The Cattle Kingdom Longhorns Brought by Spaniards in 1500’s Horns may be 6 ft. wide Run fast 1700’s and 1800’s: Herds grew American and Mexican settlers began ranches in South Texas Longhorns used to start herds Longhorn Pics Early Texas Ranchers King Ranch, the most famous, was founded by Richard King in 1852. The ranch doubled in size after his death to now be over 1 million acres, larger than Rhode Island. The JA Ranch, founded by Charles Goodnight, included more than 100,000 cattle The XIT Ranch was located the panhandle and spanned over 3 million acres and consisted of 6,000 miles of fence. The Ranch was later sold to homesteaders and ranchers. Rise of Cattle Business BEFORE CIVIL WAR Millions of longhorns in Texas Sold for only $4 each Ranchers raised cattle for leather and for tallow, or fat, which was used in candles and soap AFTER CIVIL WAR Northern cities wanted beef Price of longhorns rose from $4 to $40 Northern cities made cattle ranchers more money Cattle drives began One trail used was Chisholm Trail to Abilene, Kansas Famous Women Ranchers Margarita Villareal Florencia Bonavide Paula Rodriguez, Lizzie Johnson Williams Margaret Heferman Borland Could own land, but could not vote!! Life on the Trail Destination: Kansas and the Railroad Cattle were rounded up and branded in early spring Herds size: 3,000 Number of men: 11-18 Jobs: Trail Boss, Cook, Scout, Horse Wranglers, Waddies or Trail hands, Pointers, Flanks and Drag. Life on the Trail Horses: 50 – 60 to ensure that the horses stayed fresh. Distance per day: 10 -15 miles Length of trip: 3 months Possible Dangers: rainstorms, rattlesnakes, stampedes, drowning at river crossings, extreme heat, Indian and bandit attacks. End of the Cattle Kingdom The decline started when farmers began sharing the plain and fencing their land. Ranchers put up fencing on their land too. Fences: Before 1870 - rocks or wood 1873 - Joseph Glidden of Illinois - sold barbed wire a twisted wire with sharp points Led to fighting Made long drives harder Drives ended when railroads were built into Texas PowerPoint Quiz Write the answers on a clean sheet of paper. PowerPoint Quiz In what century were cattle introduced to Texas? Name one famous Texas Ranch. (hint: larger than Rhode Island) What is the name for a Spanish cowboy? PowerPoint Quiz Why were the cattle herded to the north? Who invented barbed wire? What do you call the leader of the cattle drive? PowerPoint Quiz Before barbed wire, how did ranchers corral the cattle? Name one woman cattle rancher? Could women own land? What happened to end cattle drives?