the cattle kingdom west texas ranching was the main source of income in west texas. how do you...
TRANSCRIPT
The Cattle Kingdom
West Texas
•Ranching was the main source of income in West Texas.
• How do you explain this?• Why do you think it wasn’t farming?
• Regions is too dry to support farming so ranching became more prominent
• Primarily influenced by water resources
Spanish Origins• The Spanish brought cattle and horses to
Texas• Large Spanish/Mexican ranches existed in
Northern Mexico & TX• Spanish vaqueros, or cowboys developed
skills in riding, roping, herding, and branding
• Some cattle strayed from the missions or ranches.• Over time, a new breed evolved known as the Texas
longhorn.
The longhorn was able to adapt to almost any environment.able to survive on little water or foodable to survive extreme hot or cold temperaturesAble to use their horns for protection
Influence of Civil War• Civil War ending marked the beginning of the cattle boom• The demand for beef outpaced supply in the Northeast• New markets in the East increased the growth of the industry as
population grew• Longhorns worth $3-$6 in Texas but $30-$80 in the Eastern United States• Large supply and high demand for beef created great profits for Texas
ranchers• Cattle boom helped Texas recover from the war
Cattle Trails• The Northern demand for beef led to the rise of the cattle
trails• Cattle Trails added to support the growing cattle industry in
Texas• Cattle trails were used to get cattle to the railroads, which
took them to markets in Northern Texas• Cattle drives began with a roundup• Drove the herds to towns with rail stations• Sent by rail to Northern states where they would be
slaughtered for meat• Ranchers made LARGE profits moving a herd to market
Cattle Trails
Problems with Cattle Trails
• Bandits stole cattle• Farmers complained…
• Cattle trampled their crops• Longhorns spread “Texas Fever” to
their cows• Some states passed quarantine laws to
keep Texas cattle away• Quarantine – isolate or separate to
prevent the spread of disease
Shawnee Trail
• First Cattle Trail used after the Civil War• Trail led from S. Texas thru Indian Territory to Sedalia, Missouri
Famous Trails• Chisholm Trail• The route went from Texas thru Indian
Territory and to Abilene, Kansas• Jesse Chisholm used this route to ship
goods north from Texas to Kansas• 1871 – 600,000 cattle moved north on
the trail• 1884 – 5 million cattle traveled on the
trail
Famous Trails• Great Western Trail • Opened in 1874 by drover John T. Lytle• Drover – person who moves livestock to
market• Developed to the west of the Chisholm Trail • Ran from Indian Territory to Dodge City,
Kansas and then north to a rail station in Nebraska
Famous Trails• Goodnight Love Trail • Trail blazed by Charles Goodnight and
Oliver Loving• Chose this route to avoid the hostile
Plains Indians• Ran from West Texas through New
Mexico, into Colorado and finally Wyoming
• Towns grew up along the trails and were known for violence and lawlessness
Famous Trails
Major Cattle Trails
Austin
Abilene
Baxter Springs
Dodge City
OgallalaCheyenne
Pueblo
Denver
Kerrville
Fort Concho
Sedalia
KEYGoodnight-Loving Trail
Great Western Trail
Chisholm Trail
Sedalia (Shawnee) Trail
Towns
Forts
Railroads
Rivers
Ellsworth
Life on the Trail• Cowboys rounded up cattle into a central camp in
early spring• They branded the animals and divided them into
herds• A typical herd numbered about 3,000 head of cattle• A trail boss (manager) planned the cattle drive• They brought 50-60 good horses – the spare horses
were called the remuda
Life on the Trail
• Cowboys spent 2 hours on guard duty• A herd moved about 10-15 miles a day• Cowboys often faced the possibility of stampedes
Trail Boss
Wrangler
Swing
SwingFlank
Flank
Point
Point
Remuda
Chuck wagon
Drag
TYPICAL CATTLE DRIVE
FORMATION
This diagram shows a typical cattle drive formation.The Pointers guided the cattle in the desired direction;the Swing Riders, behind the Pointers, assisted in guiding the cattle, and in keeping the herd in formation.The Flank Riders worked at keeping the formation intact.The Drag Riders, the most undesirable position because of the dust , depending upon the wind, kept the weaker, lagging cattle from slowing the formation down.
WAYS TEXANS HAVE ADAPTED TO AND MODIFIED THE ENVIRONMENT AND POSITIVE
AND NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF THE MODIFICATIONS
• Cattle trails• Adapted/Modified – cattle trails
were developed to transport cattle to the railroads.
• Consequences – led to the development of railroads and towns in less-developed areas
Jobs Along the Trail
Trail Boss• Qualifications
Leadership, Competence, Cooperative, Cool-headed, Resolute, Quick thinker, Previous experience with cattle drives
• Duties• Responsible for entire operation
(cows, cowboys, cattle) while on trail• Involved in finding water, grass, and
good trail for cattle• Can track different animals across the
range; knows the range well• Keeps peace between cowboys• Keeps horses and cowboys fed• Handles money involved with placing
orders for supplies and paying appropriate tolls
• Pay (1890s) - $90/month
• Pay (2008) - $2052/monthZack T. Burkett, LS Foreman, Overlooking the Canadian River, 1907
Legendary ranchman and trail driver Charles Goodnight invented the chuck wagon in 1866 for use by his crews. The chuck wagon, sometimes drawn by oxen, but usually by mules, carried not only food, utensils and a water barrel, but also tools and the crew's bed rolls. A fold-out counter, supported by one or two hinged legs, was used for food preparation. The wagon contained several drawers and shelves, with a "boot" or storage compartment underneath, all covered by a canvas top. The cook served beef and bison steaks, SOB stew (made from calf parts), "chuck wagon chicken" (bacon), "Pecos strawberries" (beans), "sourdough bullets" (biscuits) and cowboy coffee.
Chuck Wagon Cook
A JA Cook Inspecting His Stew, JA Ranch, Texas, 1908
The Matador outfit having dinner at the chuck wagon. The noon meal is known as "dinner" in the ranch country. Matador Ranch, Texas., 1908-1909
The Matador wagon cook [Harry
Stewart] making a cobbler. Matador Ranch, Texas, 1908
QualificationsMust know how to drive a wagon, be able to prepare meals with limited resources and serve them on time, some experience and knowledge of medical techniques also necessary
Level of Experience HIGH; former cowboy who is either too old for
the more difficult work or has been hurtDuties
Prepares 3 meals a day out of the back of a wagon
Not expected to assist with any cattle or other trail jobs
Cooks for the men on the trail Moves wagon about two times a day, 10-15
miles each time Awakens at 3am and has breakfast ready when
the others are awakened Pay (1890s) - $60/month Pay (2008) - $1368/month
Point Qualifications
Reliable, ability to work in a group with others toward a common goal
Level of Experience High; most honored post on the
drive. These cowboys would determine the direction of the drive.
Duties Works in groups of two and points
the lead steers in the right direction Sets the pace for the drive
Pay (1890s) - $30-40/month Pay (2008) - $684-912/month
Swing Qualifications
Must know how to ride a horse, previous experience with trail drives
Level of Experience Some experience required
Duties Rides a third of the way back from the front
of the herd as it is moving down the trail Pay (1890s) - $30-40/month Pay (2008) - $684-912/month
Flank Qualifications
Must know how to ride a horse, previous experience with trail drives
Level of Experience Some experience required
Duties “Cuts in” cattle that have gotten out of
the herd Rides about 2/3 of the way back from the
front of the trail Makes sure that cattle do not wander too
far away from the main herd Pay (1890s) - $30-40/month Pay (2008) - $684-912/month
Drag Qualifications
Willing to work hard and endure dust and dirt kicked up by the herd and riders ahead of them
Level of Experience Usually an entry-level position
Duties Rides at the back of the herd on the trail to
make sure that beeves, cows, etc. stay with the herd
Must be able to “push” these slower cattle forward
Pay (1890s) - $30-40/month Pay (2008) - $684-912/month
Two OR cowboys roping an outlaw steer, 1909
Jack Woffard of the Shoe Bar outfit flanking the trail herd. Shoe Bar Ranch, Texas, 1912
Often horses in the remuda would dodge cowhands’ attempts to rope them, making rope-handling skills all the more important. In this image, the cowhand is roping his mount for the day, using a smear or houlihan catch. A roper had different throws for different purposes; the smear or houlihan catch is a fast overhand throw with an open loop, rather than a side or spinning throw, which required more room to execute. The houlihan catch is performed quickly and in a tight area.
Erwin E. Smith (1886–1947)Smearing His Loop on a Wild One [A JA Cowpuncher Making a Houlihan Catch in the Remuda as the Horses Attempt to Dodge His Lariat], JA Ranch, Texas, 1908
Wrangler
The wrangler was usually a young boy who worked as an apprentice to learn the ways of a cowhand. His primary responsibility was to care for the remuda (herd of horses). In the morning he rose before the men to round up all the horses that might have wandered away in the night. He had to keep them together until they could be roped for the men to ride. One of the most popular cowboy songs of all time, “Little Joe, the Wrangler,” written by Jack Thorp in 1898, told the story of a youngster who worked hard at a “man’s job” and died tragically when the herd stampeded during a storm.
The boy wrangler for the Shoe Bar brings in a load of wood, the cowboy's favorite method of "totin' things", 1912
QualificationsWilling to learn and work hard
Level of Experience ENTRY-LEVEL POSITION, generally a young boy who wants to be a cowboy
Duties Drives the remuda before the wagon and ahead of the cattle Rounds the extra horses up and gets them into a rope corral several times
during the day Keeps the horses together and eating grass until it is time for cowboys to
change mounts Makes sure that those ridden hard are given proper food (corn and grass) Helps cook gahter wood and harness the teams of horses
Pay (1890s) - $25/month Pay (2008) - $570/month
The MYTH of the Cowboy
• The MYTH of the Cowboy started in books and movies.
• They portrayed cowhands as white men who experienced exciting adventures along the cattle trails and defended themselves against Indian tribes.
Cowboys
• Cowboys were in their teens to mid-20s• Small build – large men were too big for the horses• 2/3 were African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and
women• Daily life was boring, dirty work• Some rode up to 36 hours in saddle• Storms, dust, heat, rattlesnakes and river crossings
made life unpleasant
Female Cowboys
Lizzie E. Johnson
Margaret H. Borland
Big Ranches• By the late 1870s, land and cattle
companies owned more than HALF the land in West Texas
• Ranchers soon enclosed nearly all the rangeland in South Texas
• This brought an end to the big cattle drives
• Huge ranches spread out across Texas
Major CattleRanches
South TX Ranches• KING RANCH
Richard King, Henrietta King, Robert Kleberg
Panhandle Ranches• JA RANCH
John Adair, Charles Goodnight
• XIT RANCHAfter the capitol building in Austin burned down in 1881 the Farwell brothers of Chicago agreed to build a $3 million capitol in exchange for 3 million acres of land in the Panhandle… they started the XIT with the land
• SHOE BAR RANCHThomas Bugbee
• MATADOR RANCHH.H. Campbell and others
CAMP RANCH
Wilson County
Shoe Bar Ranch
JA Ranch
XIT Ranch
Matador Ranch
King Ranch
King Ranch• Richard King started with 15,000 acres in
Nueces County in 1852• When King died in 1885, he owned more
than 600,000 acres• His widow Henrietta and his son-in-law,
Robert Kleberg doubled the size of the ranch
• The King ranch grew to more than ONE MILLION ACRES, about as large as the state of Rhode Island
King RanchHeadquartersKingsville, TX
RichardKing
JA Ranch• Charles Goodnight’s JA Ranch was located in
the Panhandle• It covered more than one million acres by
the late 1880s• The ranch supported 100,000 cattle• Goodnight improved his cattle through
careful breeding • His ranch produced some of the nation’s
finest beef
JA Ranch
CharlesGoodnig
ht
XIT Ranch• XIT was another large Panhandle ranch• It enclosed more than 3 million acres,
surrounded by 6,000 miles of barbed wire fence• XIT was almost as large as the state of
Connecticut• Group of investors from Chicago, John and
Charles Farwell, owned the XIT• Received land after building a new capitol in
Austin in 1888
XIT Ranch
Charles and John Farwell
Other Texas Ranches• Sheep industry thrived in Central and South
Texas• By 1886, Texans owned nearly 5 million
sheep• Goat ranching also expanded in Texas in the
late 1800s• Some Texans owned mustang ranches• Mustangs are wild horses and thousands
lived on the plains