1. Origins of the Cattle Kingdom

2. Cattle Introduction
First cattle brought to America were brought by Spain in the 1500s
Herds of cattle escaped ranches and began grazing across Texas
Climate, abundant water, and nutritious grass made Texas ideal for raising cattle

3. Ranchers use the Open Range
Even though there was an abundance of cattle, they had little value
Were mostly sold for hides and fat
Ranchers began driving cattle to eastern cities for better markets

4. Trail Driving
After the Civil War beef prices in the East made cattle drives profitable
Texas=$4/head
East =$30-40/head
Railroad towns allowed Texas cattle to sell in the east
St. Louis, Chicago
Most drives took place in spring so cattle could feed

5. Cowboys find Trouble
First trails went through Missouri, but farmers began complain about crops being eaten
From cattle drives began moving further west into Kansas
As the railroad expanded cattle drives moved into Colorado

6. The End of Cattle Drives
Farmers in the mid-west began using barbwire to keep cattle from eating crops
The supply of cattle was more than the demand so drives were no longer profitable
By 1885 the railroad had expanded into Texas

7. Cowboy Myths Hard, unglamorous work Worked long hours
18 hours a day in the saddle
Spent winter unemployed
Most cowboys were AA and MA

8. Assignment Trace the map on page RA20
Include Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Colorado
Copy the map on page 415
Add the four cattle trails and railroads
Label the following cities:
Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth, Fort Concho, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Belknap, Kerrville
Missouri: Sedalia, Baxter Springs
Kansas: Kansas City, Topeka, Abilene, Ellsworth, Dodge City
Colorado: Denver, Pueblo
On the back create a 3 sentence paragraph explaining why cattle drives were important for the Texas economy