Westward Expansion and
Ranchers and Farmers
NOTES ALIGNED TO CHAPTER 4 SECTION 2
MR. BABCOCK
7 TH G R A D E S O C I A L S T U D I E S
Origins
Where did cattle ranching
come from?
As the Spanish continued their
conquest of areas of
South, Central, and North
America.
They brought many new
species with them to the
Americas including pigs,
horses, and cattle.
The breed of cattle they
brought into Mexico and
Texas as they were being
settled are called
longhorn steer.
American ranchers learned to
ride, rope, raise, and drive
these cattle from vaqueros
(Hispanic cowboys from
formerly Spanish
controlled lands such as
Mexico and Texas)
Railroads and Cow Towns
 Prior to 1865, there was plenty of cattle in the West but
no easy way to sell that cattle to the markets of the North
and East
 This changed as the railroad continued to extend farther
and farther west (remember the transcontinental
railroad was completed in 1869)
 With the extension of the railroad, now cattle ranchers
could drive their huge herds of cattle (sometimes
hundreds of thousands of cows) from the ranges and
ranches of the West (the Long Drive) to railroad stations
to be shipped to the North and East
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Almost overnight, the value of cattle rose from about $3/cow to
about $40/cow
Life on the Great Plains
 Ranchers and Cowhands lived difficult lives
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Cattle driving required long days – typically 15-16 hours per day in
the saddle
Ranchers and cowhands had to endure rain storms, dust storms, and
very high daily temperatures
Cold weather was only an issue on the ranges and cattle ranches and
not on the Long Drives because this was done during the spring and
summer so that there would be enough food for the animals to graze
along the way.
Ranchers and cowhands also had to deal with rustlers, hostile
natives, and stampedes
Many cowhands were Civil War veterans, foreign immigrants, and
African American former slaves all who moved out West in search of
a better life
The Long Drive
The Long Drive
The Cattle Kingdom Ends
 The cattle industry, of course, exists to this day but…
 The Cattle Kingdom (the period of huge economic
growth and large profits in the cattle business during
the latter half of the 19th century) came to an end
when the cattle supply grew larger than the demand
for beef and leather
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Once the cattle supply had outpaced the demand, the price per
head of cattle dropped quickly – driving many people out of
the business and keeping others from entering it in the first
place
Farmers Settle the Plains
 During the 1860s, many new people migrated to the Great
Plains despite the belief of previous generations that this land
was not farmable
 Quickly this part of the United States evolved from wilderness
to farmland because of several contributing factors:
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First, the railroads made the journey to the West easier and more
affordable
Second, new laws offered free land (Homestead Act)
Third, new farming methods and technology made farming the Great
Plains more possible than it had been for previous generations
Fourth, the 1870s saw well above average rainfall which encouraged
many that agriculture was possible in this region
Finally, the Great Plains offered opportunities to those who had
struggled to find success and wealth in the North and East (immigrants,
former slaves, widows, etc.
The Homestead Act
 In 1862, the Homestead Act was passed by the United
States Congress to encourage (and subsidize) people to
settle on the Great Plains
 How did it work?
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Once a piece of land available for homesteading was claimed, the
claimant then had to pay a $10 filing fee to the US Government and
then live on the land for 5 years… after that, the land was the private
property of the claimant officially
 Who took advantage of this law?
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Thousands of people took advantage of this opportunity to own
essentially free land on the Great Plains

Many immigrants, former slaves, Civil War veterans, widows, etc.
were among the thousands who claimed land through the Homestead
Act
The Homestead Act
The Homestead Act