chapter 17 section 3 the cattle kingdom objectives explain how the cattle industry began. describe...
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
Objectives
• Explain how the cattle industry began.
• Describe the life of a cowhand on the trail.
• Discuss the myth of the Wild West.
• Identify reasons for the end of the cattle boom.
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
Terms and People
• open range – unfenced land
• cattle drive – the herding and moving of cattle over long distances
• vaquero – Spanish word for cowhand, or cowboy
• cow town – settlement at the end of a cattle trail
• cattle kingdom – region dominated by the cattle industry and its ranches, trails, and cow towns
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
What factors led to boom and bust in the cattle industry?
With mining towns growing and railroad companies racing to build track, another boom swept across the West.
the cattle boom
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
For years, herds of wild cattle roamed the open range of Texas.
But ranchers had no way to move the longhorns to distant markets.
Beef was in demand in eastern cities and western boomtowns.
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
That changed, however, as railroads crossed the Plains.
Trains could take the cattle to market. All the ranchers had to do was get the cattle to the trains.
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Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
Some of the rail lines were as far away as 1,000 miles, and the long cattle drives lasted two to three months.
Texas ranchers began to round up the cattle in the 1860s.
They hired skilled cowhands to move the herds north, along trails leading to rail lines.
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
Well-worn cattle trails led from Texas to rail lines in Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri.
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
Cowhands on the trail could spend up to 18 hours a day leading herds across rivers, pulling cattle from swamps, fighting grass fires, or chasing off thieves.
Yet despite the hard and dangerous work, cowhands earned less than $1 a day.
Lightning could cause a stampede, sending cattle in all directions.
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
Cowhands owed much to Spanish and Mexican vaqueros.
• how to ride, rope, and brand
• Mexican spurs and chaps
• broad-brimmed hats
• lassos
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
Abilene, Kansas, was the first of many cow towns to spring up at the end of the cattle trails.
Cattle drives ended at cow towns, where tired and hungry cowhands could find restaurants, hotels, dance halls, and saloons.
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Cow town
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
The rough-and-tumble life in cow towns did much to promote the myth of the Wild West.
• Place of gun fights, adventure, and opportunity
• Reflected in shows by William “Buffalo Bill” Cody
WildWest
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
Some of the myths of the Wild West are based on fact. Cowhands did help shape the West.
Yet the real West was much more than the land of gunslingers portrayed in frontier shows.
• Ranchers• Farmers• Miners• Pioneer families• Native Americans
RealWest
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
Ranchers in the cattle kingdom made huge profits during the boom years.
Profits
New breeds of cattle brought in even more money, and small ranches soon grew into huge cattle companies.
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
The cattle kingdom, however, would soon go from boom to bust.
At the same time, farmers began to fence their lands, preventing cattle from freely grazing. Ranchers now had to buy feed for their herds.
By the 1880s, millions of cattle roamed the range, along with sheep—more animals than the land could support.
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
In time, the railroads expanded, moving closer to the ranches. The days of the long cattle drives were over.
Demandfor
beef
An economic depression made matters worse.
People struggling to find jobs in cities could no longer afford expensive beef.
Chapter 17 Section 3
The Cattle Kingdom
Section Review
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