Bell Ringer

1. Frederic Remington, In From the Night Herd, 1907 What does the image above portray about the cowboys in the west’s lifestyle. Bell Ringer

2. Section 3: The Cattle Boom Chapter 14: The Western Crossroads (1860-1910)

3. The Cattle Boom • The earliest ranchers in the American West were Spaniards who imported cattle from Spain in the 1500s.

4. Cattle Ranching • By the 1850s, Texans had interbred English cattle with Spanish cattle to produce a new breed – the Texas longhorn. • These cattle could travel long distances on little water, and were immune to Texas fever (a cattle disease).

5. Cattle Ranching • The growth of eastern cities led to an increase in the demand for beef. • Cattle ranching in Texas grew rapidly, especially after overhunting caused the buffalo to die out.

6. Sheep Ranching • The Spanish also introduced sheep ranching. • American Indians raised sheep in New Mexico and Arizona. • During the California gold rush, sheep were herded into California to feed the miners.

7. Ranching Conflicts • Cowboys hated sheep, believing that they ate the roots of the grass and ruined it for cattle. • Clashes between shepherds and cowboys often became violent. • Angry cowboys even drove herds of sheep off of cliffs.

8. Quick Write • What conflicts occurred between cattle and sheep ranchers? • Violent clashes occurred: • Cowboys sometimes drove sheep off cliffs because they believed that sheep ruined grass for cattle.

9. Graphic Organizer • Fill in the graphic organizer Ranching in the West. • The Development of Cattle Ranching • The introduction of the Texas longhorn • The expansion of the eastern beef market • The Development of Sheep Ranching • The introduction of sheep ranching by the Spanish • The participation of American Indian

10. The Cattle Industry • The workers who took care of a rancher’s cattle were known as cowboys. • The life of a cowboy was difficult. • They worked hard in all kinds of weather and were paid little.

11. The Cowboys • Many cowboys were Confederate veterans of the Civil War. • African American, Mexican, and Mexican American cowboys made up about one-third of the 35,000 cowboys in the West. • African American cowboys escaped most of the discrimination in the postwar era. • Mexican ranch hands were known as vaqueros. They also often encountered discrimination.

12. Life on the Trail • Moving cattle from Texas to the rail lines in Missouri and Kansas posed a major problem for cattle ranchers.

13. Life on the Trail • To reach the rail lines, cowboys herded as many as 3,000 cattle on long drives. • They covered hundreds of miles and lasted several months. • Over the years, cowboys herded about 4 million cattle from Texas to Kansas.

14. Dangers • Managing the herd on a drive was a tough job. • River crossings were dangerous. • The worst danger was a stampede. Any unexpected sound could panic the cattle.

15. Cattle Towns • Every long drive ended at a railhead – a town located along a railroad – where brokers bought cattle to ship east on railroad cars. These towns became known as cattle towns.

16. Cattle Towns • Kansas towns of Abilene, Dodge City, and Wichita were among the best-known railhead stops. • Farther north and west, long drives ended in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Ogallala, Nebraska

17. Cattle Towns • Early consisted of little more than a general store, a hotel or boardinghouse, a railroad depot, and a stockyard. • Towns that attracted enough cattle business grew larger.

18. Cattle Towns • Prosperous cattle towns attracted businesspeople, doctors, lawyers, and their families. • The towns then built schools and established police forces.

19. Cowboys in Cattle Towns • Cowboys were paid at the end of the drive, and they often bought new clothes, other goods and visited gambling halls and saloons to spend their money.

20. Quick Write • How did cattle drives affect the development of towns and cities in the West? • Towns grew at railheads, where cattle drivers ended.

21. Ranching • As the U.S. government converted more American Indian territory into public land, cattle ranching spread west. • The government allowed cattle ranching to use public land as open range, or free grazing land. • This access to free land helped to make ranching profitable. • The introduction of higher-grade cattle breeds from East Coast and Europe led to even larger profit

22. Ranch Profits • It was mainly large investment companies that took advantage of the free land. • Financed by eastern and European investors, these companies created huge ranches.

23. Ranch Profits • Most ranchers did not own much of this land. • Instead they bought ranch rights – or water rights to ponds and rivers. • Gave ranchers the access to scarce water as well as ownership around it. • Stop farmers and other ranchers from coming onto their private property using the water.

24. Ranch Life • Demanded hard labor from ranch families • Women did housework, cooked for al hired cowboys, and helped with fence-mending, herding, and other chores. • Ranches were far apart and loneliness took its toll.

25. Ranch Life • During the spring and fall, ranch life centered on the roundup. • The cattle were driven from the open range to a central location where they were separated by each rancher’s brand. They were then taken on the drives to the railheads.

26. Quick Write 3 • What was life on a ranch like? • It was difficult, lonely, and centered on the roundup.

27. The End of the Cattle Boom • The cattle boom lasted about 20 years. • Several factors led to its end.

28. Factors to the Fall 1) Ranchers eager for profits crowded the open range with too many cattle. • Prices crashed in 1885 as supply far exceeded demand. • 1882 cattle had brought $35 a head • 1885 sold for only $8 a head

29. Factors for the Fall 2) Ranchers faced increased competition for use of the open range. • In 1874 Joseph Glidden patented barbed wire for fencing. • By 1880’s miles of barbed wire across the open range to control access to land and water.

30. Factors for the Fall • Some farmers and small ranchers responded by cutting the fences and moving onto the land or stealing cattle, leading to range wars. • The end of the open range meant that ranchers had to buy their own land, and some large ranching corporations went broke.

31. Factors of the Fall 3) Bad weather was the final blow to the open range. • On the southern Plains in 1885-1886 there was a severe winter followed by a drought • The following year, terrible blizzards hammered the northern Plains. • Some ranchers lost up to 90% of their herds to starvation and the freezing temperatures.

32. The End of the Cattle Boom • Some ranchers learned from their experiences. • Invested more money into ranching operations. • Raised hay to feed their cattle during harsh winters. • Sheep could survive on the weeds that replaced the native grasses destroyed by over grazing • Sheep grazing expanded during this period.

33. End of the Cattle Boom • Sheep could survive on the weeds that replaced the native grasses destroyed by over grazing • Sheep grazing expanded during this period.

34. Quick Write • How did barbed wire hasten the end of the cattle boom? • It limited access to land and water.

35. Graphic Organizer • Use the graphic organizer to describe the factors that led to the growth of ranching and the factors that led to its decline • Rise- new cattle breeds, the growth of eastern cities, and access to free grazing land • Fall- Declining prices for beef, barbed wire, bad weather, and the blizzard of 1887