Cowboys.

1. Cowboys. By: Shayla Simpson, Derek Ashby, Tiffanie Collins, and Sierra Salazar.

2. Vaqueros and cowboys. • American settlers had never managed large herds. They learned from their Mexican neighbors how to round up, rope, brand, and care for animals. • The cowboy’s clothes, food, and vocabulary was influenced by the Mexican vaquero. • Cowboys were not in great demand until the railroads reached the Great Plains. • During the gold rush in 1849, some cattlemen went on a trek through Apache territory and across the desert to collect $25 to $125 a head for their cattle.

3. Growing demand for beef. • After the Civil War, the demand for beef skyrocketed, due to rapidly growing cities. • From Sedalia, Texas ranchers could ship their cattle to Chicago and markets throughout the East. • This is why the cowboys had jobs and were able to make a living. • They found out that the route to Sedalia presented several obstacles, like thunderstorms, and rain-swollen rivers.

4. The cow town. • The next year, cattlemen found a more convenient route. • Illinois cattle dealer Joseph McCoy had plans to create a shipping yard where the trails and lines came together. • McCoy helped survey the Chisholm Trail. • This became the major route from San Antonio, Texas, through Oklahoma to Kansas. • 35,000 cattle were shipped during the first year. • It doubled to 75,000 the next year.

5. A day’s work. • Cowboys worked 10 to 14 hours a day on a ranch and 14 or more on the trail. • Twenty-five percent were African American, and at least twelve percent were Mexican. • The real-life cowboy was doing work nonstop. • Some cowboys were as young as 15 years old. • Their horses usually belonged to their boss.

6. Roundup. • The cowboy’s season began with a spring roundup. • They herded all the longhorns they could find on the open range into large corrals. • They starved the cattle until they preferred grazing to running away. • After the herd was gathered and branded, the trail boss chose a crew for the long drive.

7. The long drive. • This often lasted about three months. • A drive consisted of one cowboy for every three-hundred head of cattle, a cook who also drove the wagon, and a wrangler. • A trail boss earned $100 or more a month for supervising the drive and negotiating with settlers and Native Americans. • They slept on the ground and bathed in the rivers. • Thunder, or even a sneeze, could cause a stampede.

8. Video.