Why did Joseph McCoy create the cow town of Abilene?
In the westward zone of Kansas, Abilene served as a transit point for cowboys and their herds. In 1867, Joseph McCoy created the cow town Abilene. In the westward zone of Kansas, Abilene served as a transit point for cowboys and their herds. Abilene was the ideal location for several reasons.
What was McCoy's Plan for cattle transportation?
McCoy's plan was for cattle to be driven to Abilene from Texas and taken from there by rail to bigger cities in The Midwest and the East . Abilene sat near the end of the Chisholm Trail (named after Jesse Chisholm) established during the American Civil War for supplying the Confederate army.
How many cowboys lived in Abilene in 1871?
By 1871 the number had increased to 600,000 or more and as many as 5,000 cowboys were being paid off during a single day. Abilene soon became known as a rough town in the Old West. McCoy lived in Abilene, where he was elected mayor in April 1871.
How did McCoy expand his ranching business?
The venture sufficiently established him that he was able to propose to Sarah Epler, a neighbor. The earnings from the Kentucky sale allowed McCoy to expand both the diversity and the national reach of his livestock dealings. In the 1860s, cattle ranchers in Texas faced difficulties getting their longhorn cattle to market.
Why did Joseph McCoy create a town in Abilene?
McCoy knew that the Chisholm Trail, used as a trade route, was perfect for a cattle drive since it met the law's requirement. He bought a small village along the Union Pacific railway and named it Abilene.
How did McCoy develop Abilene?
In mid June 1867, McCoy negotiated an agreement with the local farmers, and convinced Samuel Crawford, Governor of Kansas, to allow Texas cattle within the quarantine lines. Within a month, he had started the construction of loading pens in Abilene.
When was Abilene created?
Abilene, KansasFounded1857Incorporated1869Named forLuke 3:1 (bible)Government25 more rows
What did Joseph McCoy build in Abilene?
McCoy built a hotel, stockyard, office and bank in a little village along the Kansas Pacific Railway (currently the Union Pacific). This village became known as Abilene, Kansas - one of the first cow towns.
Which cattle trail led to Abilene?
the Chisholm TrailHe encouraged Texas cattlemen to drive their herds to his stockyards. O. W. Wheeler answered McCoy's call, and he along with partners used the Chisholm Trail to bring a herd of 2,400 head from Texas to Abilene.
What was the earliest cattle trail in Texas?
Chisholm TrailThe first cattle drives from Texas on the legendary Chisholm Trail headed north out of DeWitt County about 1866, crossing Central Texas toward the markets and railheads in Kansas.
Who founded Abilene Texas?
Stoddard Johnston and other railroad officials platted the townsite. Several hundred people arrived in Abilene before the sale of town lots and began to establish businesses and a church. The lots were auctioned on March 15, 1881; in two days buyers purchased more than 300 lots, and Abilene was officially established.
Who founded Abilene Kansas?
Timothy and Elizabeth HerseyAbilene, KS was founded in 1857 when Timothy and Elizabeth Hersey settled in a dugout on the west bank of Mud Creek. Mrs. Hersey named the new town “Abilene” after a bible verse, Luke 3:1, which described a region in Galilea.
Which came first Abilene Texas or Abilene Kansas?
Hickok left that winter; Abilene quieted down by itself the next year when the railroad hit towns further south, and happily, became a peaceful, quiet, law-abiding community. Note: Abilene, Texas was named after Abilene, Kansas in 1881.
How was Abilene successful?
35,000 cattle were driven long the Chisholm trail to Abilene by the end of 1867 and three million between 1867 and 1872. Abilene expanded rapidly and became famous as the first cow town. McCoy became enormously rich and lent his name to the expression the real McCoy.
What was the name of the first cow town?
The first cattle town was Abilene, which was made into a market for Texan cattle in 1867.
Is there an Abilene Texas?
Abilene (/ˈæbɪliːn/ AB-i-leen) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas.
What did McCoy invent?
automatic lubricatorWhat he came up with was an automatic lubricator that used steam pressure to pump oil where it was needed. McCoy patented his invention, known as an “oil-drip cup,” in 1872, and the device was an instant success.
What was the real McCoy famous for?
Real McCoy is a Eurodance group best known for their 1993 single "Another Night". In 1988, "The Real McCoy" is a song from the Scottish rock band The Silencers.
How did Elijah McCoy invent the automatic lubricator?
McCoy began experimenting with automatic lubricators. The trick was to create a mechanism with a large reservoir that fed oil into the engine one drip at a time. He patented his first lubricator in 1872 and quickly followed it with five more improvements.
How did Elijah McCoy change the world?
Elijah McCoy, African-American inventor from Michigan, changed railroad industry. Elijah McCoy's 1882 steam-engine lubricator reduced the time-consuming and dangerous work of manually oiling trains. Many of Elijah McCoy's patents related to automating the process of oiling steam engines.
What was the first part of McCoy's plan?
The first part of his plan was to put on a show. He had a band of cowboys capture several native plains animals. After capturing several bison, elk, and wild horses, the cowboys travelled to St. Louis and Chicago showing their prowess in riding and roping the various animals. This show impressed many of McCoy’s buyers.
Where did McCoy build his stockyards?
After being turned down by so many communities, McCoy focused his attention to the small community of Abilene. He had noticed Abilene during his journey to Salina, and decided it would be a good place to build his stockyards. At the time, the town was rather small, mostly consisting of dugouts and sod houses.
Why did Joseph McCoy leave the farm?
Joseph G. McCoy left a prosperous farm in Illinois and came to Kansas in 1867 where he planned to make his fortune in the cattle trade. He had heard reports of huge herds of cattle running wild in Texas after the Civil War. Their impoverished owners could not get the cattle to Northern Markets because the eastern trail had been closed by splenic ...
What did McCoy do after the buffalo hunt?
Soon after, McCoy invited his buyers to visit Abilene and go on a buffalo hunt. After the hunt, he brought the men to his stockyards and greatly praised the thousands of longhorns waiting to be sold. These cattle were bought soon, and McCoy’s business was booming again.
What was the problem with Abilene?
There was one major problem with using Abilene for his stockyards ; the town was within the quarantine line. In mid June 1867, McCoy negotiated an agreement with the local farmers, and convinced Samuel Crawford, Governor of Kansas, to allow Texas cattle within the quarantine lines.
How much did McCoy pay for each car he shipped?
When McCoy made his agreement with the Union Pacific Railway, the railway initially agreed to pay him five dollars for each car in which cattle were shipped. This was a verbal agreement; no physical contract was signed by either party. After the second season of the cattle trade in 1868, over $200,000 was due to McCoy.
Where did McCoy drive cattle to?
McCoy devised a plan to drive the cattle to a railhead in Kansas outside the quarantine lines and then ship them back east where the market for beef was higher because of a scarcity of the product. McCoy wasted no time searching for a railhead on the new Union Pacific Railway line.
When did Joseph McCoy die?
Joseph McCoy died in Kansas City, Missouri on October 19, 1915. One story about the cattle baron alleges that McCoy bragged before leaving Chicago that he would bring 200,000 head in 10 years and actually brought two million head in four years, which led to the phrase “ It’s the Real McCoy .”.
Why did McCoy advertise in Texas?
McCoy advertised extensively throughout Texas to encourage cattle owners to drive their cattle to market in Abilene. By 1868, about 75,000 cattle were shipped from Abilene. In 1870 thousands of Texas longhorn cattle, which were ideal for cattle trails due to their long legs and hard hoofs, were being driven to the shipping center at Abilene.
What was the name of the hotel that McCoy built along the Union Pacific Railroad?
Some people sneered at his ideas, but he demonstrated their practicability. McCoy also built a hotel called the Drover’s Cottage, a stockyard, office, and bank in the little village along the Union Pacific Railroad that would serve as the shipping point. Driving Cattle.
Where did Hickok spend most of his time?
It would seem that this was a good choice to tame the lawless town; however, Hickok spent most of his time in the Alamo Saloon, the center of the town’s wildlife, and was not too friendly with the “upstanding” folks of Abilene.
Overview
Transporting cattle
In the 1860s, cattle ranchers in Texas faced difficulties getting their longhorn cattle to market. Kansas homesteaders objected to the cattle crossing their land because the cattle might carry ticks which could spread a disease called Texas Fever (or Spanish Fever) fatal to some types of cattle. The disease could make a Longhorn sick, but they were hardier stock than the northern cattle and Longh…
Early life
Joseph Getting McCoy was one of eleven children born to Mary (née Kirkpatrick) and David McCoy. He was born on 21 December 1837 in Sangamon County, Illinois. The McCoy family were farmers. Joseph went to school, including one year at Knox College. He went into business as a stockman, breeding and selling mules. A big financial break came for McCoy in 1861 when he sold a stockcar-load of mules in Kentucky. Delivery requiring transport over five different rail lines…
Later life
McCoy was also the author of Historic Sketches of the Cattle Trade of the West and Southwest, which was published in 1874.
Joseph McCoy died in Kansas City, Missouri on October 19, 1915.
In 1967, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
Bibliography
• Hoy, Jim (2006). "Joseph G. McCoy and the Creation of the Mythic American West". In Dean, Virgil W. (ed.). John Brown to Bob Dole: Movers and Shakers in Kansas History. Lawrence, Kans.: University Press of Kansas. pp. 71–80. ISBN 0-7006-1429-X. OCLC 61278474.
• Knowlton, Christopher (2017). Cattle Kingdom: The Hidden History of the Cowboy West. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-544-36996-2.
External links
• Joseph McCoy at Find a Grave