The Great Plains: A Place of Hope and Tragedy

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The Great Plains A Place of Hope and Tragedy

• By Noah Abeita

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A Question to Answer

• Unit- how did the expansion of the railroads into
  rural areas and the invention of barbed wire
  change cattle ranching?

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Cattle ranching before barbed wire and railroads

• The open range was in effect before barbed wire.
  This means the cattle roamed the land free and
  there were no fences.
• The ranchers had to have cattle drives to the
  north before the railroads came to the rural
  areas. This was because all the slaughter houses
  were in the north.

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How Barbed wire changed cattle ranching

• Barbed wire made it possible for people to build
  large fences. Before they would have to build
  the fences out of wood. This was a difficult
  process.
• Barbed wire closed the open range. This means
  animals were no longer free to roam where ever
  they pleased.
• Since the open range was closed, spring roundups
  were no longer needed to brand the new cows.
• Last, closing the range with barbed wire brought
  about a sense of private property to the
  ranchers.

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How the expansion of railroads changed cattle
ranching

• Expansion of the railroads basically got rid of
  the long cattle drives. In the past, they had to
  drive their cattle to Kansas where the nearest
  railroad was to ship their cattle to the
  slaughter houses in the north. But since the
  railroads had expanded to places like Texas, the
  ranchers could now just drive the cattle to their
  local railroad. The era of the cattle drive was
  over. No longer would trails like the Western
  Trail be used.

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Images
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References

• http//www.nonstick.com/sounds/
• http//www.nara.gov/education/teaching/glidden/wir
  e.html
• http//dgl.microsoft.com/