[ 6.2 ] Cattle Kingdoms and Open Ranges
[ 6.2 ] Cattle Kingdoms and Open Ranges
Learning Objectives
•
•
•
•
•
Identify how the cattle industry developed from Spanish beginnings.
Compare the myths and realities of cowboy life on the cattle trails.
Describe the development of big ranches in Texas.
Explain how Texas land policies affected the open range.
Explain the factors that led to the end of the open range in Texas.
[ 6.2 ] Cattle Kingdoms and Open Ranges
Key Terms
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
vaqueros
lariats
quarantine
Drovers
remuda
mustang
open range
internal improvements
enclosures
felony
strike
Spanish Beginnings
Today, people around the world think of cattle when they think of Texas—and vice versa.
There is a good reason for this: cattle play a major role in Texas history. Along with
railroads and cotton, cattle helped define an important period in the history of the state.
Spanish Beginnings
•
•
Early Cattle Ranchers
The Cattle Industry Profits After the Civil War
Spanish Beginnings
Texas longhorns, named for the wide span across their horns, are a mix of English and Spanish breeds
of cattle. Hypothesize Why did this breed of cattle likely develop in Texas and not elsewhere?
Spanish Beginnings
Analyze Information What caused a rise in the number of cattle raised in Texas during the late 1800s?
The Great Cattle Trails
The Northern demand for beef led to the rise of the cattle trails. A cattle drive began with
a roundup, which took place in the spring when grass was green. Cowboys then drove the
herds north to towns with rail stations. The cattle were then sent by rail to the Northern
states, where they would be slaughtered for meat. Ranchers could make big profits
moving a herd to market.
The Great Cattle Trails
•
•
•
•
Large Herds Create Conflict
Well-Known Trails Throughout the West
Life on the Trail
Myths and Realities of the Cowboy Way of Life
The Great Cattle Trails
Analyze Information Why were steers probably worth so much more in Chicago than in Texas?
The Great Cattle Trails
Analyze Maps Large ranchers began building fences to enclose their lands in the late 1800s. How
would this action have affected cattle drives along the trails shown here?
The Great Cattle Trails
Cowboys drove cattle across miles of land to reach towns with rail centers, such as Abilene, Kansas.
Analyze Visuals Based on this photograph, what hardships did cowboys face on the trail?
The Expanding Influence of Ranches
By the late 1870s, land and cattle companies owned over half the land in West Texas.
Ranchers soon enclosed nearly all the rangeland in South and Southwest Texas. This
brought an end to the big cattle drives.
The Expanding Influence of Ranches
•
•
Kenedy, King, and Goodnight
Ranching in West Texas—The Open Range
The Expanding Influence of Ranches
Richard King’s King Ranch, one of the largest in the state, eventually grew to cover more than one
million acres of West Texas rangeland.
The Expanding Influence of Ranches
Analyze Maps About how many square miles did the XIT Ranch cover?
The Demise of the Open Range
Ranching on the open range worked well, but not for long. Several factors ended the open
range in Texas. A key factor was the expansion of railroads in the state. Closely related to
this were the state’s land policies, population growth, and the spread of farming. It is
important to understand how these factors changed ranching on the open range.
The Demise of the Open Range
•
•
•
•
Texas Promotes Growth
Land and Cattle Companies
Barbed Wire Divides the Open Range
Increasing Conflict Over Land Use
The Demise of the Open Range
Railroad companies used posters like this one to urge viewers to settle in Texas. Interpret What does
this poster suggest the benefits of settling in Texas are?
The Cattle Industry Evolves Over Time
The end of the open range was just one reason for the end of the great cattle drives. The
expansion of railroads into Texas also made the cattle drives unnecessary. Ranchers now
used the railroads to move their animals to market. Concern over a deadly disease, Texas
fever, made drives even more difficult. Armed ranchers sometimes patrolled the trails,
determined to prevent sick cattle from infecting their herds. In 1885, Kansans barred all
Texas cattle from their state.
The Cattle Industry Evolves Over Time
•
•
•
Changes in the Cowboy Way of Life
The Big Die-Up
Modern Ranching
The Cattle Industry Evolves Over Time
Analyze Data How did changing longhorn prices likely contribute to changes in ranching methods?
The Cattle Industry Evolves Over Time
Drift fences prevented cattle from escaping the blizzards that struck Texas in 1885 and 1886.
Quiz: Spanish Beginnings
What characteristic made Texas good for raising cattle?
A.
B.
C.
D.
its locaton near the Gulf of Mexico
its participation in the Civil War
its well-developed rail connections
its open, grassy plains
Quiz: The Great Cattle Trails
Which phrase best describes real life for cowboys riding the cattle trails?
A.
B.
C.
D.
exciting and changeable
boring and dirty
dangerous and life-threatening
easy and fun-filled
Quiz: The Expanding Influence of Ranches
In which part of Texas was the open range?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Blackland Prairie
South Texas
West Texas
coastal plains
Quiz: The Demise of the Open Range
Which development caused the end of the open range?
A.
B.
C.
D.
barbed wire
growth of large ranches
increased settlement near railroads
government system of internal improvements
Quiz: The Cattle Industry Evolves Over Time
Which geographic factor contributed to the Big Die-Up?
A.
B.
C.
D.
flood
heat wave
blizzard
earthquake