3.1 Changes in the cattle industry

Question 1

What caused overstocking in the open range?

Answer 1

through the 1870s, so much money went into cattle ranching causing overstocking

Question 2

List the consequences of overstocking (3)

Answer 2

• fall in demand
• prices dropped
• soil erosion and loss of pasture

Question 3

Explain the fall in demand due to overstocking?

Answer 3

• in the eastern states, beef was so plentiful that shops had to lower their prices in order to sell the meat they had bought causing prices paid for cattle to decrease
• By 1882, profits from cattle ranching were beginning to decrease

Question 4

Explain the soil erosion and loss of pasture due to overstocking?

Answer 4

• overstocking resulted in the plains being overgrazed: there was too little grass
• overstocking put pressure on the soil damaging it
• when drought hit in 1883, the grass withered, making the overstocking problem worse
• prairie fires reduced the grass cover still further

Question 5

When and what was the “Great die up” and what were the consequences?

Answer 5

winter 1886-87

When temperatures fell as low as -55 degrees celsius

the cattle were already weakened by the consequences overstocking; now they could not reach the grass through the deep snow.

At least 15% of open range herds perished and many cattlemen went bankrupt

Question 6

Why couldn’t huge ranchers save their range?

Answer 6

because their cattle covered area that was far too large

Question 7

How did the Great die up lead to the end of the open range?

Why were smaller herds better?

Answer 7

• smaller herds were easier to manage and could be brought under shelter in bad winter weather
• smaller herds in fenced pastured were easier to guard against cattle rustlers
• ranchers brought in high-quality breeds that produced better meat. Their breeding was able to be controlled better as ranchers were able to fence their land with barbed wire to keep their cattle separate = higher quality of beef could be sold for higher prices
• smaller numbers of cattle reduced supply off beef, which helped raise prices for beef again

Question 8

What was the impact of the end of the open range on land?

homesteaders and ranchers

Answer 8

As ranchers went bankrupt and others quit to move back east, the homesteaders moved in.

they often moved in to farm areas that had been used for open- range ranching

This led to demands for surviving cattle ranches to fence their land to stop their animals from eating homestead crops

Question 9

What was the impact of the end of the open range on cowboys?

Answer 9

the end of the open range meant that there was much less demand for cowboys due to the huge losses of herds in the open range.

• numbers of cowboys decreased
• they lived much less adventurous lives

Question 10

What did the cowboys do after the end of the open range

Answer 10

• they branded and de-horned cattle
• looked after horses and calves
• mended barbed wire fences
• repaired building
• inspected the grass in the fenced-off fields
• harvesting the hay used to feed the herd during winter

Question 11

where did the cowboys live and how were they like?

mention the rules and regulations in place

Answer 11

• in bunkhouses
• they were not very comfortable, with leaking roofs, thin wall and beds full of lice
• there were schedules and rules to follow, which often included a ban on carrying firearms