1. Cattle Ch 17. Cattle ranching really grew in the late 1800s.
Once the buffalo were killed off and Native Americans had moved to reservations, ranchers began moving west.

2. SPANISH ORIGINS
When the Spanish explorers and priests came from Mexico to what was Spanish Texas, they brought cattle with them.
Vaqueros are early Spanish Cowboys
Vaqueros

3. Anglo American Ranchers
RANCHING
Spanish Ranchers
Anglo American Ranchers
Used horses and Reatas (ropes) to round up herds of cattle
raised cattle on the open range
used English cattle-raising techniques
worked with smaller herds that were fenced in
worked on foot most of the time instead of horseback

4. Cattle Brands
Cattle were marked with their owners brand which is a mark burned into the cow’s hide.
Cattle were raised on the open range so the brand was used to tell who’s cattle was whose.

5. Longhorns Some cattle strayed from the missions or ranches.
Over time, a new breed evolved known as the Texas longhorn.

6. The longhorn was able to adapt to almost any environment.
able to survive on little water or food
able to survive extreme hot or cold temperatures
Able to use their horns for protection

8. Texas Herds During the Civil War
The Civil War had a negative impact on the cattle industry.
Ranching decreased during the war.
Cattle multiplied which so greatly increased their numbers that they weren’t worth as much.

9. After the Civil War
The demand for beef increased in other parts of the U.S. after the Civil War.
Railroads to the north allowed beef to be shipped to markets outside of Texas.
Stockyards and packinghouses sprang up near Chicago and St. Louis.
A longhorn that was worth $4 in Texas could bring close to $40 in the packinghouses.
Cattle owners searched for a way to safely transport their cattle to the stockyards

10. Cattle drives
Cattle drives made up an important part of the cattle industry. Cowhands led the herds hundreds of miles to railroads where they could be shipped east.

11. Abilene, Kansas
In 1867 Joseph G. McCoy, a Chicago business leader, built the first cow town in Abilene, Kansas near the railroad.
Pens were put along railroad tracks in the wide streets.
The cattle could be driven through town.
Abilene also had entertainment for cowboys
McCoy attracted buyers for bidding on their cattle.

12. The Development of Cattle Trails
The Chisholm Trail was the first of the great cattle trails.
As many as 35,000 head of cattle reached Abilene, Kansas in 1867, and the number increased to 350,000 by 1869.

13. CATTLE TRAILS, 1867–1890

14. As more railroads were built, more trails developed.
The Western Trail (Dodge City Trail) became popular in the 1870s.
The Goodnight-Loving Trail started by Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving

15. Life on the Trail Cattle Drives began with a roundup
Cowboys branded unmarked cattle
could take weeks
Scouts rode in front of the herd to select the best route
Usually north
would depend on availability of water and grass
alert the trail boss of dangers
The Trail boss had complete authority over all the cowhands

16. Cowboys had specific duties:
Pointers – directed the cattle
Flankers – rode on the side to kept the cattle from straying
Drag Position – rode in the rear to keep the cows from straying behind
Wranglers took care of the extra horses called the remuda
Cowboys switched horses two to three times a day

18. The camp cook rode ahead in a chuck wagon to have dinner ready for the trail riders when they arrived.
Chuck wagon – a wagon that carries cooking equipment and food for the cowhands

19. Driving cattle was hard and dangerous work.
Some of the dangers included:
-Bad weather or predators could cause the herd to stampede
-Indians would occasionally attack
- Lightning from thunderstorms due to lack of shelter

20. Famous Ranches King Ranch JA Ranch XIT Ranch
614,000 acres (near Kingsville)
Established by Richard King
JA Ranch
100,000 cattle and million acres
Established by Charles Goodnight
XIT Ranch
(stands for “ten in Texas” because it spreads out over 10 counties)
Over 3 million acres
Land was sold in exchange for a new capital building for the Texas Government in Austin.

21. Barbed Wire
Ranchers tried to keep track of their livestock, but it was difficult.
Cattle owners started open-range methods of ranching because wooden rails and rocks were not easy to find for fences.
In 1873 Joseph Glidden invented barbed wire.
Barbed wire worked great and was inexpensive.

22. The Cowboy Movies portray them as gunslingers and outlaws
This is mostly fiction as most cowboys were men working for a living.
People in the East loved stories of gunfighters so writers invented the western genre.

23. There were some famous Texan outlaws however.
Sam Bass
Train and Bank robber killed near Round Rock, Texas
John Wesley Hardin
In the history of the West, John Wesley Hardin ranks as one of the worst killers of all. By the time he went to prison in 1878, he claimed to have killed 44 men.
Sam Bass (supposedly)
John Wesley Hardin

24. Rustlers were cattle or horse thieves
Many brands were made with straight lines (like the XIT) so it was more difficult for rustlers to change or brand over them.