How long does it take to drive a cattle drive?
The drive, which could take anywhere from several weeks to several months, depending on the trail and destination, could be boring for long stretches at a time, with nothing to see but flat land, dust and the bony hind ends of the cattle. That said, any number of natural and manmade challenges arose to break up the boredom.
How long does it take to drive a horse across America?
A typical drive, beginning sometime in the spring, often involved running 2,000 two-year-old steers, and would take about three months to get from Texas to Montana while covering 10 to 15 miles a day.
How long did the long drive take?
The Long Drive traveled about 600 miles and took six weeks. Herefords were introduced to Texas in 1876 and in the next few years replaced longhorns as the major range breed. In 1884 a big herd of cattle were driven up from the King Ranch in south Texas and combined with another large herd at Dodge City to drive on to Montana numbered 5,600 head.
How long did it take to drive from Texas to cowtowns?
How long did it take a cattle drive to go from Texas to the cowtowns? The “Long Drive,” which initially went up to Abilene, Kansas, was about 800 miles and could take as long as two months. It was about the same time and distance from the Nueces River, down near San Antonio, Texas, to Sedalia, Missouri.
How many miles was the longest cattle drive?
But there's a group of stubborn men and women in Wyoming who every spring push thousands of cows along the same 70-mile route their ancestors pioneered 125 years ago. This throwback to the Old West is called the Green River Drift, and it's the longest-running cattle drive left in America.
How far did cattle drives go?
A cattle drive was a journey of 600 miles from south Texas to Kansas. It took around fifteen men three months to move about 2,500 head of cattle to one of several possible destinations in southern Kansas. This was a long, hard job, and one may ask why they did it.
How much would a cowboy make on a cattle drive?
about $25 to $40 a monthThe average cowboy in the West made about $25 to $40 a month. In addition to herding cattle, they also helped care for horses, repaired fences and buildings, worked cattle drives and in some cases helped establish frontier towns.
What was the largest cattle drive in history?
In reality, the largest cattle drive on record took place on Aug. 24, 1882, and only covered the distance from about Tulia to Canyon. And, after each individual cow was counted as it passed through a gate at the end of the drive, there were 10,652 head — a cattle drive record that has stood for 140 years.
How long did a cattle drive last?
3-5 monthsMost drives lasted 3-5 months depending on the distance they needed to travel and delays they experienced along the way. A typical drive could cover 15-25 miles per day. Although it was important to arrive at their destination on time, the cattle needed time to rest and graze.
How long can cattle go without water on a cattle drive?
In hot conditions, cattle dehydrate quickly. “They need access to water every six hours, particularly in a feedlot. In winter, they may go 24 to 48 hours without water. Physiological status won't be ideal if they go 24 hours without water, but they continue to function.
What is the most cowboy State?
Texas. Texas is known as the cowboy capital of the world. From South Texas mesquite trees to open prairies in the Panhandle, there are cowboys hard at work.
What is a ramrod on a cattle drive?
Answer and Explanation: The ramrod on a cattle drive was the second or third in command. The trail boss hired a ramrod and team, and then the ramrod handled the general command of the team of wranglers. The ramrod directed the wranglers with whatever orders he received from the trail boss.
What did cowboys eat on the range?
The staples. Along the trail, the staples of a cowboy diet consisted of beans, hard biscuits, dried meat, dried fruit, and coffee. Occasionally, a type of bread known as pan de campo (or “camp bread”), which was cooked on a skillet was also available.
How many men served on a cattle drive?
The nation got its much-needed beef, and in the bargain the cowboy attained the status of America's archetypal folk hero. Traditionally, a trail herd of any size required a crew of 10 to 15 men.
When was the last cattle drive in the United States?
The drives continued into the 1890s with herds being driven from the Texas panhandle to Montana, but by 1895, the era of cattle drives finally ended as new homestead laws further spurred settlement.
What would cowboys do on a cattle drive?
Ranching was a big industry and cowboys helped to run the ranches. They herded cattle, repaired fences and buildings, and took care of the horses. Cowboys often worked on cattle drives. This was when a large herd of cattle was moved from the ranch to a market place where they could be sold.
Where did cattle drives start and end?
cattle drovers' trail in the western United States. Although its exact route is uncertain, it originated south of San Antonio, Texas, ran north across Oklahoma, and ended at Abilene, Kansas.
How long did it take for a cowboy to complete a long drive?
Beginning in 1866, cowboys drove herds of cattle, numbering on average twenty-five hundred head, overland to railheads on the northern Plains, which typically took from six weeks to two months.
When did cattle drives start and end?
Cattle drives were a major economic activity in the 19th and early 20th century American West, particularly between 1850s and 1910s. In this period, 27 million cattle were driven from Texas to railheads in Kansas, for shipment to stockyards in Louisiana and points east.
What ended cattle drives?
In the 1890s, herds were still driven from the Panhandle of Texas to Montana, but by 1895 trail driving had virtually ended because of barbed wire, railroads, and settlement.
How far did cattle drive?
While cattle could be driven as far as 25 miles (40 km) in a single day, they would lose so much weight that they would be hard to sell when they reached the end of the trail. Usually they were taken shorter distances each day, allowed periods to rest and graze both at midday and at night. On average, a herd could maintain a healthy weight moving about 15 miles (24 km) per day. Such a pace meant that it would take as long as two months to travel from a home ranch to a railhead. The Chisholm Trail, for example, was 1,000 miles (1,600 km) long.
How many cattle did the cattle drive?
The typical drive comprised 1,500–2,500 head of cattle. The typical outfit consisted of a boss, (perhaps the owner), from ten to fifteen hands, each of whom had a string of from five to ten horses; a horse wrangler who handled the horses; and a cook, who drove the chuck wagon. The wagon carried the bedrolls; tents were considered excess luxury. The men drove and grazed the cattle most of the day, herding them by relays at night. Ten or twelve miles was considered a good day's drive, as the cattle had to thrive on the route. They ate grass; the men had bread, meat, beans with bacon, and coffee. Wages were about $40 a month, paid when the herd were sold.
What was the purpose of cattle drives?
The long distances covered, the need for periodic rests by riders and animals , and the establishment of railheads led to the development of "cow towns" across the frontier.
How long was the Chisholm Trail?
The Chisholm Trail, for example, was 1,000 miles (1,600 km) long. On average, a single herd of cattle on a long drive (for example, Texas to Kansas railheads) numbered about 3,000 head. To herd the cattle, a crew of at least 10 cowboys was needed, with three horses per cowboy.
What were the cattle towns in the 1880s?
The cattle towns flourished between 1866 and 1890 as railroads reached towns suitable for gathering and shipping cattle. The first was Abilene, Kansas. Other towns in Kansas, including Wichita and Dodge City, succeeded Abilene or shared its patronage by riders fresh off the long trail. In the 1880s Dodge City boasted of being the "cowboy capital of the world." Communities in other states, including Ogallala, Nebraska; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Miles City, Montana; and Medora, North Dakota, served the trade as well. Amarillo, Fort Worth, and Wichita Falls, all in Texas; Prescott, Arizona, Greeley, Colorado, and Las Vegas, New Mexico were regionally important.
What towns were in the Texas cattle drive?
In the 1840s, cattle drives expanded northward into Missouri. The towns of Sedalia, Baxter Springs, Springfield, and St. Louis became principal markets. The Shawnee Trail, also known as the Texas Road or Texas trail, played a significant role in Texas as early as the 1840s.
Where did Texas longhorn cattle come from?
The Texas longhorn was originally driven overland to the railheads in Kansas; they were replaced with shorter-horned breeds after 1900. As early as 1836, ranchers in Texas began to drive cattle along a "Beef Trail" to New Orleans. In the 1840s, cattle drives expanded northward into Missouri. The towns of Sedalia, Baxter Springs, Springfield, ...
How many men are needed for cattle drives?
In case you’ve ever wondered about the average size of those Long Trail cattle drives in south Texas to the railheads in Kansas and how many men were required for these drives there are varying opinions. Usually, a trail herd of any size required a crew of 10 to 15 men.
How many men were needed to run a trail herd?
Usually, a trail herd of any size required a crew of 10 to 15 men. The trail boss usually rode point seeking water or mapping the route. The cook was up front too. Behind them were two lead riders, followed by two flankers. Off to the side was the horse wrangler.
What were the most dangerous things cowhands faced?
The most dangerous thing the cowhands faced were river crossings and there were many rivers to cross between south Texas and Kansas. High water, quicksand, and deep holes were a menace as were those water moccasins that lurked in the streams.
How big is a bee herd?
The average size of the herd ranged from 1,500 to 2,500. Smaller herds might number around 500 head. A ten-man outfit was enough to handle a herd of 2,500 or a ratio of one man per 250 beeves.
What is the best description of a cattle stampede?
You can imagine how that caused cattle to “stampede.”. The great Texas folklorist provided the best description of a stampede: “When cattle stampede, they run. The herd instinct in the bovine is so great that he can go from a state of watchful relaxation with his fellows to pandemonium in an instant.
Why were the Indians divided into four herds?
They were divided into four herds and camped together only when there was danger of Indian attack. Hazards on the trail were many. Grass and water or lack thereof could cause problems. Sometimes they had to deal with hostile bands of Indians.
How long did cattle drives last?
According to the presenter, cattle drives lasted only about 50 years as the railroad became a viable option in the 1890s. The last herd on the Texas-Montana Trail was in 1897. Additionally, herds of longhorns were replaced by the newly developed breeds of Herefords, Angus and Shorthorns. “They were good beef producers but compared ...
How long does it take to drive cattle from Texas to Montana?
A typical drive, beginning sometime in the spring, often involved running 2,000 two-year-old steers, and would take about three months to get from Texas to Montana while covering 10 to 15 miles a day.
How much flour was purchased at the cattleman's inn?
In an expense log by Moore from a July 1892 cattle drive, an order placed at the Knearl Mercantile in Brush, now home to The Cattleman’s Inn, included the purchase of 250 pounds of flour, 175 pounds of bacon, 75 pounds of sugar, 60 pounds of coffee, several sodas, 225 pounds of potatoes, 50 prunes, two sacks of oats, mustard, pickles, soap, lard, rice, 20 pounds of currants, five pounds of baking powder, cinnamon, grapes, nutmeg, axle grease, matches and a keg of syrup, all of $82.10.
Where did the Carlson brothers move their livestock?
The brothers also controlled extensive land resources of rich grasslands in Montana, north of Miles City, Carlson noted, adding the brothers decided to move their livestock north where they would fatten them up, ship them to the Midwest and “make all kinds of money”.
When was the first drive on the Texas-Montana Trail?
The first drive on the Texas-Montana Trail took place in 1866 and followed Beaver Creek, about a half mile east of the Brush Museum. It continued around Snyder near the ranch of John Woodward, where trail markings are still visible today Carlson said.
When were cattle drives formed?
Cattle drives were formed after the Civil War, between 1860 to 1865 , Carlson explained, when the demand for beef became higher. At that time, there were an estimated three million wild longhorns, brought over by Spanish Conquistadors, thriving on the plains of Texas. With a large influx of Eastern and European money for investing and the threat ...
When did cattle drive from Texas to Montana?
But imagine having to purchase what could be weeks worth of grocery items for more than a dozen grown men who worked to drive cattle from Texas to Montana in the late 1800’s.
Overview
Movement of cattle
Cattle drives represented a compromise between the desire to get cattle to market as quickly as possible and the need to maintain the animals at a marketable weight. While cattle could be driven as far as 25 miles (40 km) in a single day, they would lose so much weight that they would be hard to sell when they reached the end of the trail. Usually they were taken shorter distances each day, allowed periods to rest and graze both at midday and at night. On average, a herd coul…
Origins
Long-distance cattle driving was traditional in Mexico, California and Texas, and horse herds were sometimes similarly driven. The Spaniards had established the ranching industry in the New World, and began driving herds northward from Mexico beginning in the 1540s. Small Spanish settlements in Texas derived much of their revenue from horses and cattle driven into Louisiana, though su…
Cattle drive era
The first large-scale effort to drive cattle from Texas to the nearest railhead for shipment to Chicago occurred in 1866, when many Texas ranchers banded together to drive their cattle to the closest point that railroad tracks reached, which at that time was Sedalia, Missouri. However, farmers in eastern Kansas, still concerned that transient animals would trample crops and transmit cattle fever to local cattle, formed groups that threatened to beat or shoot cattlemen fo…
Chisholm Trail
The Chisholm Trail was the most important route for cattle drives leading north from the vicinity of Ft. Worth, Texas, across Indian Territory (Oklahoma) to the railhead at Abilene. It was about 520 miles long and generally followed the line of the ninety-eighth meridian, but never had an exact location, as different drives took somewhat different paths. With six states enacting laws in the first half of 1867 against trailing cattle north, Texas cattlemen realized the need for a new trail th…
Cattle towns
The cattle towns flourished between 1866 and 1890 as railroads reached towns suitable for gathering and shipping cattle. The first was Abilene, Kansas. Other towns in Kansas, including Wichita and Dodge City, succeeded Abilene or shared its patronage by riders fresh off the long trail. In the 1880s Dodge City boasted of being the "cowboy capital of the world." Communities in other states, includi…
End of the open range
Expansion of the cattle industry resulted in the need for additional open range. Thus many ranchers expanded into the northwest, where there were still large tracts of unsettled grassland. Texas cattle were herded north, into the Rocky Mountains and Dakotas. In 1866, Nelson Story used the Bozeman Trail to successfully drive about 1000 head of Longhorn into the Gallatin Valley of Mont…
Modern cattle drives
Smaller cattle drives continued at least into the 1940s, as ranchers, prior to the development of the modern cattle truck, still needed to herd cattle to local railheads for transport to stockyards and packing plants. Today, cattle drives are primarily used to round up cattle within the boundaries of a ranch and to move them from one pasture to another, a process that generally lasts at most a fe…