The Cattle Kingdoms of the West 1865-1887

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The Cattle Kingdoms of the West 1865-1887
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• Factors that lead to the Cattle boom
• Supply
• During the Civil War the Ranchers of Texas were
  cut off from their markets in the North and East.
  
• Herds in Texas grew dramatically by 1866 there
  were an estimated 5,000,000 cattle in Texas.
• Demand
• The post war East was in need of Beef
• The East began an Industrial boom in the 1870s
• Military need for beef for soldiers manning the
  western forts
• Native Americans on reservations needed Beef
• Miners in Colorado and Wyoming

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• The Problem Transportation
• In 1867 the nearest railhead was in Kansas City,
  Missouri
• The increased building of railroads solved this
  problem. It was now possible to drive the cattle
  to a rail depot.
• The railroad arrived at Sedalia, Mo in 1865, and
  by 1870 it extended into Kansas. It was here that
  the cow towns such as Abilene and Dodge City were
  built at railheads for the transport of cattle to
  the East. (Chicago)
• The BOOM WAS ON!

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• The Cattle Trails
• Sedalia Trail
• Chisholm Trail
• Western Trail
• Goodnight-Loving Trail
• New Trails developed as railroads moved west.
• In 1867, 35,000 cattle arrived at Abilene. By
  1871 600,000 steers a year were moving up the
  Chisholm Trail.

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Abilene, Kansas (late 1800s)
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Wichita, Kansas (1874)
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Dodge City, Kansas, 1874
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• The Long Drive
• Most herds took up to 3 months to reach the rail
  depot. Most herds were between 1,000 and 10,000
  head of cattle. The average cattle drive moved
  2,500 head about 1,000 miles.
• The perils
• Weather
• Stampedes
• Rustlers
• Rivers
• Native Americans

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• Who was the American cowboy?
• Most were male between the ages of 15 and 25
• 60 were White
• 30 were African-American, Hispanic, or Native
  American
• Cowboy Jobs
• Cowboys kept the cattle safe from predators such
  as coyotes.
• Cowboys kept the herds calm at night to prevent
  stampedes.
• Cowboys led the cattle across safe river
  crossings.
• Cowboys roped stray cattle that wandered off and
  brought them back to the herd.

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• Famous African-American Cowboy- Nat Love
• Nat Love was born a slave in Nashville, TN in
  1854.
• He drove cattle from Texas to Kansas, Nebraska
  and the Dakota Territory.
• In Deadwood, SD, Nat entered a roping contest and
  won. From then on, he was known as Deadwood
  Dick.
• Nat worked as a cowboy until 1890.
• Nat became a Pullman Porter in 1890.
• He eventually settled in Los Angeles. He died
  there in 1921 at the age of 67.

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• The end of the Boom
• The spread of farming to the plains (Barbed Wire)
• The harsh winters in 1886 and 1887, coupled with
  summer droughts, decimated the cattle herds
• The growth of railroads