Chapter 18, Section 2

Cattle on the PlainsWhen the Spanish settled Mexico and Texas

they brought a tough breed of cattle called longhorns.

Texas was primarily an open range – not fenced or divided into lots.

Ranchers rounded up wild cattle and added them to their herd. Then they would brand – burn a symbol into the animals’ hides to show ownership.

Railroads and Cow TownsThe market for beef was mainly in the North

and East.

Railroads and Cow Towns In 1866, when the Missouri Pacific Railroad

reached Missouri, Texas cattle suddenly increased in value.

Some Texans drove their herds (sometimes as much as 260,000 head of cattle) north to the nearest rail point in Sedalia, Missouri.

Longhorns quickly rose in value from $3.00 each to $40.00.

Cattle drives to cow towns – towns located near railroads to market and ship cattle, turned into yearly events.

Major cow towns included: Abilene and Dodge City, Kansas and Cheyenne, Wyoming

The Long Drive Long Drive – the herding of cattle 1,000 miles

or more to meet the railroad. The drives left Texas in the spring, so there was

enough grass to feed cattle along the way. Two of the largest Long Drives led from central

Texas to Abilene, Kansas on the Chisholm Trail. The Goodnight-Loving Trail swung west through the New Mexico Territory and then turned north.

From the late 1860’s to the mid 1880’s, the trails carried more than five million cattle north.

Life on the Trail Cattle driving was hard work. Cowhands rode in

the saddle up to 15 hours every day, in driving rain, dust storms, and blazing sun. It was also lonely work because they rarely saw outsiders.

Spanish Influence Cattle herding began with Hispanic ranch hands.

Vaqueros developed skills like riding, roping, and branding. Dress was also adopted from vaqueros: wide-brimmed hats, leather leggings (chaps), ropes called lariats to lasso cattle that strayed.

Hazards on the Trail Weather, rustlers, driving cattle across rivers,

stampedes

The “Wild West”Lawlessness was prevalent just as in

Boomtowns The Cattle Kingdom Ends

When cattle prices boomed in the early 1880s, ranchers became rich.

The boom was soon followed by a bust; overgrazing depleted the grasslands, too many cattle flooded the beef market and prices fell, and cold winters killed large numbers of cattle.

Farmers Settle the Plains for Several ReasonsThe railroads made the journey west easierNew laws offered free land In the late 1870’s above average rainfall

made the Plains better suited for farming The Homestead Act

In 1862, Congress pass the Homestead Act, which gave 160 free acres of land to a settler who paid a filing fee and lived on the land for five years.

Promoting the PlainsMany homesteaders came to the Plains to

own land and be independent. They were also paid for by railroads, steamship companies, land speculators, and western states and territories.

Steamship companies advertised the American Plains in Scandinavia. By 1880 more than 100,000 Swedes and Norwegians settled in the Northern Plains

African American settlers called themselves “Exodusters,” from the book of Exodus, referencing the escape from slavery.

Challenges faced by farmersDroughtBrushfiresPlagues of grasshoppers or other insectsSevere winters with deep snow

Farm FamiliesMen worked hard in the fieldsWomen worked the fields and cared for the

home and children (responsible for keeping the farm running)

New Farming MethodsPlains farmers, known as sodbusters, had to

create new methods and tools to work the dry land

A technique called dry farming was to plant seeds deep in the ground where there was some moisture.

Lightweight steel plows were createdBarbed wire was used to protect land

because farmers did not have wood to build fences

Oklahoma Land RushThe last part of the Plains to be settled was

the Oklahoma Territory, which Congress had designated as “Indian Territory”

In 1889, the federal government, pressured by land dealers, opened Oklahoma to homesteaders (April 22, 1889-official opening day)

Where did the name Sooners come from? Closing the Frontier

According to the 1890 census…the frontier no longer existed

Who faced the greatest changes from Plains settlement?