Chapter 14 Section 2

By : Michaela StigerEric Moss

Luke Smith

Railroads, Ranches, and Farms

• Main cash crop of Abilene was bison bones.• Manufactures used elements from bones for

making fertilizer, buttons, and fine bone China.• About half a million tons of bison bones were

shipped out to western Texas by rail.

• The first railine in Texas opened in 1851.• Mostly all of the early rail lines were

connected to Houston to nearby towns.• Ranchers needed rail lines to move cattle from

Texas.• Railroads made the bison bone business

possible.

Railroads Change Ranching

• Railroads Change Ranching Continue• The civil war ceased the railroad building in

Texas.• 1873- Texas rail system linked to nationwide rail

network. Texas ranchers begin shipping cattle by rail.

Moving the Cattle

• It was still cheap to drive cattle over trails.• In 1890’s Fort Worth railhead became a

collection point for Texas cattle.• Ranchers herded animals on the trains and

shipped them somewhere else to be slaughtered.

Railroads Change Farming

• Texans changed the way they farmed due to the building of the railroad.

• A farmer that grew more than what he would supply for his family led to commercial agriculture.

• Growing crops in West Texas was different from ranching.

Railroads Affect the Economy

• Texans struggled trying to convince railroad companies to place railroads in their region.

• Many Texas cities and towns owe their success to the business created by railroads.

Railroads Affect the Economy Continue

• Southern Pacific bought Texas lines.• Railroads changed old patterns of trade in

Texas.