Settling the American West

 Before the arrival of Americans, Mexicans and Spanish controlled large herds of cattle, over time many strayed from the herd and grew into large stray herds known as longhorns.  With the end of the Civil War and population expanding west a great desire for beef developed.  In response, Texas ranchers gathered these longhorns on long trips called cattle drives. to rail lines in Kansas and Missouri.  One of the most famous cattle routes was known as the Chisholm Trail and connected Texas to Kansas and would be used by over a million cattle.

 Many Americans learned many of their cowhand skills from Spanish Vaqueros. American cowhands wore outfits best used for protecting them from the elements.  The work of a cowhand was long and paid little, herds would often stampede, and trails were full of danger.

 Cattle drives ended in cow towns, which sprung up along railroad lines. In these towns, cattle were held in large pens until they could be loaded onto rail cars.  By the 1870’s cattle ranching spread north from Texas all the way to Montana. Millions of dollars poured into the West from the East and foreign countries attempting to earn money from the cattle boom.  Ranchers letting cattle run wild on the open range, were identified through branding. When sheep herders moved in conflicts developed.

 By the 1870’s farmers began to move onto the range. Farm fields were fenced in with barbed wire to keep cattle and sheep from entering.  Railroad companies also bought much of the land.  Nature also limited the growth of the industry as their was often just not enough grass to feed all the cattle.  Eventually cattle herders were forced to buy plots of land and fence in their herds, limiting their size and ending the cattle kingdom