U.S. History, Book 2
Lesson 3
Handout 6
Name_
Date
The Cattle Kingdom
Read the following selection and answer the questions. Be prepare& for class discussion.
Before the Civil War, most Americans ate pork rather than beef. Pigs
were easier to feed and raise. A single sow could produce a litter of seven
to ten piglets each year. Still, Americans developed a desire for the fat,
tender, corn-fed beef of the Midwest and South. The demand for beef
increased with the need to feed the Union army of the Civil War and later
the western frontier.
In Texas, criollos, Spanish cattle with long horns, had interbred with
English longhorns brought west by southern migrants. The resulting cattle
were multicolored with long legs, tails, and bodies. Most importantly, they
were resistant to Texas Fever and required no extra feed. They were allowed
to roam free on the open range, and by 1865, approximately five million
head of cattle were in Texas alone. The first markets for these cattle were
the mines, the military posts, and the Indian reservations of the western
frontier.
By 1870, the completion of the transcontinental railroad encouraged
the establishment of cattle trails linking Texas to Kansas ~I~ : ~ ~ .......
_ .rwa~s. Jesse Chisholm drove the first herds out of Texas across Oklahoma
to Abllene, Kansas, where they were loaded onto rail cars and shipped to
the East. By 1890, over two million cattle had been driven north on the
Chisholm Trail.
In an effort to produce a heavier animal, Texas ranchers,,-4~l~g
~l~t=im~mllt~, bred their longhorns with Herefords and Fnglish
Shorthorns. which were more desirable animals, but which were not
resistant to tick-borne Texas Fever.
Eventually Gustavas Swift, taking advantage of the extensive rail system
of the West, introduced the refrigerated rail car to the West and began to
ship processed beef from Chicago to New York. Cattle were shipped out
from southwestern Nevada on the Central Pacific to San Francisco. By the
mid-1880s, Nevada cattle were also being shipped to Chicago.
From where did the wild cattle of the Southwest come?
2. What were the first markets for the cattle drives of the late 1860s?
What encouraged the establishment of cattle trails from Texas to Kansas?
5.
Why were these men important to the growth of the cattle industry in the West?
6.
How did Gustavas Swift change the marketing of beef cattle?
7.
What was the initial destination of most Nevada cattle?
© COPYRIGHT, The Center for Learrtlng. Used with permission. Not for resale.
Name
Chapter 11 continued
CHAPTER 11: Outline Map
CATTLE TRAILS AND COW TOWNS
H [STORY OF THE UNITED STATES
42
Chapter 11 Geography
: Ho~gh~onMiffiinCompany.~lr~ght~re~er~ed.
U.S. History, Book 2
Lesson 3
Handout 9
Name
Date
Moving the Herd
Read the following selection and answer the questions. Be prepared~for class discussion.
Moving a cattle herd along the trail was tedious dirty work. The trail
boss, who knew the trail, and the chuckwagon led the way. The cattle often
stretched out over several miles, kicking up clouds of dust with every step.
A remuda, or herd of extra horses, moved alongside the herd near the front.
Point riders at the front of the herd determined the direction the herd
traveled. Swing riders, about one-quarter of the way from the point, moved
the herd right to left when the point riders changed direction. Flank riders
kept the herd bunched together and moved the herd forward. Drag was
the worst position on the drive. At the end of the herd, the drag riders"
job was to pick up strays. The riders frequently had to move through heavy
clouds of dust and at the end of the day were covered with dust from head
to toe. For this reason drag was a rotating position. Usually no one had
to ride drag day after day, unless of course the cowboy had broken one
of the rules. Then, the trail boss could use riding drag as a punishment.
Remuda
Trail boss
Flank
Swing
I.
What was the remuda?
2.
Why do you think it was a necessary part of the drive?
3.
What was the duty of the point rider?
4.
How did the swing and point riders work together?
Chuck’wagon
5. What were the duties of the flank riders?
6.
Why was drag the worst position on the drive?
© COPYRIGHT, The Center for Learrdng. Used with pe.r~ission. Not for resale.
Name:
7-5
Date:
COWBOYS: CLOTHES AND EQUIPMENT
Label the diagram, as follows:
A: Wide-brimmed hat
B: Bandanna
C: Flap pockets
D: Gloves with cuffs
E: Leather chaps
High boots with
pointed toes, high
insteps
Saddle
horn
G:
H: Rolled slicker (cape)
F:
2. Beneath each item listing in the diagram is a
blank space. Try to think of one more use of the
item and write it on the blank line.
3. Color the illustration in any way that you think
is appropriate.
H:
- Helps hold roped cattle
- Worn in rain or snow
- Protection from sun and rain
- Protection from dust if used as
a mask over nose and mouth
- Keeps tobacco dry
F:
- Pointed toes for
easy slipping
into stirr~ups
"D:
- Helps prevent rope burns
- Protection from thorny
shrubs and bushes
178
NameDate
U.S. History, Book 2
Lesson 3
Handout 10 (page I)
The Cattle Drive
A trip up the Chisholm or Goodnight Trails from Texas to take carte to market was an eventful
one. In fact. Hollywood has used this western adventure in many movies, such as Red River.
A few of the cowboys/ranchers on cattle drives kept journals or later wrote narratives describing
their trips. Read the following selection, which reflects what cattle drive participants had to say
about their trip to the railroads and "cow towas" of the Great Plains. The diary entries represent
the first pm~ of the cattle drive--such trips started in the spring, ended in the fall, and took
about six months. Answer the questions which follow and be prepared for class discussion.
Hard rain. Stampede. Lost 200 Head.
May I
May 2
May 6
May I0
May 14
May 19
May 30
June 3
June 9
June 12
June 14
June 18
June 24
July 3
Still raining. Spent the day looking for Beeves. Found 26.
Hard rain. Windy. Found 150 Head. DecRied to move on.
Discouraged.
Still raining. Slow day. Made 14 miles. Ravines flooded.
River up. Raft overturned. Some cattle swept downstream, one
drover drowned, and some provlsions/equipment lost.
Bad thunderstorm in the night. Cattle scattered. Spent day
hunting for Beeves. 15 Head lost.
Rain, rain, and more rain. Cattle restless, Men discouraged.
River crossing. Swimming Beeves is the order of the day. All
across by nightfall. Few losses.
Hard rainstorm. Stampede. Hunting Beeves agahn. On horse
back all night. Cold meal.Still raining. Made 14 miles.
Dozen Indians came. Tried to steal cattle. Had to draw gun
before they’d leave. May come back.
Sunburned and blistered. Hot. Cattle thirsty and restless,
Hot day. Flies awful. Beeves almost uncontrollable.
Bad storm. Stampede. Hunting Beeves again. Men tired.
Class
Date
Name
Cowboys Become Folk Heroes
Score
RETEACHING ACTIVITY
Chapter 16, Section 3
Directions: Read the flow chart carefully. Then refer to it as you answer the
questions that follow. You will then understand how the cattle industry developed on the Great Plains.
¯ The Spanish introduced cattle
to Mexico and Texas.
¯ Texans expanded the ranching
industry; during the Civil War,
these animals reproduced in
great numbers.
/
¯ Texans had to find some | ¯ Joseph G. McCoy built a shipping
way to transport and
yard at Abilene, Kansas.
¯ Cattle were moved from Texas to
distribute the cattle to
Abilene along the Chisholm Trail.
Northern markets.
¯ In Abilene, cattle were shipped by
railroad to Chicago.
~
The Cattle Drive
¯ From eight to eighteen cowboys,
a horse wrangler, and a cook
made up a trail crew.
¯ They covered ten to twenty miles
per day on a drive that lasted
three to .~ months.
¯ The cowboys endured stampedes, thunderstorms, dangerous
river crossings, and droughts.
Myth of the Cowboy
¯ Cowboy myths began in the
late 1880’s.
¯ They were fostered by Buffalo
Bill’s Wild West Show ~
¯ The Great Train Robbery was
the first great cowboy movie.
Disasters Strike
¯ The blizzards and summer droughts of
1885 and 1886 mined hundreds of
cattle ranchers.
¯ In the winter of 1886, 1.5 million
animals froze to death.
Changes in the Cattle Industry
¯ Ranchers fenced in their grazing land.
¯ They had to raise hay for
winter feed.
1. Who introduced cattle to Mexico and Texas?
By 1872 the cattle trails had
moved to western Kansas.
Colorado, Montana, and the
Dakotas were used for
open grazing.
The early 1880’s were a
boom time for the cattle
industry, as demand for
beef was high.
The inventions of refrigerator cars and canning machinery boosted the industry.
By 1890 the cattle industry had become part of the
meat-packing industry.
Fences ended the open
frontier.
7. What two inventions helped support the boom in the
cattle industry in the early 1880’s?
2. Who built a shipping yard in Abilene, Kansas?
3. W~hat was the name of the trail extending from
Texas to Abilene, Kansas?
8. In 1885 and 1886 what brought disaster to the
ranching industry?
9. What two changes did ranchers have to make?
4. How long did a cattle drive take?
5. What were three dangers of the trip north?
10. What industry did the cattle industry become part
of?
6. What was the first great cowboy film?
11. What helped end the open frontier?
Copyright © McDougaI, L~tt~ll & Company
37
17=4
Name:
Date:
THE AMERICAN COWBOYS DURING 1865-1890
Without cowboys the cattle industry in the West during the years 1865-1890 would have been impossible. Who
were the cowboys? Where did they come from? From whom did they learn their sk~ls?
The last question can be answered first by stating the simple fact that long before the United States acquired the
Southwest, Mexicans were herding the wild cattle found there--the "longhorns." These animals were so called
because their horn spread was nothing less than spectacular, as much as six feet from horn-tip-to-horn-tip. The
Mexicans’ methods of roping, branding, and herding; the kind of saddles they found most useful; and the kind o
clothing and equipment necessary to do the work--all of these things were passed on to the earliest American
cowboys, who then improved on them and passed their knowledge on to others.
The answers to the other two questions are not simple. As one writer put it: "The cowboys were a mixed bag."
What he meant by "mixed bag" was that cowboys were of many different nationalities---~nostly American--but als
many were Mexican ("vaqueros,"or cowboys), Irishmen, Germans, Englishmen, and others. Many cowboys were exsoldiers from the Confederate and Union armies, some were adventure-seeking young men not more than seventeen
years old. A fair number of cowboys were older men who were tired of the drudgery of farming or mining or, perhaps,
wanted to remove themselves from the crowded cities in the East. And, there were still others who were running away
from places where they may have had some difficulty with the law. No matter what their background, there was on
thing for certain: all cowboys had to "pull their own weight" and work cooperatively with others as a team, or els
leave!
The West was especially attractive to recently freed African-Americans. They wanted the independence that
came with the wide-open spaces of the West, where persons were judged not by the color of their skin, but by their
work, their courage, and their endurance. Estimates vary, but it is quite certain that more cowboys were AfricanAmerican than any other ethnic group.
3. From what you see in the picture, what do you
Understanding
think is happening? Explain your reasons.
l. If a statement below is true according to the
story and illustration, circle the T at the end of the
statement.
a. Mexicans were the first to herd cattle in th~
T
Southwest.
b. Most longhorns’ horn spreads spanned more
T
than six feet.
c. Cowboys worked as individuals rather than as
members of a team when herding cattle. T
d. One of the things that attracted African-Americans to become cowboys was the opportunity to
be independent.
T
e. All of the cowboys in the illustration have
ropes.
T
f. The cattle in the illustration are not the longhorn
breed.
T
2. All the statements that follow are true. Underline all of those that are not mentioned in the story.
a. Indians were among the early cowboys working
for the Spaniards.
b. Longhorned cattle were gradually replaced by
other breeds of cattle.
c. Men from Ireland were part of the "mixed bag"
of cowboys.
d. More ex-Confederate soldiers became cowboys
than ex-Union soldiers.
177
"Look, if it was electric, could I do this?"