The growth of the cattle industry Flashcards
Why was there increasing demand for food in the West in the 1860s?
The population was growing
Why did more Americans want beef in the 1860s?
They were getting richer so wanted more ‘luxury’ food items
Why was there increasing demand for beef in the large cities in the East?
They were growing in population and it was not possible to farm beef in the cities
What was used to keep meat fresh on the railroads?
Refrigerated rail cars
How many longhorn cattle were there in Texas by 1865?
5 million
Why was Chicago the centre of the meat trade?
It had excellent railroad links to the rest of the country - cattle were transported to Chicago and turned into meat in the Union Stock Yard
How many pigs and cows were processed in Chicago’s Union Stock Yard in:
1870
1890
1870: 3 million
1890: 12 million
How much was a cow worth in:
Texas
Chicago
Texas: $5 per head
Chicago: $40 per head
What states would cattle have to pass through in the most direct route between Texas and Chicago?
Kansas and Missouri
Why did the farmers of Kansas and Missouri block cattle from Texas in the 1860s?
The Texas longhorn cows suffered from a disease called Texas fever which spread easily and was usually fatal - Kansas and Missouri farmers didn’t want their cattle infected
Who took 800 cattle to Fort Sumter in New Mexico in 1866?
Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving
How much did Goodnight and Loving sell their 800 cattle for in Fort Sumter in 1866?
$12,000
Why was there demand for beef near Fort Sumter?
The miners, railroad workers and Plains Indians on reservations all needed to be fed
What evidence suggests that Charles Goodnight was a strict employer?
He fired any cowboys he caught gambling or drinking
He had strict rules for the care of cattle and horses
What vehicle did Charles Goodnight invent, and what impact did this have?
The chuck wagon (a mobile kitchen and canteen)
Cowboys did not have to carry their own food
How many cattle was the US government buying per year by 1870?
60,000 cattle per year
How many acres did Goodnight’s ranch expand to by 1876?
1 million acres
What impact did Charles Goodnight have on other ranchers?
They used the Goodnight-Loving Trail to Wyoming
Who did the Goodnight-Loving Trail NOT help?
Ranchers who wanted to sell their cattle to the big markets in the eastern cities
Why did Kansas farmers not oppose Texas cattle going to Abilene even though it was in Kansas?
It was on the western edge of the main farming areas
What trail could Texas ranchers use to reach Abilene?
The Chisolm Trail
What did McCoy build in Abilene and why?
Stockyards - cattle could be held here before they were loaded onto rail cars
What did McCoy build in Abilene for the cowboys who drove their cattle here?
A hotel and saloons
How much money did Joseph McCoy spend on marketing Abilene?
$5,000
How many cattle passed through Abilene in 1867 alone?
35,000
How many cattle passed through Abilene between 1867 and 1872?
3 million
How did Joseph McCoy make money from the cattle passing through Abilene?
He charged the ranchers for using the stockyards and for arranging transport
How many cowboys were paid in Abilene at the end of their trails north in 1871?
5,000
Why did cow towns become less important in the 1880s?
The railroads could reach Texas and cattle could be transported across the country from there without driving them
Who brought ranching to the Plains?
John W. Iliff
What problem did John Iliff have in terms of getting cattle to Colorado?
There were no railroad connections to Colorado
What did Iliff start doing in 1866?
He bought up as much land and cattle as he could
How much land and how much cattle did Iliff have by the early 1870s?
16,000 acres and 26,000 cattle
Where did Iliff’s cattle graze as well as on his land?
The open range: public land that was not fenced off
What did Iliff receive in 1868 from the US Government?
A contract to supply beef to 7,000 Sioux on their reservations
What made Iliff’s success different to that of Charles Goodnight and Joseph McCoy?
He raised the majority of his herd on the Plains, rather than relying only on cattle driven up from Texas
Why did investors pour money into the cattle industry?
The costs were low (free grass, almost free land, cheap transportation by rail) while profits were high
