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?
12000
Why was there demand for beef near Fort Sumter?
The miners, railroad workers and Indigenous peoples 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?
60000
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
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?
5000
How many cattle passed through Abilene in 1867 alone?
35000
