Notes
Frances Schroeder 1
Post Civil War: Native Americans attacked settlements on the frontier during the Civil War.
Once the war ended, the white Texans were excited to move to the west and settle the frontier,
which was not an easy task. Native Americans thought the land was theirs because they were
there first. Federal troops went to Texas to end the Native American raids.
Attempts to End Raids: Federal troops moved forts. But they were too far apart, so supplying
them was hard. Native Americans agreed to stop raiding white settlements, and the government
agreed to provide them with food and supplies. However, the treaty failed because the
Comanches and Kiowas refused to sign it and continued raiding the settlements. President
Ulysses S. Grant sent members of the Quaker church for a peaceful attempt. However, many
Native Americans didn’t trust the whites. As a result, this attempt failed as well.
Native Americans Advantages: Knew the area really well; had rifles; used hit and run techniques
(rode into the area, fired arrows or rifles, and rode away); Were skilled at fighting on horseback
Federal Army’s Strategies: Attacked Native American villages and captured;burned villages and
killed horses, their food and supplies; hunted the buffalo (major food source) and nearly drove it
into extinction
Expansion:
Salt Creek Massacre- In 1871, Kiowa leader (Satanta) led 100 warriors to raid a wagon train at
Salt Creek. The Kiowas killed several people and burned wagons. This event sparked the
Frontier Wars.
Red River War- In 1874, the U.S. Army came up with a plan to remove the Comanche, Kiowa,
Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Native American tribes from Southern Plains and put them on
reservations.
Battle of Adobe Walls- Quanah Parker (Comanche leader) and Lone Wolf (Kiowa leader)
attacked a camp of buffalo hunters. They retreated when federal reinforcement arrived.
Battle of Palo Duro Canyon- the key battle of the Red River War; U.S. Army leaders led troops
against the Comanches and Cheyennes. They captured Native Americans’ horses and winter
food supply. Buffalo hunters came in killed herds of buffalo, causing the Comanches and
Cheyennes to starve. The Red River War ended with the surrender of Quanah Parker and other
warriors.
The Buffalo Soldiers
African American troops, led mostly by white officers, helped fight in the Frontier Wars.
They were respected more by the Native Americans than their white leaders. Native Americans
named them Buffalo Soldiers because their short curly hair was like the
hair on the back of a buffalo’s neck. They also had the strength and tenacity (drive) of the
buffalo. Henry O. Flipper was a Buffalo Soldier who served on the Texas frontier for 4 years.
Like many others, he faced unfair circumstances. The army granted him an honorable discharge
in 1994.
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Frances Schroeder 2
Frontier Wars End: Fighting continued after the Red River war. Rio Grande Campaigns: The
U.S. Government ordered the Apaches onto a reservation in Arizona. Apache leader, Victorio,
and several of his warriors left and carried out raids across Southwest Texas and Mexico.
Victorio and most of his warriors were killed when they escaped into Mexico. The Frontier Wars
end: In 1881, more than 300 years of fighting between Texas settlers and Native Americans had
ended. Native Americans were forced from their homes and made to live on reservations where
they lost their traditional way of life. Few Native Americans, like Quanah Parker, adapted to
their new lifestyle and prospered. Others died of poverty or disease.
Spanish Origins: Ranching had begun in Spanish times. Spanish explorers first brought cattle and
horses to Texas in the 1700s. Spanish priests and soldiers were the first cattle ranchers in Texas.
Large Spanish/Mexican ranches existed in northern Mexico and Texas. Texas Longhorns were
born when the Spanish cows mixed with the heavier animals brought over by Anglos. Vaqueros,
Spanish cowboys, were skilled in riding, roping, herding, and branding. They used lariats to
round up cattle from horseback. They wore broad-brimmed hats to provide shade from the sun
and chaps to protect their legs from thorns. They used saddles with horns to carry their ropes,
blankets, rifles, and canteens.
The First Cattle Ranchers: Early ranchers faced drought, disease, and theft. They had trouble
finding a place to sell their cattle and transporting cattle to market. The first Anglos in Texas
herded on foot and did not brand their cattle. They soon adopted the ways of the Spanish
vaqueros. Only a few Americans built ranching fortunes in Texas before the Civil War.
Influence of the Civil War: After the Civil War, raising cattle became a major industry in Texas.
Both armies fed their troops beef during the war. Because of this, beef became an important part
of the American diet. Longhorns were worth $3 to $4 in Texas. However, in the East, the
Longhorns were worth $30 to $40 in the East. Ranchers in Texas began to use cattle drives to
bring beef to the markets faster.A large supply and high demand for beef helped revive the
economy in Texas.
Cattle Trails & Cowboys: All of the cattle drives began with the roundup in the spring when the
grass was green. They branded and divided them into herds. A typical herd size was about 3,000
cattle. The cowboy’s life was not as glamorous as it has been portrayed in movies. A manager, or
trail boss, planned the cattle drive and was responsible for the success of the drive. Each drive
had 11-18 men, including a cook and a scout. Cowboys kept a remuda (a group of 50-60 spare
horses). Two skilled cowboys (pointers) led the cattle. Two or three cowboys rode on each side
of the herd, and several more rode behind the herd (drag). The herd moved about 10-15 miles per
day. Hazards included rainstorms, stampedes, extreme heat, rattlesnakes, river crossings, and
attacks by Indians and bandits. Problems: The first cattle drive was in 1866. It ended in a
Missouri town. Farmers worried that Texas cattle might carry a disease. Missouri and other states
passed quarantine laws to prevent Texas cattle from entering into settled areas. Farmers
complained that longhorns trampled their crops. Bandits stole cattle.The next drive went to
Abilene, Kansas. Drovers moved about 35,000 cattle to Abilene.
Big Ranches: In the late 1800s, some ranchers began to fence in their lands in Texas. This
marked the end of the cattle drives. Some of the ranches were huge. Robert King started a ranch
with 15,000 acres in Nueces County. The King Ranch grew to more than 1 million acres (about
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Frances Schroeder 3
the size of Rhode Island). Charles Goodnight’s JA Ranch covered more than 1 million acres and
supported about 100,000 cattle. His ranch produced some of the nation’s finest beef. Chicago
investors owned the XIT Ranch. They received it after building a new capitol in Austin in 1888.
It covered more than 3 million acres (almost as large as Connecticut).
Sheep and goat ranching also expanded in Texas. Central and South Texas became popular areas
for sheep ranchers.
By 1886, Texans owned nearly five million sheep.
Cowboy Legend & Reality
The cowboys who rode the trails became legendary. üMany cowboys were African-Americans,
Mexican- Americans, and women. The average age of a cowboy was about 20 with a small
physical frame. Trail rides were strenuous with cowboys averaging about 30 to 36 hours in the
saddle. Cowboys generally did not fight with Native Americans. In fact, they tried to avoid
Native Americans. Not all cowboys carried guns. Few bosses allowed their workers to carry guns
because an accidental stampede.
Famous Trails
Name of Trail
Where It Ended
Chisholm Trail
Abilene, Kansas
Other Facts
Blazed by Jesse Chisholm; used by
about 5 million cattle up to 1884
Great Western Trail
Dodge City, Kansas and on Opened in 1874; went farther west
to Nebraska
than Chisholm Trail; went through
Indian Territory
Goodnight-Loving Trail
Wyoming
Went farther west; developed to
avoid contact with Plains Indians
Potter-Bacon Trail
Wyoming
Blazed by Jack Potter; shorter than
the Western trail
Shawnee Trail
Kansas City, Sedalia, and
The first major route used
St. Louis, Missouri
Western Settlement
After the Civil War, the population of Texas increased drastically. About 600,000 people lived in
Texas by 1860. By 1900, Texas had more than 3 million people. üTexans moved west in large
numbers after the Frontier Wars. Settlers used the idea of manifest destiny to justify forcing
Indians off the land. Cattle and sheep ranchers led the way in settling West Texas. They saw
great financial potential in West Texas. Railroad companies promoted the settlement of West
Texas by building railroad lines through the region. There were only 583 miles of track in 1870.
By 1900, there were 10,000 miles of railroad in Texas.
It’s a Hard Knock Life: West Texas had few trees, so there was no wood to build homes.
Settlers had to make homes out of chunks of soil containing grass.They had to burn hay and
cornstalks for fuel. They ate rabbits, turkeys, quail, and other wild game. Settlers had to endure
blizzards and grasshopper swarms. Even with these problems, settlements and towns grew up
around the region. Since settlers lived long distances from one another, they often held social
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events.Ranching on the Open Range West Texas ranchers owned little or no land. Their cattle
grazed on the open range. Ranchers believed the water and grass were resources that everyone
could share. Cattle from several ranches intermingled because there were no fences. To identify
their own cattle, cattle ranchers branded their animals. Cattle ranchers soon began putting barbed
wire around their land. This ended the open range in Texas.
Invention of Barbed Wire: Disagreements over land flared up among the new residents on the
open plains.
The invention of barbed wire, in 1874, by Joseph Glidden changed Texas forever.Ranchers put
up barbed wire enclosures to protect their cattle and their land.
üSome landowners grew tired of cattle trampling over their crops during the cattle drives and
fenced in their land. Most of these enclosures blocked roads and interfered with mail delivery
Fence Cutting (Range) Wars
By the 1880s, the open range in Texas had been fenced in. The barbed wire fences helped to end
the cattle drives. Cattle owners who did not own land could no longer feed their herds on the
open range. These landless cattle owners began cutting these fences so they could reach water
and grass for their herds. War broke out once again in Texas. This time, it was between the
cowboys who wanted to fence their property and cowboys who wanted to continue feeding their
cattle on the open range. Fence cutters threatened ranchers and burned their pastures. Fence
cutting caused an estimated $20 million in damages.
The Frontier Closes
Texas passed a law making it a felony to cut a fence. üThis law helped reduce the number of
cutting incidents, but a few still occurred in some areas.
Texas Rangers helped by going undercover to catch fence cutters. One Texas Ranger went as far
as to set traps with dynamite. If the wire was cut or the fence was torn down, the trap exploded.
Rangers finally brought an end to the fence cutting wars.
By the 1880s, Native Americans no longer hunted buffalo, cowboys no longer drove herds of
cattle, and railroads, telegraph wires and fences crossed West Texas.
The frontier in Texas had disappeared.Open Range Closes
In the 1880s, the Texas beef market started to decline. People in the East demanded better types
of beef. Texas ranchers had to compete with breeds of cows being raised in Wyoming and
Montana. Some of the cattle in Texas were infected with a deadly disease called Texas fever.
Ranchers in other states would not allow Texas cattle near their cattle. Kansans barred all Texas
cattle from their state. The end of the open range meant changes for the cowboys. Fewer cattle
drives and open-range roundups meant fewer jobs for. Those who kept their jobs spent more time
on foot than on the saddle. Cowboys’ new responsibilities included setting fence posts and
stringing barbed wire. Cowboys in the Panhandle tried to improve their working conditions by
going on strike.
The Big Die-Up: Thousands of cattle froze to death when a blizzard hit Texas in 1885. They
tried to runaway from the storm but were trapped by fences. Many ranchers lost everything they
had. Some sold their lands and left the ranching business.
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Frances Schroeder 5
A New Beginning
The Big Die-Up marked the start of the modern ranching industry in Texas.
Ranchers realized they could not leave their animals alone. Ranchers began to manage their
herds more carefully. They began to fence off smaller areas of land for smaller groups of cattle.
This allowed them to experiment and develop new breeds of cattle that were meatier than the
lean longhorns. The new breeds were also able to resist disease. This method of ranching is
still being used today.
Railroads Change the Economy: Railroads had an effect on the economy as a whole. People in
Texas convinced railroads to lay track their region because they knew that railroads would create
more jobs, and it could mean economic success for their town. Abilene, Amarillo, and Midland
prospered as railroad towns in the 1880s. Railroads in El Paso and Laredo helped these towns to
grow.
Farming in West Texas
Growing crops in West Texas required a different method of farming because there was little
rainfall. Farmers tried to conserve water, but stored water evaporated quickly in the West Texas
heat. The land could not support farming without irrigation (supplies water to the land by
artificial means). Windmills made it possible to pump water from beneath the ground. They
allowed farmers and ranchers to water their crops and animals on their own property. üRanching
was more successful than farming.
The Cycle of Debt
Tenant farmers could not produce enough food to feed their families because they almost always
planted cotton. They had to buy food, often on credit. They also had to pay interest on borrowed
money. Often times, farmers found that they owed more than they received. This made it
difficult for tenant farmers to break the cycle of debt. For tenant farmers to succeed, the price of
cotton had to be high and the amount of cotton produced had to be great. Because of the
principle of supply and demand, these two conditions rarely happened together. When demand is
high and supply is low, prices go up. For instance, if buyers want more cotton than is available,
the price will rise. However, if a lot of cotton is available and demand (people wanting the
product) stays the same or goes down, the price will fall. Cotton sold for about 16 cents per
pound in 1869 and about only 6 cents in 1898.
Impact of the Closing of the Frontier
Agricultural Industry: increase of revenue for the state; farmers move west; new methods of
farming- dry farming and irrigation; increase in sharecropping and tenant farming; products were
moved, sold, and transported across the nation; new cash crops were grown- wheat and sorghum;
cotton and corn grew across the state
West Texas: Range Wars- farmers and ranchers battled between each other; fence cutting
became a felony; growth of population and towns in West Texas; use of barbwire to fence off
land; Expansion of the railroad; Cattle ranching becomes a business; Growth of large ranches;
Inventions- barbwire and windmill
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Frances Schroeder 6
Branding: In the late 1800s, bandits were stealing cattle all over Texas. People who owned cattle
had to be able to prove ownership. Ranchers began branding their animals by using symbols,
letters, and numbers. They had to be creative because they didn’t have time to spell out big
words. Ranchers applied brands with heated, red-hot branding irons. These brands were applied
to the left side of the animals (often on the hip). Rules for reading brands:
Up and down symbols are read from top to bottom. –Symbols inside symbols are read from the
outside in. –Side-by-side symbols are read from left to right.
Southern Texas: Fighting continued after the Red River war. Outlaws, bandits, and Native
Americans still roamed Southern Texas. Cattle thieves were common in Texas. Cattle ranchers
and sheep ranchers fought over land. Sam Bass and other outlaws robbed stagecoaches and
trains. Violence against African Americans & Mexican Americans had risen. The “Nueces Strip”
(area along the Mexican border) is where most of the trouble took place. Rio Grande Campaigns:
The U.S. Government ordered the Apaches onto a reservation in Arizona. Apache leader,
Victorio, and several of his warriors left and carried out raids across Southwest Texas and
Mexico. Victorio and most of his warriors were killed when they escaped into Mexico.