Why? “Open ranges” were over-crowded Land could not support the increasing number of cattle Conflict between farmers and ranchers began to grow Barbed wire was less expensive than wood fencing

Effects of Barbed Wire Farmers could successfully grow crops Farmers and ranchers were safely divided Ranchers could enclose the land and keep their cattle separate from other ranchers Ended the “Open Range” policy Laws against fence cutting were created

West Texas W. Texas is dry, but it has 2 things that help its economy: Aquifers (underground lakes) Wind How does wind help during this time in history?

Effects of the Windmill Ranchers could keep cattle in 1 area A steady supply of water was possible The population in W. Texas increased and towns grew along w/ industries.

Political Impact on West Texas Range Wars- farmers and ranchers battled between each other. They cut and destroyed fences and burned pastures resulting in gunfights and lower property values Legislation- fence cutting became a felony

Economic Impact on West Texas Expansion of the railroads Cattle ranching is now a business not just a way of life Inventions- barbed wire and windmill (windpump or windwheel)

Social Impact on West Texas Growth of population and towns Barbed wire was used to fence off land

Question? Barbed Wire and Windmills are like today’s version of _________ and __________ because _____________.

Technology Bill Board Include the following: A catchy slogan that describes your product An illustration of your product Two factors that led to the need for your technology Two effects your invention had on life in the frontier Answer these questions on the back Is your new technological development a good thing or a bad thing? Explain. Was there a better solution to solve the problem than what your technology did? Why or why not? How might your invention impact the environment (water availability, land, natural resources)? Explain.

The Birth of Railroads

The Importance of Railroads -Carried troops and supplies to battlefields during the Civil War -Move raw materials to factories -Become central to the American economy

Problems with Railroads Railroad lines are short, only running up to 50 miles long Railroad lines are set at different gauges (different widths between the iron lines) Cars can only run on certain tracks because of the different sizes of the gauges

U.S. Railroads “Standardized” “Standardized”= All tracks are set to the same gauge (or width) The U.S. forms a “network” of railroad lines so that all the small lines are connected into fewer longer lines

New Inventions To Help RR Travel George Westinghouse: Air Brake allowed all cars to stop at once, instead of one at a time George Pullman: Sleeping Cars allowed people to changed their seat into a bed and sleep (He also made dining cars, and bathrooms for trains) Time Zones were created to make railroad schedules simpler

Frontier Wars

The Frontier Wars in the Panhandle U.S. Strategies Soldiers attacked Indian villages. Troops captured food, blankets, and other supplies. Soldiers burned the villages and killed the horses. The army brought in buffalo hunters to destroy the Indians’ major food source. The buffalo hunters nearly drove the animal to extinction (complete destruction). Red River War The Texas Rangers, joined the final campaign against the Indians in the Panhandle—the Red River War. By destroying the Native Americans’ horses and food supply, U.S. troops were able to defeat them. By the end of 1875, most Texas Plains Indians lived on reservations. 29

The Frontier Wars in Southern Texas The end of the Red River War did not stop the violence in Texas: Rio Grande Campaigns - Apache leader Victorio led Indian raids across the Southwest and Mexico. Buffalo Soldiers - Buffalo Soldiers were African American soldiers who fought in the Frontier Wars. Outlaws - Texas was a violent place in the 1870s and 1880s. Cattle thieves were common. Cattle ranchers fought against sheep ranchers. Bandits raided South Texas towns. The Texas Rangers helped control some of these problems. 30

Key People of the Open Frontier Era

James Hogg As Texas Attorney General, and Governor, he worked at reforming big business fighting to protect citizens from unjust businesses practices. Supported the creation of the Texas Railroad Commission that protected citizens from unfair practices by railroads.

Quanah Parker last chief of the Comanches was the son of Peta Nocona and Cynthia Ann Parker, a white girl taken captive during the raid of 1863 on Fort Parker, Texas never lost a battle to the white man.