American West- Cattle ranching and cowboys

Question 1

When did Cattle ranching start in Texas and by who?

Answer 1

1820, with ranches mostly manned by Mexican cowboys called vaqueros.

Question 2

What happened to the Mexican cowboys?

Answer 2

In 1836 Texan ranchers drove many Mexicans out, and claimed the cattle left behind.

Question 3

When did the civil war start?

Answer 3

1861

Question 4

What started the ‘long drives’?

Answer 4

The texans left to fight in the civil war, leaving their cattle behind. The cattle roamed free and multiplied, meaning that after the civil war they had a lot of cattle at home.Realising that there was a great demand for beef in the north of the USA, the Texans drove their cattle north on a long drive to Sedalia in Missouri, where they were loaded onto trains for Chicago.

Question 5

What did Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving do?

Answer 5

Two Texas ranchers, Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving, pioneered a second trail, to Denver in Colorado, where they sold their cattle to gold miners.

Question 6

Who won the contact to supply beef to the Sioux and when?

Answer 6

In 1868, a rancher named John Iliff (the ‘cattle-king of the northern plains’) won the contract to supply beef to the Sioux, who had been forced onto a reservation in the Black Hills.

Question 7

Who set up the Chisholm Trail?

Answer 7

A safer drive (the Chisholm Trail) was established to Abilene. This was set up by Joseph McCoy as a ‘cow-town’, with railroad stockyards (and numerous saloons where the cowboys could spend their wages).

Question 8

When was the first open range ranch set up and by who?

Answer 8

John Iliff was the first rancher to set up an ‘open range’ ranch - in Wyoming in 1867.

Question 9

Between what years did the open range exist?

Answer 9

1970- 1890

Question 10

Why did the open range develop?

Answer 10

There were huge areas of ‘open range’ - unfenced land which was free for anyone to use. By 1885, just 35 cattle-barons owned 8 million hectares of range, and owned perhaps 1.5 million cattle.Also, more demand as Refrigeration cars on trains opened a world-wide market for beef.

Question 11

Who invented the crazy quilt?

Answer 11

Charles Goodnight is reputed to have invented the crazy quilt (by buying small patches of land here and there over an area, he could effectively control all of it).

Question 12

Why did the open range come to an end?

Answer 12

Ranchers had over-grazed the plains. Overstocking had also led to a fall in prices.
In spring 1886 there was a drought, followed by a scorching hot summer (up to 43°C). This was followed by a winter storm in January 1887, in which the temperature dropped to -43°C. Half the cattle on the plains died in a single year.
More and more homesteaders were coming onto the plains, and fencing off their farms with barbed wire (patented in 1874).

Question 13

How did the railroads affect the development of cattle ranching?

Answer 13

In 1865-1870 beef was transported north on the railroad from Sedalia, causing the opening up of Chicago and the other northern markets.
The long drives were developed solely to get the cattle to the railroads.
The development of ‘cow-towns’ such as Abilene were to allow the safe loading of cattle onto the railroads.
In 1870-1885, refrigeration cars on trains opened a world-wide market for beef.
After 1885 many homesteaders, who eventually destroyed ranching, were brought to the West on the railroads.

Question 14

What needed to be in place for cattle ranching to work?

Answer 14

The railroads were a critical factor in the development of cattle ranching - without them the cattle would not have reached the marketplace. The long drives (which took the cattle to the railroads), cow-towns and stockyards (where the cattle were loaded onto the trains) were also all vital in getting the product to market. The cowboys were another essential ingredient - without their skills nothing, particularly the long drives, would have been possible.

Question 15

What increased the profit of cattle ranching and made it more appealing?

Answer 15

Range rights and the invention of crazy quilt allowed ranchers to acquire huge areas of land very cheaply.
Skilful breeding (the development of heavier cattle, which were still tough enough to survive on the plains) increased the ranchers’ profits.
Also important for profits was the defeat of the rustlers and the Indians (which allowed ranchers to trade unhindered).
Finally there was publicity - which encouraged people to take up cattle ranching.

Question 16

Who was Charles Goodnight?

Answer 16

He was one of the original Texas ranchers, starting as a rancher in 1856.
He was the first to recognise and exploit the huge and growing market for beef in the mining towns of Wyoming.

Question 17

How did Charles Goodnight help the development of Cattle ranching?

Answer 17

He pioneered the ‘long drive’ (the Goodnight-Loving Trail).
He helped to develop the cowboys’ skills on the long drives.
Range rights: Goodnight is reputed to have invented the technique he called the crazy quilt.
By crossing the Texas Longhorn with British Herefords, Goodnight was able to breed heavier cattle, which were still tough enough to survive on the plains.
He made a truce with a famous local rustler, ‘Dutch Henry’, then helped to form the Panhandle Stock Association, which drove out rustlers (especially Billy the Kid, who was killed in 1881).
James Brisbin’s book about Goodnight - ‘How to Get Rich on the Plains’ - encouraged many other people to take up cattle ranching.

Question 18

What did a lot of cowboys do after the decline of cattle ranching?

Answer 18

many cowboys ended up working as extras on cowboy films! Hollywood films, cowboy novels and, later, TV programmes such as ‘Bonanza’, glamourised the cowboys, and made them seem like heroes.

Question 19

What were cowboys like?

Answer 19

Many real cowboys were black ex-slaves, whereas the Hollywood heroes were always white. They were highly skilled. They could ride, shoot, lasso, wrangle, round up, herd, cross rivers, ‘turn’ stampedes, scout, keep watch and drive off rustlers - all in rain, hail and burning sun.

Question 20

What did the cowboys do during each season?

Answer 20

In winter they hung round the ranch, or lived in ‘line camps’, taking daily rides to stop the cattle ‘drifting’ onto the open plain.
In spring, they went ‘bog-riding’ to haul out ‘mired’ cows, and then went on the ‘round-up’.
In summer, they went on the trail drives to market.

Question 21

What were the similarities between the Native Americans and the cowboys way of life?

Answer 21

They were entirely dependent on the natural products of the Great Plains.
They moved around (though the cowboys were herding cattle, whereas the Native Americans were following the buffalo).
They cared for the cattle (eg by bog-riding and from line-camps) in a way similar to the way Native American dog-soldiers cared for the buffalo.
Their food and clothing was derived from cattle (beef and leather).
The round-up was a collective, community event similar in many ways to a buffalo hunt.
Cowboys developed a system of long-range signals, such as waving a hat, in much the same way as the Native Americans used smoke signals.

Question 22

What hardships did cowboys have to endure?

Answer 22

freezing winter cold in the line camps
danger of being trampled (especially in a stampede)
danger of drowning (crossing rivers)
rain, hail and burning sun on the long drive
having to stay awake all night on guard duty on the long drive
having to ride ‘drag’ on the long drive (dust from the herd)
attacks from Native American warriors on the long drive
attacks from rustlers

Question 23

What was the job of the Trail Boss?

Answer 23

Is in charge of the drive

Question 24

What was the job of the chuck wagon?

Answer 24

Acts as a cook

Question 25

What was the job of the point?

Answer 25

Keeps lookout and turns the herd

Question 26

What was the job of the swing?

Answer 26

Watches the flanks of the herd

Question 27

What was the job of the drag?

Answer 27

Chases up stragglers

Question 28

What was the job of the wrangler?

Answer 28

Looks after the horses