CATTLE RANCHERS
EQ: How did the development of the western
cattle industry in the years following the Civil
War reflect changes in America?
SS5H3 a. Describe the roles of the
cattle trails in the late 19 century;
including the Black Cowboys of Texas,
the Great Western Cattle Trail,
and the Chisholm Trail
Texas Cattle
In the 1800’s, ranchers in Texas raised and sold
longhorn cattle.
 Longhorns were tough, strong animals that were brought
to North American by Spanish settlers.
 Texas became apart of the United States in 1845 and
the Mexicans in Texas
became U.S. citizens.
They faced prejudice from
other Americans.


Prejudice-preconceived
judgment or opinion
Cattle Market

Texas had a LOT of cattle; however, it was not a
good market to sell cattle.
A
market is a situation in which people buy and sell
goods. In a market, producers find buyers for their
goods, and consumers find goods to buy.


The cattle in Texas sold for ONLY $4 dollars EACH!!!
In other places, line in the eastern and northern
United States, cattle sold for $40 dollars each.
Supply and Demand

The price of cattle was set by supply and demand.
 Demand
is the amount of something that people want
to buy at certain prices.
 When
the price of something is low, people usually want to
buy more of it.
 Supply
is the amount of something that people want to
sell at certain prices.
 When
the price of something is high, people want to
produce and sell more of it.
Cattle Drives




Cattle Drive is the process of moving a herd of
cattle from one place to another, usually moved and
herded by cowboys on horses.
Supply and demand affected the price of cattle.
Texas ranchers wanted to sell their cattle where
they could get their highest price.
They would ship their cattle to cites in the east and
the north. The would do this because they could sell
their cattle for a higher price.
Cattle Drives




To get these cattle to the cities, they cattle had to
be led to railheads.
Railhead-a town where railroad tracks begin or
end. This is where the cattle were loaded onto the
train.
Cattle drives took weeks or month to finish.
They followed trails that took the cattle near water
and grass to keep them nourished.
Cattle Trails
Great Western Cattle Trail



http://www.greatwesterncattletrail.com/
The Great Western Cattle Trail was used in the 1800s for
movement of cattle to markets in the East. It ran west of and
roughly parallel to the Chisholm Trail. The Great Western Trail
began at Bandera, Texas and ended in Dodge City, Kansas.
The trail was also known as the Western Trail, the Dodge City
Trail and the Old Texas Trail.
Map of the Cattle Trail
http://www.greatwesternc
attletrail.com/map_gwct_
a/map_gwct.html

Chisholm Trail

http://www.onthechisholmtrail.com/trail-info/
Black Cowboys of Texas

In the early days of Texas, the work of the cowhand
was essential to the newly arrived settlers. AfricanAmerican cowhands worked side-by-side with the
cowboys.
The end of Cattle Drives


Cattle drives lasted for about 20 years. They
began in the 1860’s and ended in the 1820’s.
They ended for 4 reasons:
 1.
The invention of Barbed Wire-a twisted wire with a
sharp barb, or point, every few inches.
 2. The growth of railroads-built in 1870 in Texas
 3. Too many cattle grazed on crowded ranges-there
was not enough grass for all the cattle
 4. Cold Temperatures during 1886-1887-freezing
weather killed thousands of cattle