Cattle Ranching Flashcards
When cattle ranching first began, who owned and ran most ranches?
Mexican Cowboys called vaquros
What did the Texan ranchers do in 1836?
Drove the Mexican ranchers out, and claimed left behind cattle
Why did numbers of cattle increase drastically between 1861 and 1865?
Texan ranchers left to fight in the Civil War, so cattle roamed free and huge herds grew
At the end of the civil war, what did the Texan ranchers do with their cattle?
Round them up and drove them to sell in places such as California and New Orleans
When did cattle ranching first begin and where?
1820s in Texas
Who pioneered a trail to Denver, Colorado to sell cattle to gold miners?
Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving, the Goodnight- Loving Trail
Who set up Abeline and how did you get there?
Joseph McCoy, the Chisholm Trail
Who first set up an Open Range ranch, where and when?
John Illif, Wyoming 1867
Who pioneered a second trail to Denver after the Goodnight-Loving Trail?
John Illif
Who invented the Crazy Quilt and what did it mean?
Charles Goodnight, if he bought small patches of land here and there he could effectively control all of it
By 1885 how many cattle barons owned how much land, and how many cattle?
35 cattle barons owned 8 million hectares and perhaps 1.5 million cattle
When did the open range end?
1885-1890
Why did the open range end?
Ranchers had over grazed the Plains, and cattle prices dropped due to overstocking
There was a drought in 1886 and a storm in January 1887 and half the cattle died in a single year
Homesteaders also began fencing off their land with barbed wire
How did Charles Goodnight increase his and other ranchers profits?
By breeding the Texas Long Horn with British Herefords, he could breed heavier cattle that were still tough enough to survive on the Plains
Who were the majority of cow boys?
Black ex-slaves
What did Cowboys do in winter?
Stay on the ranch or lived in line camps, taking daily rides to stop cattle drifting into the open plain
What did cowboys do in spring?
They went big riding to haul out mired cows, and went on the round up
What did cowboys do in summer?
Went on the long drives to cow towns such as Dodge City and Abeline
How were Cowboys’ lives similar to Native Americans?
They were entirely dependent on the natural products of the Plains
They moved around a lot
They cared for cattle
Their food and clothing was derived from cattle
They developed a system of long range signals
How was life difficult for Cowboys?
Freezing cold winters on the ranch, danger of death(drowning and being trampled), harsh weather conditions, threats of attack from Indians and rustlers
What was the job of the trail boss?
Person in charge of the drive
What is a wrangler?
Cowboy who cares for the horses
What did the cowboy riding drag have to do?
Chases stragglers
What was the job of the chuck wagon?
Act as the cook
What was the jobs of point and swing?
Point- Keeps look out and turn herd
Swing- Watches flanks of the herd
Where is Johnson County?
Wyoming
What did the cattlemen want from the homesteaders?
Land
What did the homesteaders do in response to the cattlemen?
They refused to give up their land and tried to prevent the cattlemen having access to water
Who did Governor Barber of Wyoming support and what did he say?
The cattlemen, that homesteaders were rustling their cattle
Who did the Sheriff of Buffalo support and what did he say?
The homesteaders, that cattle barons were stealing their land
What did the cattlemen regularly do to homesteaders?
Caught and hung them
Who were hanged by cattlemen?
Ella Watson and Jim Averill
What did the cattle barons do?
Assembled a list of 70 rustlers, the homesteaders, that they wanted killed. They hired a lynching party of 43 cattlemen, including 20 hired gun men
Who did the lynching party attack?
A ranch known as the KC ranch. They killed Nick Ray and his partner Nate Chapman, who was roundup foreman of the local Northern Wyoming Farmers & Stock Growers Association
What did the Sheriff of Buffalo do in response?
Raise a posse of 319 men, who rode out and trapped the cattlemen at a ranch called the TA
What happened to the trapped cattlemen?
They were rescued by the Army cavalry
What happened to the cattlemen after they were rescued?
They were charged with murder, but bribed the jury and the case was dropped. However, the war stopped the cattle barons power
