Changes on the Western FrontierChapter 5

Section 1: Cultures Clash on the Prairie Cowboys and Legends

Section 2: Settling on the Great PlainsSection 3: Farmers and the Populist Movement

http://www.thewildwest.org/cowboys-western/280/Outlaws-Lawmen-of-the-Wild-West.html

http://www.thewildwest.org/cowboys-western/366/Legendary-Women-of-the-American-West.html

http://www.thewildwest.org/cowboys-western/369/Legendary-Women-of-the-American-West.html

http://www.thewildwest.org/cowboys-western/304/Western-Facts-of-the-American-West.html

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/program/episodes/five/cowboys.htm

http://www.thewildwest.org/cowboys-western/186/Cowboy-Home.html

Cattle Become Big Business

• The introduction of horses and cattle in the New World by the Spanish created the need for the 1st Cowboys in Mexico.

• The first cowboys were Native Aztec prisoners.

• Vaqueros = Spanish for cowboy• Many aspects of cowboy culture – food,

clothing, and vocabulary- are borrowed from the Spanish ranchers of Mexico

Longhorn

• Sturdy, long-horned, short-tempered breed

• Accustom to the dry grasslands of southern Spain.

• Resistant to disease

• Very lean and not the highest quality of beef

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Longhorn_(cattle)

http://whozoo.org/Anlife99/brentmor/image.3.jpg

http://www.longhornmuseum.com/OldPhotosLonghornCattle.htm

Spanish Vaquero- Meaning -American Cowboy

• Spurs• Chaparreras• Charqui• Caballo Bronco• Mestẽnos• Rancho• Corral• Rodeo• Lareata

• Spurs• Chaps• Jerky• Bronco or Bronc• Mustang• Ranch• Corral• Rodeo• Lariat

Metal spurs used to control horse

Leather overalls to protect legs from brush

Dried strips of meat

Rough horse

Stray or wild horse

Cattle farm

Holding pen for cattle

Competition

Rope

Chaps

• Pronounced correctly as "shaps", they're short for chaparejos (shap-ar-EH-hos), which were another important cowboy tool.

These leather britches or wrap-around leggings were worn to prevent injury to the legs (and clothing) while rounding up cattle. Popular types of chaps were woollies and shotguns.

http://www.thewildwest.org/cowboys-western/335/Cowboy-Facts-of-the-Wild-West.html

American Cowboy’s Innovation

• Cowboy boots – • * Pointed toes and high heels • Bandanna – • * Multi-purpose • Six – Shooter –• * Symbol of the American West• Cowboy Hat – • *Cowboy’s location dictated the type of hat worn

Bandana

• The cowboy kerchief or bandana was another thing one could not be a cowboy without.

The bandana had many uses, most notably as a dust mask while driving cattle kicking up dirt, as earmuffs in cold weather, as protection from sunburn on the neck, as a pot holder for hot pots or branding irons, as prevention against snow blindness in winter, a tourniquet or sling in case of injury and just in case they were planning to rob the stage, it made a nifty mask!. Red was the most common color and it could be made of silk, cotton or linen.

Much like today, the bandana was generally folded into a triangle and tied around the neck, but with the knot in the back.

http://www.thewildwest.org/cowboys-western/330/Cowboy-Facts.html

The Truth About Cowboys• Myth – All cowboys were white males• Truth – 25% were African American and 12% were Mexican or

Native American• Myth – Cowboys fought and shot villains• Truth – Cowboys more likely to die from a riding accident or

pneumonia than in an ambush by outlaws• Myth – Cowboys were hard drinkers, gamblers, and cursed a lot.• Truth – Most employers forbid such conduct.• Myth – Cowboys led exciting, wild life-styles, full of adventure• Truth – The average cowboy was broken down by the time they

were 40 by working 10-14 hour days on the ranch and 18-20 hour days on the trail

• Myth – Cowboys participated in gun fights at high noon.• Truth – They may have carried a gun, but probably never shot

anyone. • Myth – Good guys wore white hats and bad guys wore black hats• Truth – Cowboys wore all types and colors of hats

Life of the CowboyRound Up

• Spring Round – Up: Cowboys rode the range of the ranch in search of longhorns

• Penning – Cowboys pen the animals in corrals until they are hungry enough to only graze when turned loose

• Sorting – Cowboys sort animals with ranchers brand and look for new calves

• Branding – Cowboys brand new animals

http://www.thechisholmtrail.com/boy3.htm

http://www.thechisholmtrail.com/boy2.htm

Click to view picture gallery: http://www.montereyinstitute.org/courses/US%20History%20II/course%20files/multimedia/lesson44/explore/l44_t01_xp2.htm

Life of the CowboyThe Long Drive

• Long Drive – overland trip from the ranches of Texas to the shipping yards in Kansas and other states.

• Cowboys – 1 cowboy for every 250-300 head of cattle (Receive $1 a day in pay)

• Cook – In charge of chuck wagon (Received $35 to $50 a month)

• Wrangler – took care of cowboys horses (Received less than $1 a day)

• Trail Boss – In charge of the long drive (Received $100 a month)

http://www.thechisholmtrail.com/trail1.htm

Life is Hard

• Rode all day and slept very little• Primitive food: beans, bacon, bread, and

coffee• Slept on ground• Bathed in rivers infrequently• Dangerous Job

– Stampede– River crossings– Lightening

http://www.thechisholmtrail.com/boy1.htm

Importance of the Railroad

• Before the Civil War few cattle were taken from Texas ranches due to poor transportation and dangerous conditions.

• After the Civil War the demand in eastern cities exploded because of the increase in immigration.

• Chicago meat packing plants could process the beef if they could find a way to transport the cattle.

• By 1866, the railroad had reached Sedalia, Missouri, but the trail was very hazardous.

Joseph McCoy & Abilene, KS

• Joseph McCoy built a cattle shipping yard in Abilene, Kansas, along the Kansas Pacific Railroad in 1867.

• 35,000 head of cattle shipped out in the 1st year and 75,000 in the 2nd year.

http://www.vlib.us/old_west/trails/cthist.html

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WWmccoy.htm

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-abilene.html

Cattle Trails

• Sedalia / Baxter Springs Trail

• Chisholm Trail

• Western Trail

• Goodnight – Loving Trail

http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/cattle.html

http://www.thechisholmtrail.com/index.htm

http://www.onthechisholmtrail.com/

Click to view the map of the Cattle Trails: http://www.montereyinstitute.org/courses/US%20History%20II/course%20files/multimedia/lesson44/explore/l44_t01_xp1.htm

http://www.thechisholmtrail.com/map2.htm

Kansas Cattle Towns

• Abilene

• Newton

• Wichita

• Caldwell

• Ellsworth

• Dodge City

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-kansascowtowns.html

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/OZ-DodgeCity.html

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-hellraisingdodge.html

The End of the Cattle Frontier• 1. Overgrazing of Land• *too many animals on the land destroyed the grass• 2. Extended Bad Weather• *1883 Drought• *1887 Worst Blizzard in Am. History

• 68 degrees below with 60 mile an hour winds• 3 days of snow at 1 inch an hour• 40% - 90% of the livestock were lost in what is known as the “Die Up”

• 3. Invention of Barbed Wire• *Joseph Glidden introduced barbed wire fencing 1874• *Ranchers started using higher quality cattle and running smaller

herds that required more care and fencing• *Significant because barbed wire was the major factor in

transforming the open plains into a series of fenced in ranches and farms. Ended the Era of the Wide-Open West.

Wild West Personalities

Annie Oakley – Little Sure Shot

Calamity Jane

Wild Bill Hickok

Buffalo Bill Cody

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-CalamityJane2.html

http://photoswest.org/exhib/faves/BB1.htm

Misc. Web Pages

http://www.thewildwest.org/interface/index.php

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/program/

http://photoswest.org/collect.htm