Cattle Ranchers Ch. 7 Lesson 3 pgs. 238-241 Vocabulary: Demand: desire or readiness to purchase a certain product or service Supply: an amount available or adequate for given use Railhead: farthest point on a railroad to which rails have been laid Barbed wire: twisted strands of wire with barbs at regular intervals (used to make fences)

Georgia Performance Standards Standard: SS5H3: The student will describe how life changed in America at the turn of the century. Describe the role of the cattle trails in the late 19th century; include the Black Cowboys of Texas, the Great Western Cattle Trail, and the Chisholm Trail. EQ: What was the role of the cattle trails in the late 19th century? What was the Chisholm Trail

Big Ideas Moving to new places changes the people, land, and culture of the new place as well as the place they left. Technology has many different types of consequences, depending on how people use that technology. Conflict causes change.

Physical Features of the West As the country became “smaller”, people traveled west and came upon numerous physical features of the United States which were new and exciting. Let’s embark on a scavenger hunt to try and locate some of these physical features.! The Grand Canyon The Salton Sea The Great Salt Lake The Mojave Desert

Texas Cattle 1860s: millions of longhorn cattle loved on the Texas plains. They were brought to the US by Spanish settles. Texas had been part of Mexico, which was ruled by Spain. When Texas became part of the US, many Mexicans became US citizens. Mexican cattle herders became known as “vaqueros”. They were respected because of their horse skills.

The Cattle Drives In the 1860’s cattle was so abundant in Texas that one cow would sell for only $4.00. This same cattle could be sold in the Northern and Eastern United States for about $40.00 a piece. Supply and Demand This is called: So what would you have done if you were a Texas cattle rancher? The only problem was… …the railroads did not cross into Texas. The closest railheads (a town where railroad tracks begin or end) were hundreds of miles away.

Cattle Drivers Railhead: is a town where railroad tracks begin or end. At the railheads, cattle were loaded onto trains. Railheads were hundreds of miles away from the cattle ranches. Cowhands had to lead the cattle to the ranches and it would takes months to complete. They followed trails where water and grass was readily available.

The Cattle Drives The solution was… …to “drive” the cattle to places like Abilene, Kansas so they could be put on trains and shipped to stockyards in the northern and eastern part of the United States. The most popular trail was the Chisholm Trail, which started in San Antonio, Texas and ended in Kansas. Another popular trail was the Great Western Trail, which start in Bandera, Texas and ended in Ogallala, Nebraska. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBuo87heRyc (you only need to watch the first 5 minutes) http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/program/episodes/five/cowboys.htm

Chisholm Trail

Other Trails

Supply and Demand

What was life like for the cowhands who worked on these cattle drives? Life on the Drives What was life like for the cowhands who worked on these cattle drives? http://www.cartermuseum.org/collections/smith/

Life of the Drives Life on the drives was often hard, dangerous, boring, and dirty. A dozen cowhands had to care for about 3,000 longhorns. They spend 10 to 14 hours on horseback and rode slowly to keep cattle together. Cattle were startled by lightning and caused stampedes. They often lost cattle and the cattle even died. Furthermore, they had to protect cattle from theives and animals during the night.

The End of The Cattle Drives The cattle drives only lasted for about 20 years. What do you think were some causes for the end of this important era for the West? The Homesteaders of the Great Plains region were getting upset that the cattle were trampling their new land and their crops. to keep the cattle drives off of their land they put up fences with barbed wire 2. The railroads began to grow. Railroads were built in Texas in the 1870’s, ending the need for cattle drives to northern railheads. 3. Many cattle died during the abnormally cold winter of 1886-1887.

Black Cowboys Many African –Americans had just found freedom from slavery due to the 13th Amendment. For African Americans, the Old West represented a new home, a new beginning, and a new opportunity to enjoy freedom, which they so desperately wanted. Nat Love http://www.blackcowboys.com/blackcowboys.htm Bill Picket

Pretend You’re a Cattle Hearder http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ranchhouse/pop_cattledrive/index.html