Cattle Kingdoms : Sec. 2

Cattle Texas Longhorns resulted from Spanish cows bred with

Anglo cows. Spanish vaqueros (cowboys) used a lariat to round up

cattle from horseback. A lariat is a long rope with a noose on one end.

Spanish soldiers and priest were the first cattle ranchers in Texas. Early ranchers in Texas faced drought, disease, and theft. They had difficulty transporting cattle to market

The Civil War increased the demand for Texas beef. The Northern demand for beef led to the rise of cattle trails. Cowboys drove herds north in the spring to towns with rail

stations.

Cattle Trails

Problems on the Trails Bandits stole cattle. Farmers complained that longhorns trampled

their crops and spread disease to their cattle. Some states passed quarantine laws to keep

Texas cattle away from settled areas.

Quarantine - to isolate or separate to prevent the spread of disease

Cattle TrailsFamous Trails The Chisholm Trail ran

from Texas to Abilene, Kansas.

The Great Western Trail traveled through Indian Territory to Dodge City, Kansas.

The Goodnight-Loving Trail ran from West Texas through New Mexico and Colorado to Wyoming.Drover - a person who moves livestock to market

Life on the Trail The daily live of cowboys was less glamorous

than what is shown in the movies. A manager, or trail boss would plan the drive. Each drive had 11 to 18 men, including a cook

and a scout. Cowboys kept a remuda (a group of spare

horses), so they always had fresh horses available.

The herd moved from about 10 to 15 miles per day.

Cowboys spent up to 16 hours per day in the saddle.

Hazards on the drive included rainstorms, stampedes, extreme heat, rattlesnakes, river crossings, and attacks by Indians and bandits.

Big Ranches Richard King started with a 15,000 acre ranch in

Nueces County in 1852 called King Ranch. The King Ranch grew to more than 1 million acres

(about as large as the state of Rhode Island.) Charles Goodnight’s JA ranch covered more than 1

million acres and supported 100,000 cattle. A group of Chicago investors owned the XIT ranch,

which was almost as large as Connecticut. Sheep and goat ranching also expanded in Texas in the late 1800s

Some Texans owned mustang (wild horses) ranches.

Cowboy Legend and RealityCowboys generally did not fight with

Native Americans.Drovers tried to avoid IndiansNot all cowboys carried guns

Westward Expansion Sec. 3

Settlers move to West Texas The state’s population doubled

between 1870 and 1880. Settlers used the idea of

manifest destiny to justify forcing Indians off the land.

Ranchers and farmers saw great financial potential in West Texas. Cattle and sheep ranchers led the way in settling West Texas.

Railroad companies promoted the settlement of West Texas by building railroad lines through the region.

Joseph Glidden invented barbed wire in 1874 and ranchers used it to protect cattle.

The widespread use of barbed wire helped to end the cattle drives.