TITLE: Picturing History
GRADES: 7–12
SUBJECT AREAS: Texas History, U.S. History, Geography, Visual Art
TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS (TEKS) CONNECTIONS
7.6 History. The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped the history of Texas from
Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century.
7.8 and US.8 Geography. The student uses geographic tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data.
7.9 Geography. The student understands the location and characteristics of places and regions of Texas.
7.20 Science, technology, and society. The student understands the impact of scientific discoveries and
technological innovations on the political, economic, and social development of Texas.
7.21 and US.24 Social Studies Skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use
information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology.
7.23 and US.26 Social Studies Skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working
independently and with others, in a variety of settings.
US.12 Economics. The student understands domestic and foreign issues related to U.S. economic growth from
the 1870s to 1920.
US.20 Culture. The student understands the relationship between the arts and the times during which they were
created.
OBJECTIVES
In this lesson students will
• recall information about the historical impact of railroads in the United States;
• map railroads, cattle trails, and railheads used in the cattle industry as well as ranches where Erwin E.
Smith took photographs of cowboy life;
• formulate questions about cowboy life;
• examine Smith’s photographs to gain information about cowboy life;
• determine how Smith’s photography gives us an understanding of U.S. history;
• select photographs to support a point of view.
ACTIVITIES
Activity 1
Introduce students to Erwin E. Smith and his work by showing the video Erwin E. Smith: Cowboy
Photographer, available for loan from the Carter’s Teaching Resource Center (TRC).
www.cartermuseum.org/trc_set.html
Remind students that the cattle industry Erwin Smith sought to record, including cowboys and trail drives, was
stimulated by the expansion of the railroads. The cattle industry boom lasted from 1866 to 1888, and Smith took
his photographs from 1905 to 1912.
Why would Smith want to take photos after the cattle boom had ended? He was documenting the end of
an era and wanted to create a visual record of the vanishing cowboy lifestyle.
Activity 2
Assess students’ prior knowledge about the historical impact of railroads in the United States by creating a
class list or concept map of things students know about this topic. You may choose to include the following:
transcontinental railroads, new markets, transportation of raw materials, effect on industrialization, stimulation
of agriculture, farm issues, big business, Interstate Commerce Commission, and stimulation of the cattle
industry.
Focus on the effect of the railroads on the cattle industry by discussing the following questions as a class:
• How did the railroads impact the cattle industry?
• How did trail drives benefit ranchers economically?
• What was the role of the cowboy within the cattle industry?
Activity 3
Distribute a blank map of the United States to each student. Ask students to label
• the railroads that were used for shipping cattle to markets—Union Pacific Railroad; Kansas Pacific
Railroad; Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad;
• the trails that cowboys used to drive the cattle to the railroads―Goodnight-Loving Trail, Western Trail,
Chisholm Trail;
• the towns where the trails met the railroads―Pueblo, Denver, Cheyenne, Dodge City, Ogallala, Abilene;
• the regions where Smith took his photographs of cowboy life―Texas, New Mexico, Arizona.
Discuss the following questions after the students have completed their maps:
• Which direction do the railroads run?
• Which direction do the cattle trails run?
• Where do the trails originate?
• In which states are the railheads located?
• What geographical factors would be important for cowboys to consider when determining the location
of the trails?
Activity 4
Erwin Smith wanted to create an accurate and detailed portrayal of cowboy life, including the variety of jobs
that cowboys did, the clothing they wore, and their special talents. Tell students that they will explore Smith’s
photographs to learn about cowboy life and the cattle industry from the information Smith captures in his
images.
Have each student fold a piece of notebook paper in half lengthwise. Ask students to make a list of questions
about cowboy life and the cattle industry on the left side of the paper.
Next, ask students to explore images of Smith’s photographs in this online teaching guide or in the online
collection guide. (If computer access is an issue, print out several different images of cowboy life from the
online teaching guide beforehand. Distribute these copies to students to examine.) Ask students to look for
information that will answer their questions and to record what they learn on the right side of the paper.
After students have completed their notes, discuss the following questions:
• What information does Smith’s photography give about the cattle industry? About cowboys?
• What did you learn about cowboy life that you didn’t know before?
• Did you have questions that couldn’t be answered with a photograph? What were they? What resources
could you use to find answers to these questions?
• Why do you think Smith thought it was important to record the cowboy’s lifestyle?
• Do you think it was important for Smith to make this visual record? Why or why not?
Activity 5
Ask students to use their notes to complete a graphic organizer of how Smith’s photography helps us understand
this period of history. (See the “Understanding History” organizer in Diagrams and Activities section.) Tell
students to select a photo from this online teaching guide to illustrate each section of the graphic organizer.
Student answers may include the following:
Economics: These are images of an economic system in the United States in the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries. Smith’s photographs illustrate the effects that railroads had on the cattle industry.
Smith shows us the process of trail drives to railheads—we can see both the cattle and the specific jobs that
cowboys performed to transport them to the trains.
Looking down from a high point on Matador
longhorns grazing. Shoe Bar Ranch, Texas, 1912
Gelatin dry plate negative
LC-S6-182
Railroad station at Hereford, Arizona, shipping
point for cattle from Southern Arizona, 1909
Gelatin dry plate negative
LC-S6-519
Culture: The cowboy’s lifestyle is illustrated in these photographs. Smith captures the human element of
the cattle industry. We can see cowboys engaged in their daily tasks and at leisure.
Monclavio Lucero, Mexican bronc buster
of the LS outfit, “working one out” in the
corral. LS Ranch, Texas, 1907
Nitrate negative
LC-S59-055
The Matador boys around camp fire - flashlight.
Matador Ranch, Texas, 1908
Gelatin dry plate negative
LC-S6-030
Technology: These photographs illustrate the gear that cowboys used to do their jobs as well as the clothing
that served a functional purpose. This visual information gives us a greater understanding of how cowboys’
work was accomplished. And though railroads were not the motivation for Smith’s photographs, we know
that technology was crucial to the cattle industry. We know that the expansion of railroads in the West
prompted ranchers to organize trail drives. Smith shows us the product of this booming cattle industry―
cowboys driving their cattle along the trail. Finally, photographic technology was available, allowing Smith
to capture a historical moment for posterity.
Cowboy on horseback.
Spur Ranch, Texas., ca. 1908–10
Gelatin dry plate negative
LC-S6-471
Interior of Turkey Track pony stalls.
Turkey Track Ranch, Texas, 1906
Nitrate negative
LC-S59-521
Geography: Smith’s photographs show us the terrain of the southwest United States. This area was
conducive to cattle ranching because of the climate and because cattle could feed on the grasses of the open
range. Also, in photographs along the trail we see images of rivers and streams, reminding us that cowboys
had to choose the location of their trails based on access to water resources.
Cattle, 1905–15
Gelatin dry plate negative
LC-S6-347
A watering place on the SMS Ranch, formerly the Spur
Ranch. SMS Ranch (Near Stamford, Texas.), 1910
Gelatin dry plate negative
LC-S6-390
BOOKS
Price, B. Byron. Imagining the Open Range: Erwin E. Smith, Cowboy Photographer. Fort Worth: Amon Carter
Museum, 1998.
Worcester, Don. Cowboy with a Camera: Erwin E. Smith, Cowboy Photographer. Fort Worth: Amon Carter
Museum, 1998.
WEB SITES
www.texascowboyhalloffame.com
www.cowgirl.net
www.cattleraisersmuseum.org
www.fortworth.com
www.museumeducation.org/curricula_treasure_text.html
ASSESSMENT
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the historical context of Erwin Smith’s photography by
explaining how his work helps us understand this period of history and by selecting photographs to support their
ideas.