Unit 3: The West Notes 4 - Cowboys and Miners Modern US History October 29, 2010

Miners Gold was discovered in the hills and rivers of California in By 1849, thousands of people from America and all over the world were headed to California by wagon, horse, or ship. At the beginning of the Gold Rush, prospectors panned for gold in rivers.

Miners Large quantities of this easily available gold quickly ran out – much of it by the time the bulk of people on the Gold Rush reached California. Next, companies began to mine veins of underground gold and hired unsuccessful prospectors to work for them.

Miners While there were stories of men striking it rich in California, those who made the most money were people that set up businesses around mining towns. Mining was hard work and the prospectors were often looking for the comforts of home. Some people made a fortune setting up laundries to clean clothes or renting out rooms and meals in boarding houses.

Miners Enterprising ranchers herded hundreds of head of cattle and sheep to California to feed the miners and made a good profit by selling their herds. Levi Strauss also made a small fortune after inventing what are now blue jeans – hardy pants for the miners to wear.

Miners Miners affected Native Americans by pushing game out of much of California by either taking over land or hunting it themselves. Native American children were often sold as “ apprentices ” and grown adults could be confiscated and used as servants if they were decided to be “ jobless ”. Many towns in California outright paid for heads or scalps of Native Americans that whites would kill in cold blood. There were 50,000 Native Americans in California before the 49 ’ ers and less than 30,000 by 1870.

Cowboys As the government removed buffalo from the American plains, horses and cattle flourished on the rich grazing of the plains. People began ranching cattle and made a lot of money selling their herds to the East.

Cowboys American settlers had never raised large herds on open land before, but the plains provided an opportunity to do so. Mexicans had been raising longhorn cattle on open ranges for years and taught some of their American neighbors. These longhorn cattle were sturdy and accustomed to dry grasslands.

Cowboys The American cowboy is a descendant from the Mexican vaquero who had been herding cattle with horses for years. The following “ cowboy ” terms came from the vaqueros. Vaquero TermCowboy TermExplanation ChaparrerasChapsLeather overalls CharquiJerkyDried meat that could be carried over a long distance

Cowboys Vaquero TermCowboy TermExplanation Bronco CaballoBronco / BroncRough horse Meste ñ os MustangsWild horse that cowboys tamed and prized as perfect for herding cows RanchoRanchHome and place to raise cattle

Cowboys The cowboys ’ season began in the spring with a roundup of all the longhorns they could find in the surrounding range. They would pen the herd in a corral for several days until the animals would rather graze than run. The cowboys would then sort through to find the cattle with their brand and new calves. Once the herd was gathered, they would begin the long drive to market.

Cowboys Cowboys worked hours a day at the ranch and more than 14 hours a day while on the trail. They were constantly on guard to watch against dangers that might affect the herd. The “ long drive ” of cattle often took three months. An average drive used 1 cowboy for every cows. There was also a cook and a wrangler who looked after extra horses.

Cowboys The trail boss earned $100 or more a month supervising the drive and negotiating with settlers and Native Americans. Life on the trail was difficult as the cowboy spent most of his time in the saddle. When they would sleep at night, the cowboys would pile anything made of metal (spurs, buckles, etc.) at the edge of camp so they could avoid attracting a lightening strike.

Railroads and Cattle Growing cities in the East created a growing demand for beef. This was supplied by railroads extending west from Chicago to Sedalia, Missouri and then on to Abilene, Kansas. Before the extension of the railroads, cattle were not a big business. With the new ability to send the cows East to market, 35,000 head of cattle were shipped out of Abilene its first year (1867) and 70,000 were shipped out the second year.

Railroads and Cattle Cowboys and their herds reached Abilene by taking the Chisolm Trail from Texas. With the opening of the Chisolm Trail and the westward extension of the railroad, the era of the cowboy began.

Railroads and Cattle 55,000 cowboys worked the plains between 1866 and % of the cowboys were African American and at least 12% were Mexican American.

End of the Open Range Overgrazing of the land, extended bad weather, and the invention of barbed wire brought the end of the Open Range. A series of dry summers and bad winters in the mid 1880 ’ s wiped out herds of cattle. Ranchers switched from longhorns to higher-grade cattle that would produce more meat per animal. The invention of barbed wire also allowed ranchers to easily fence in their land. The Open Range and the era of the cowboy were over in just 20 years.