Cattle Trails and the End of the Open Range 1867-1890

How did it begin? Cows were brought to the New World by the Spanish. Used ropes and horses to round up stray cattle Raised cattle on the open range Cows were put into corrals and marked with the brand of the ranch

Anglo-American Ranchers Used English cattle raising techniques Worked with much smaller herds that were fenced in (barbed wire) Worked on foot instead of horseback Used both Spanish and English methods to develop their own style of ranching

Chisholm Trail Chisholm Trail- first of the great trails opened by Jesse Chisholm in 1867. The trail started in different places in South TX and went north to the railroads in Abilene and Ellsworth, Kansas.

Jesse Chisholm

Western Trail Trail started by John Lytle in 1874 that started in South TX near Brownsville and went north into Dodge City, Kansas.

Goodnight-Loving Trail Trail started by Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight that went up the Pecos River into New Mexico and up into Wyoming. Charles Goodnight also established the first cattle ranch in the Panhandle.

Charles Goodnight & Oliver Loving

Life on the Trail Drives began with a roundup Unbranded cattle were marked to prove ownership Cows then separated into herds Owners hired agents to drive their hers to market Paid $1 per head delivered to market Scouts rode in front of the herd to select the best route Herd always traveled north Alerted trail boss to dangers Bad weather, Indian tribes, and outlaws Trail boss had complete authority over the drive Cowhands Pointers (highly skilled cowhands) rode at the side of the lead cattle to direct the herd Flankers: rode beside the herd, kept cattle from straying too far Other cowhands rode in the rear (drag position) to keep cattle from straying behind Wranglers: took care of the extra horses Men would switch horses a few times a day to keep the horses from tiring

Camp cook rose early to prepare breakfast Coffee, biscuits, beef, and beans Cook would then ride ahead in the chuck wagon to the next campsite Would have dinner ready when they arrived Cowhands gathered around the campfire at night and sang songs

Cattle Ranches King Ranch- founded by Richard King and his partner Mifflin Kennedy in Kingsville, TX covered more than 1 million acres of land.

Kingsville, TX

JA Ranch Established by Charles Goodnight and his partner John Adair in 1876 in the Palo Duro Canyon (the Panhandle of TX, southeast of Amarillo). The ranch included more than 1 million acres and 100,000 head of cattle and was the first cattle ranch in the Panhandle.

JA Ranch southeast of Amarillo in Palo Duro Canyon

Matador Ranch Founded by investors A.M. Britton and H. H. Campbell on a homestead in Motley County in 1878. A Scottish company purchased it in 1882 and acquired land in several states and Canada.

XIT Ranch The largest ranch in TX that was located in the Panhandle, along the New Mexico border. It covered more than 3 million acres near Lubbock up north to the Oklahoma border. The land for the ranch was provided by the TX government in exchange for the construction of a new capitol. The contractor who built the capitol turned the land over to a group of Chicago and British investors.

XIT Ranch

Cattle and Sheep Ranching Origins Both cattle and sheep were originally brought to TX by Spanish explorers and settlers. Ranches in TX were not only cattle ranches but many started sheep ranches for their wool and goat ranches for their hair. For a time during the ranching boom, TX was the leading wool-producing state in the nation.

Longhorn and Sheep

The end of the open range In 1873 Joseph F. Glidden created barbed wire to help ranchers with their problem of keeping their cattle separated from each other. It would also help farmers so that the cattle could not eat their crops.

Barbed Wire

Problems with barbed wire Cowboys and other people in TX were against barbed wire because it was bringing an end to the open range. In the 1870s and 1880s fence cutting became a problem by cattle rustlers and others who did not want the open range to end. The state of TX passed laws to stop fence cutting. Rustler- A cattle thief. These people were the biggest problem faced by cattle ranchers in the late 1800s.

Windmills The windmill made it possible for cattle owners to fence in their cattle. They were able to pump water from underground sources especially in dry West TX. Ranchers did not have to depend on sources of surface water and let their cattle roam to find them.

Windmills Then and Now Windmills were first created to pump water from underground sources. As time has passed, scientists have found that by harnessing the wind, they could produce electricity. Wind is a renewable resource and windmills today are still used to pump water and also create electricity.

Windmill on XIT Ranch

Windmill

Windmill Farm