Cattlemen and Cowboys

Question 1

What was the open range?

Answer 1

Unfenced land that was claimed by the rancher.

Question 2

Why did the open range come to an end?

Answer 2

• pressure on grass as more cattle put onto plains because cattle prices rose
• 1883 drought caused grass to wither
• 1886-1887 winter extremely severe - cattle died in icy blizzards.

Question 3

What jobs did Cowboys do and what were the difficulties with these?

Answer 3

• Ran and did cattle drives: Indians attacked, natural hazards
• cook in cattle drives, drove chuck wagon, acted as a doctor
• wrangler in cattle drives, usually inexperienced: looked after spare horses for Cowboys
• line riding in winter: stayed alone at shacks on ranch boundaries
• rounding up and driving cattle in spring / summer: required skilled horsemanship and hard physical effort.

Question 4

Explain how equipment solved some of the Cowboys problems.

Answer 4

Hat: protected from weather

Bandana: protect neck from sun, acted as a dusk mask, could be a towel, a dish dryer, sling / bandage

Lariat: made from leather, caught and worked with cattle (lassoo)

Six shooter: status symbol of cowboy, hard to be accurate with it, often left in wagon.

Question 5

What did newspapers brand Cowboys as?

Answer 5

No ambitions / goals: always drinking + gambling

Wild: most wild and lawless set of men

Fearless: fear neither God, man or the devil

Question 6

What did cowboy colleagues brand Cowboys as (from their personal experience)?

Answer 6

Honourable: risked a lot in defence of something/one

Hard working: enduring, grit to the backbone

Respectful

Question 7

Why did cattle ranchers come into conflict with homesteaders?

Answer 7

• conflict over land
• access to water
• barbed wire
• competed for grazing between sheep and cattle
• racial and religious intolerance

Question 8

Who developed barbed wire and when?

Answer 8

Joseph glidden, 1874

Question 9

Give three causes of the Johnson County War.

Answer 9

• problems in cattle ranching (beef prices falling, drought, harsh winter)
• more people settling, disputes over land
• rustling (taking roaming cows for yourself)

Question 10

How did the conflict (of Johnson County War) escalate between 1889 and 92?

Answer 10

• first killings of a couple 1889
• more killings followed
• 1892: cattle barons planned invasion of Johnson county, gov supplied guns, drew up death list
• they were held up, before getting to buffalo where they would invade, by Nate champion all day, buffalo had time to hear of news and raise an alarm so people were armed and ready.

Question 11

What was the result of the Johnson County War?

Answer 11

• cattle baron s brought to trial, never convicted
• never had same power in Wyoming again
• homesteaders and small ranchers continued their lives in peace

Question 12

How was ranching developed successfully?

Answer 12

• plains Indians defeated and confined to reservations
• buffalo were all gone and slaughtered by hunters
• kept Texas Longhorns on plains in winter so hopefully cold would kill their disease carrying ticks
• cattle could be taken to market across railroads on plains

Question 13

How was the cattle industry developed?

Answer 13

• increase in demand from Indians, army, miners and easterners
• so suppliers Goodnight, McCoy and Illiff developed cow towns, interbreeding and ranches.
• railroads and cattle drives required to get cattle from Texas to cow towns to cities in East.