When did railroads stop hauling cattle?
The need to drive cattle ended and the cattle drive trail disappeared by 1889. The improvement of refrigerated transport gave birth to the dressed meat market. The distribution of dressed meat exploded, causing the need to ship live cattle by rail to slowly decrease and to become economically unfeasible. 20th century
What years did cattle drives take place?
Cattle drives were at one time a major economic activity in the American West, particularly between the years 1866-1895, when 10 million cattle were herded from Texas to railheads in Kansas for shipments to stockyards in Chicago and points east. Click to see full answer. Also to know is, what time of year did cattle drives take place?
What year did the first cattle come to Texas?
Who brought the first cattle to Texas in the late 1600s? Texas longhorns descended from cattle brought by Spanish explorers and settlers, and the first significant numbers of these animals likely arrived in the late 1600s. As settlements grew and more cattle arrived, the number of escaped cattle increased.
When did the great cattle drives end in Texas?
Did cattle drives end? In addition, abnormally harsh winters during 1885–1886 and 1886–1887 devastated the cattle industry. 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.
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.
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.
When did they stop doing cattle drives?
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.
How much did 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.
How many miles a day on a cattle drive?
15-25 miles perMost 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 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.
How old was the average cowboy?
The average cowboy was 16 to 30 years old. He was paid very little money (about $1 a day). The work was often tedious. Much of the country where the cowboys worked was unfenced "open range," where ranchers grazed their cattle.
How many cattle was a single cowboy responsible for?
With wages of about $25-$40 a month plus room and board, a single cowboy often cared for and moved between 250-300 cattle at a time. They oversaw getting the cattle to eastern and western markets. Although large ranches still exist today, most small ranches came to a close with the end of the 19th century.
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.
What was life like for a cattle driver?
They changed horses as much as six times a day and rode them hard chasing stray cattle. Cattle drives averaged 25 miles a day. In addition to hard work, the cowboy and his horse encountered many dangers on the cattle drive, particularly when crossing rivers.
What did cowboys eat during cattle drives?
Along the trail, cowboys ate meals consisting of beef, beans, biscuits, dried fruit and coffee. But as cattle drives increased in the 1860s cooks found it harder and harder to feed the 10 to 20 men who tended the cattle.
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.
Why did the cattle kingdom come to an end?
The collapse of the cattle kingdom. A combination of factors brought an end to the cattle kingdom in the 1880s. The profitability of the industry encouraged ranchers to increase the size of their herds, which led to both overgrazing (the range could not support the number of cattle) and overproduction.
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.
What ended the long drive?
The romantic era of the long drive and the cowboy came to an end when two harsh winters in 1885-1886 and 1886-1887, followed by two dry summers, killed 80 to 90 percent of the cattle on the Plains. As a result, corporate-owned ranches replaced individually owned ranches.
Do cattle drives still exist?
Many cattle drives today, like at the Bitterroot Ranch, are conducted much as they were a century and more ago and are still part of the local economies. There are several reasons for a legitimate cattle drive. One is to move the cattle between winter and summer pasture.
Where did cattle drive?
Cattle were driven several hundred miles from Tennessee to Virginia in the 1790s. It was not until the 1830s, however, that cattle driving became a steady occupation. Drives took place from Texas to the port at New Orleans. Further west, some herds were even driven from California to Oregon in the 1830s.
Where did cattle drive originate?
As early as 1540, Spaniards established a cattle industry and began driving herds northward from central Mexico, as they looked for good pasturage. The cattle culture of the early American Southwest borrowed heavily from the South American and Central American cowboys, who were called "gauchos." These gauchos developed the chaps, spurs, saddles, and the techniques of horsemanship and cattle handling associated with the cowboy. By 1690 cattle were brought as far north as Texas. Having little commercial value, cattle were left to roam freely in the open range, and by the early 1800s hundreds of thousands of wild longhorns populated the region.
What were the effects of cattle drives in the 1880s?
By the mid – 1880s the great days of the cattle drives were about over. The farmers and their barbed wire were blocking the right – of – way of the drives. Even with branding, the presence of cattle rustlers lowered the profit margin and made the drives more dangerous. The herds sometimes suffered from "Texas Fever," a disease transmitted by ticks. Also, the extension of railroad tracks in the south and west largely did away with the need for drives. In addition, abnormally harsh winters during 1885 – 1886 and 1886 – 1887 devastated the cattle industry. 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. With the decline of the open range cattle industry, Southwest ranches became large, fenced livestock farms safe from the westward expansion of civilization.
What happened to cattle after the Civil War?
After the Civil War the market for Texas cattle vanished and ranchers were left holding several million head. Drives toward the north began again in 1866, but with little financial gain. Fortunately for the cattlemen, the close of the Civil War also marked a major transition in U.S. meat – consumption patterns. A national preference for pork abruptly gave way to beef. Cattle worth four dollars a head in Texas might be sold at 40 dollars a head in Missouri or Kansas. In addition, a ready workforce was already in place: the de-commissioned horsemen of the Confederate cavalry plus freed ex-slaves and Mexican gauchos combined to provide a ready supply of skilled horsemen. Responding to the demand for beef, James G. McCoy established a cattle market in Abilene, Kansas in 1867, and the era of massive cattle drives began. Soon others saw the wild Texas herds as a ready means to tap into the lucrative northern market with little start – up capital.
How many cattle were driven along the Chisholm Trail?
Cattle ranching had become big business and attracted Eastern investors. In 1869 more than 350,000 head of cattle were driven along the Chisholm Trail. By 1871 more than 700,000 head were driven along the route. The practice of branding made it easy to identify the owners.
How long was the Chisholm Trail?
The famous Chisholm Trail became a major route. The trail was established in 1865 by Jesse Chisholm and ran 600 miles from San Antonio, Texas, to Abilene, Kansas. More a corridor than a trail, the route was as much as 50 miles wide in some stretches. Typically rivers and Indian lands had to be crossed, but good grazing, relatively level terrain, and higher prices waiting at the destination made the hazards worthwhile. Drives were cost – effective too — a drive of two thousand or more cattle usually required only a trail boss and a dozen cowhands.
What disease did the Texas cattle herds suffer from?
The herds sometimes suffered from "Texas Fever," a disease transmitted by ticks. Also, the extension of railroad tracks in the south and west largely did away with the need for drives. In addition, abnormally harsh winters during 1885 – 1886 and 1886 – 1887 devastated the cattle industry.
When were cattle drives common?
Although drives were growing more common in the late 1850s, the chaos of the Civil War period brought much of the country to a halt. California cattle drives were victim like many other enterprises. However, once the Civil War was over, people once again returned to their business of moving cattle.
When were cattle drives first used?
Some sources have determined the “first cattle drive” may date to 1690, at a time when current-day Texas was still controlled by Spain. Of course, the Spanish had to drive cattle to their missions to stock their ranges, and that is what the 1690 date recognizes. Even if you want to start at the history of cattle drives with the first American drives, you can push the start date to as early as the 1850s. At that time, Texans were driving cattle to the mining regions of California. These drives were met with good success, but the drives were long and difficult.
What were the economic roots of cattle drives?
Basically, beef was in high demand across the war-ravaged country, and the cattle that had done so well in Texas were in high supply. After the war, Texas was high on cattle and low on cash, while the North was high on cash and low on beef. Entrepreneurs of the time didn’t hesitate to capitalize on the opportunity.
What is cattle drive?
Cattle drives normally started with buyers scouring the country for cattle to purchase. These cattle could come off ranches that developed and maintained herds, or they could be bought from men who gathered wild “mavericks” off the range. Mavericks were unbranded cattle older than a year in age. Many viewed these cattle as a public resource, and any man who could put his brand on it could claim ownership.
What were the reasons for cattle drives?
Cattle drives were like other events of the 1800s in many ways. First, the main incentive to organize the drives was economic. Like the mountain men trapping for fur, the Oregon Trail emigrants in search of better farmland, or the miners in search of gold, the cattle drives were about connecting resources to markets. Secondly, the cattle drive period created a lifestyle that was uniquely American. Although American cowboying has its roots in Spanish vaquero traditions, as time went on it would certainly create a culture all its own. Lastly, cattle drives left an impression on American history and gave rise to a famous American hero. Cowboys may not have led the romantic lifestyle often portrayed, but they certainly embodied the character of the American West. Perhaps, that is one of the most important contributions of all.
What made Texas the place from which cattle drives would emerge?
It was Texas’ massive surplus of cattle that made it the place from which the cattle drives would emerge.
How much did beef cost in 1860?
While estimates vary, in 1860 you could buy beef for $4 to $5 a head in Texas and sell it for $35 to $45 a head in northern markets. That meant big money if you could only get the beef to the market. As previously mentioned, Texans were already familiar with cattle drives, but these new drives were going to be different. The big change in circumstance was the construction of the railroad.
Why did cowboys drive cattle?
A cowboy watches over the longhorn during a cattle drive. The great Texas cattle drives started in the 1860’s because we had lots of long horn and the rest of the country wanted beef. (We get beef from cattle.) From about 1865 to the mid-1890's, our vaqueros and cowboys herded about 5 million cattle to markets up north while also becoming famous ...
Where did the two men want to bring their cattle from?
The two men wanted to bring their cattle from north Texas to Denver. The
Why was the Chisholm Trail not used?
The Chisholm Trail was used the most in 1871. But by the mid-1884, the trail wasn't being used much anymore. Why? Because railroads had been built in Texas so the cattle could be shipped from here. That meant cowboys and vaqueros no longer had to bring the cattle up north to the railroads.
What rivers did cowboys and vaqueros cross?
On the Chisholm Trail, cowboys and vaqueros had to bring herds across the Colorado River, Brushy Creek, the Brazos River, the Trinity Ford, and the Red River. That's a lot of water, Buckaroo!
How did the Goodnight Loving Trail die?
How did he die? He died when they were attacked in New Mexico by Indians.
Where did Charles Goodnight and Oliver loving travel?
On June 6, 1866, Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving set off on their first journey to Denver from north Texas, taking 2,000 head of cattle with them. They went via an old Butterfield Stagecoach route to the southwest in order to avoid Indians. They followed the Pecos River upstream and then went north toward Colorado.
Who created the Chisholm Trail?
Jesse Chisholm created the famous "Chisholm Trail" in 1865. Cowboys and vaqueros brought cattle up north on his trail the first time in 1866. When Jesse Chisholm started his trail in 1865 it began near San Antonio.
Overview
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…
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…
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…