Lone Star: The Story of Texas Chapter 13 Closing the Frontier: 1866 - 1888

Lone Star: The Story of Texas Chapter 13: Closing the Frontier: 1866 – 1888 Section 1: The Frontier Wars Section 2: Cattle Kingdoms Section 3: Westward Expansion Section 4: The Texas Rangers

A History of Conflict Soldiers Defending Texas After the Civil War, the U.S. government sent troops to help end the Indian raids. In 1867, tribal leaders met with government officials to sign the Medicine Lodge Treaty. A treaty is a formal agreement between two nations. The treaty did not bring peace. Reservation Policy Kiowas raided a wagon train at Salt Creek in the Salt Creek Massacre. This caused the army to switch its policy. Instead of defending the frontier, the army would now force all Indians onto reservations. Fighting in Texas intensified.

The Frontier Wars

Leaders in the Frontier Wars William T. Sherman Union hero in the Civil War Commanded the U.S. army General Phillip Sheridan Directed five separate field armies against the Comanches and the Kiowas in the 1870s Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie Led much of the fighting against the Indians Considered by many to be the best Indian fighter in the West General Nelson Miles Led several campaigns against Indians in Texas Colonel John Davidson Led units in the Panhandle Quanah Parker Son of a Comanche father and a white mother Became a Comanche warrior and leader Led several successful raids Lone Wolf Kiowa leader Opposed settlement on reservations Led raids against the Texans

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.

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.

Cattle Kingdoms : Sec. 2

Cattle Texas Longhorns resulted from Spanish cows bred with Anglo cows. Spanish vaqueros (cowboys) used a lariat to round up cattle from horseback. A lariat is a long rope with a noose on one end. Spanish soldiers and priest were the first cattle ranchers in Texas. Early ranchers in Texas faced drought, disease, and theft. They had difficulty transporting cattle to market The Civil War increased the demand for Texas beef. The Northern demand for beef led to the rise of cattle trails. Cowboys drove herds north in the spring to towns with rail stations.

Cattle Trails Problems on the Trails Bandits stole cattle. Farmers complained that longhorns trampled their crops and spread disease to their cattle. Some states passed quarantine laws to keep Texas cattle away from settled areas. Quarantine - to isolate or separate to prevent the spread of disease

Cattle Trails Famous Trails The Chisholm Trail ran from Texas to Abilene, Kansas. The Great Western Trail traveled through Indian Territory to Dodge City, Kansas. The Goodnight-Loving Trail ran from West Texas through New Mexico and Colorado to Wyoming. Drover - a person who moves livestock to market

Life on the Trail The daily life of cowboys was less glamorous than what is shown in the movies. A manager, or trail boss, plan the drive. Each drive had 11 to 18 men, including a cook and a scout. Cowboys kept a remuda (a group of spare horses), so they always had fresh horses available. The herd moved from about 10 to 15 miles per day. Cowboys spent up to 16 hours per day in the saddle. Hazards on the drive included rainstorms, stampedes, extreme heat, rattlesnakes, river crossings, and attacks by Indians and bandits.

Big Ranches Richard King started with a 15,000 acre ranch in Nueces County in 1852 called King Ranch. The King Ranch grew to more than 1 million acres (about as large as the state of Rhode Island.) Charles Goodnight’s JA ranch covered more than 1 million acres and supported 100,000 cattle. A group of Chicago investors owned the XIT ranch, which was almost as large as Connecticut. Sheep and goat ranching also expanded in Texas in the late 1800s Some Texans owned mustang (wild horses) ranches.

Cowboy Legend and Reality Cowboys generally did not fight with Native Americans. Drovers tried to avoid Indians Not all cowboys carried guns

Westward Expansion Sec. 3 Settlers move to West Texas The state’s population doubled between 1870 and 1880. Settlers used the idea of manifest destiny to justify forcing Indians off the land. Ranchers and farmers saw great financial potential in West Texas. Cattle and sheep ranchers led the way in settling West Texas. Railroad companies promoted the settlement of West Texas by building railroad lines through the region. Joseph Glidden invented barbed wire in 1874 and ranchers used it to protect cattle. The widespread use of barbed wire helped to end the cattle drives.

The Growth of Railroads

Fence Cutting Wars Ranchers put up barbed wire enclosures, fenced-in areas, to protect their cattle. Farmers put up fences to protect their crops. Some of these fences blocked roads and interfered with mail delivery. By the 1880s, the open range in Texas had been fenced in. Landless cattle owners resorted to cutting these fences to secure grass and water for their herds. Fence cutting caused and estimated $20 million in damages. In 1884 Texas passed a law making it a felony to cut a fence. Felony – a serious crime that usually results in jail time. The Texas Ranchers often went undercover to catch fence cutters and by 1890 the fence cutting wars stopped.

The Rangers’ Organization Sec 4 Characteristics of Texas Rangers Young, single men Few family ties Often retired by age 30 Provided their own horses, weapons, equipment, and rations Skills of Texas Rangers Skilled horsemen Expert marksmanship Excellent tracking skills

The Rangers in Action In the Texas Revolution, the Rangers served as scouts and messengers. In the 1830s and 1840s, Rangers played a major role in removing Native Americans from East Texas. During the Mexican War, Rangers scouted Mexican troop movements. They helped the United States win the Battle of Buena Vista. The Rangers fought against guerrilla fighters in Mexico. Guerrillas are soldiers who are not part of the regular army.

The True Value of the Rangers Rangers fought to protect Texans from attacks by outlaws, rustlers, Mexican bandits, and Native Americans. The Frontier Battalion dealt with more than 3,000 desperados (reckless, bold outlaws). Rangers also performed routine police tasks, like transporting prisoners and collecting taxes. Their methods were often violent and sometimes illegal. However, the Rangers provided better law and order to Texas in the early days.