American West: Topic 3 - The Cattle Industry
- Created by: danielgrieve
- Created on: 23-05-16 16:41
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- Topic 3 - The Development of the Cattle Industry
- Reasons for the Cattle Industry
- Cattle was brought to America from Europe
- The best breed was the Texas Longhorn
- Beef became a very popular meat
- Cattle were drove to markets in the East by Cowboys allowing access to the meat
- Goodnight and Loving
- Started a Texas cattle ranch in 1850s
- 180 cattle in 1860 - returned to 5,000 cattle in 1865
- The first to drive their cattle out of Texas to the North
- This became the Goodnight-Loving Trail
- This became the Goodnight-Loving Trail
- An abundance of cattle were discovered upon people returning from the American Civil War
- Joseph McCoy
- Chicago Cattle Dealer
- Owned the cow town of Abilene
- Saw the profits in creating Cow Towns
- Promoted the use of Cow Trails to go through his cow town
- The Open Range
- Vast areas of unfenced land that was claimed by ranch owners
- Only needed a good water supply and large workforce
- Driving cattle from Texas was a difficult task
- Homesteaders started to build farms across cattle trails
- The northern Plains were empty with the Indians being moved to reservations
- The Transcontinental railroad crossed the northern plains making it easier to transport cattle
- John Iliffe
- Proved cattle could survive the long winters on the Great Plains
- Set up one of the first ranches
- Sold beef to railroad builders and Sioux reservations
- The Fall of the Open Range
- Overgrazing - by 1883 so many cattle gazed the plains that grass could not grow properly
- Drought - summer of 1883 meant less grass and cattle starved
- Winters - 1886-1887 killed thousands of cattle
- Many ranchers went out of business
- Falling Beef Prices meant more ranchers kept their cattle increasing the other problems
- The open range made cattle rustling much easier
- The Open Range
- Vast areas of unfenced land that was claimed by ranch owners
- Only needed a good water supply and large workforce
- Driving cattle from Texas was a difficult task
- Homesteaders started to build farms across cattle trails
- The northern Plains were empty with the Indians being moved to reservations
- The Transcontinental railroad crossed the northern plains making it easier to transport cattle
- John Iliffe
- Proved cattle could survive the long winters on the Great Plains
- Set up one of the first ranches
- Sold beef to railroad builders and Sioux reservations
- The Invention of Barbed wire made it easier to fence off smaller ranges
- Falling Cattle Prices
- Led to fierce competition
- Cowboys
- Mexicans, Ex-Slaves and some ex-soldiers
- Most were young and single - little time for family life
- Tough Life
- Boredom - winters spent watching cattle
- discomfort - living in line camps during winter
- Dangerous - stampedes
- Team work was necessary to succeed
- Low Pay and came at the end of the Long Drive
- Difficult Jobs
- Cattle Branding
- Rounding Up Cattle
- The Long Drive
- Line riding
- Protect the Herd from rustlers
- Physically demanding job
- Some would die of exhaustion
- Became easier when fenced of ranches came about
- Difficult Jobs
- Cattle Branding
- Rounding Up Cattle
- The Long Drive
- Line riding
- Protect the Herd from rustlers
- Physically demanding job
- Some would die of exhaustion
- Became easier when fenced of ranches came about
- Ranchers V Homesteader
- Often disputes between the two
- H's did not want cattle destroying their crops
- The Texas Longhorn were immune to texas fever which the H's cattle were not
- Cattle needed water which the homesteaders were not prepared to offer
- 1874 - barbed wire made cattle ranching harder due to restricted land
- 1874 - barbed wire made cattle ranching harder due to restricted land
- H's would rustle cows
- Branding tried to stop this but they could be rebranded after theft
- The Johnson Country War 1892
- Causes
- Powerful Cattle Barons
- Believed H's were cattle rustling
- Believed R's were stealing their land
- Believed H's were cattle rustling
- Small land-owners
- Believed R's were stealing their land
- Powerful Cattle Barons
- Believed H's were cattle rustling
- Believed H's were cattle rustling
- Falling Cattle Prices
- Led to fierce competition
- Powerful Cattle Barons
- Events
- 1889 - rancher A. Bothwell wanted land claimed by J. Averill
- Bothwell accused him of rustling and murdered him
- 1892 - Cattle Barons took law into their own hands
- created a hitlist of 70 names and his 24 gunfighters to capture Buffalo (town)
- These killed two alleged rustlers - Nate Champion and Nick Ray
- Nate Champion held up the gunfighters at the KC ranch
- These killed two alleged rustlers - Nate Champion and Nick Ray
- The US Army was called who intervened and arrested the Barons
- Nate Champion held up the gunfighters at the KC ranch
- Nate Champion held up the gunfighters at the KC ranch
- created a hitlist of 70 names and his 24 gunfighters to capture Buffalo (town)
- 1889 - rancher A. Bothwell wanted land claimed by J. Averill
- Aftermath
- The Cattle Barons lost a lot of power and influence after this period
- Causes
- Reasons for the Cattle Industry
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