Chapter 18 Section 1 and 2 Ranching and Farming

Section 1: The Origins of the Cattle Kingdom The Spanish Introduce Cattle The cattle first arrived as a part of the Colombian exchange in the early 1500s from Spain In the 1690s, Spain began to bring them into the plains of South Texas. By the 1700s, Goliad had close to 25,000 head of cattle. Good weather made Texas the ideal cattle county. Vaqueros, or cowhands, herded and drove cattle into corrals They were then branded with a hot iron to show ownership.

Section 1: The Origins of the Cattle Kingdom Early Ranchers Use the Open Ranch Cowboy qualities such as roping skills, wearing chaps, and used saddles equipped with horns were adopted from the Spanish and Mexican vaqueros. Richard King, a native New Yorker, came to Texas with Mifflin Kenedy as business partners. In 1853, King bought Santa Gertrudis, an old Spanish land grant of 15,500 acres in the southern Gulf Coast, and renamed it King Ranch. Most cattle were slaughtered for their hides and tallow, or fat, which would be easily shipped

Section 1: The Origins of the Cattle Kingdom Trail Driving Opens the Cattle Market Cattle drives became very profitable after the Civil War In the Southwest: $4 a head for a cattle In the North and East: $30 to $40 a head for a cattle As the railroad industry grew and cattle needed to be shipped to stockyards in the upper Midwest, Texas ranchers began to drive, or move, the cattle to railroad towns Trail driving became VERY economical

Section 1: The Origins of the Cattle Kingdom Drovers Follow Major Cattle Trails Sedalia/Shawnee Trail – Spring of 1866, about 260,000 head of cattle were rounded up and driven to Sedalia, Missouri Drovers – people who move cattle, began to find trouble. Missouri farmers complained that the herds destroyed their crops. Angry farmers began putting up fences and barricades. The Chisholm Trail was used to avoid Missouri. Ran through Dallas, Oklahoma, and ended in Abilene, Kansas The Great Western Trail – formed in Kerrville, later used by drovers, where the Matamoros Trail from Brownsville met the Old Trail from Castroville. It ran northward to Dodge City, Kansas.

Section 1: The Origins of the Cattle Kingdom Life Along the Trail Drives The Drive: two skillful cowhands in front of herd, one on each side, two or three rode in the back called the dusty, drag position. Traveled usually 10-12 miles a day. Coosie – chuck wagon cook. Older cowhand hired for wagon driving abilities, not cooking. Paid the most Wrangler – ranch hand who was in charge of taking care of the horses Trail driving ended shortly after 1885. Supply of cattle became greater than the demand – prices fell Barbed wire the growth of railroads built in Texas eliminated the need for long cattle drives

Section 1: The Origins of the Cattle Kingdom Ranching Fact and Fiction Cowboys became a figure in art, music, movie, and literature Andy Adams (The Log of a Cowboy) and Charles Siringo (A Texas Cowboy, or Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony) wrote stories of the years as cowhands. In the winter/offseason, many became Wolf bounty hunters to make money and protect cattle.

Section 2 The Days of the Big Ranches Big Ranches Bring Profits Huge ranches began to spread throughout South Texas to the north. Kings Ranch expanded to more than 1 million acres and 100,000 head of livestock by 1925 Charles Goodnight and John Adair establish JA Ranch in Palo Duro Canyon XIT Ranch – financed by British inventors, the 3 million acre ranch was built by a Chicago company originally. In return for, the company promised to build a new state capitol building. Financing for the building came from British investors

Section 2 The Days of the Big Ranches The Sheep Industry Booms Raising sheep became an important part of the ranching industry George Wilkins Kendall, a newspaper reporter, set up a 5,000 acre ranch near Boerne. Struggling with issue like disease, drought, and Native Americans, he still managed to convince to come to Texas to raise sheep. The growing demand for wool brought even more sheep ranchers to Texas after the Civil War

Section 2 The Days of the Big Ranches Mustangers Catch Wild Horses Barbed Wire Ends the Open Range Horses were very valuable products of frontier life Mustangs, or hardy wild horses of the western plains, were caught, tamed, and then sold to the U.S. Army or ranchers This became a very important part of the livestock industry in West Texas until the 1870s When cattle ranching grew, mustang numbers reduced By 1873, several inventors perfected what became known as barbed wire. Sharp barbs were twisted into cheap and easy to install fences that would prick, but not harm animals to keep them inside farmers land. J.F. Glidden became the most successful inventor/salesman Land disputes about fencing became an issue and Texas Rangers was called in to issue felonies to “fence cutters”

Section 2 The Days of the Big Ranches The Ranching Industry Declines Ranching industry began to decline in the late 1880s Overproduction of cattle led to overgrazing which led the price of cattle dropping Droughts and even blizzards caused ranchers to sell off herds. Ranchers began to go bankrupt. However, ranches like King Ranch and Matador still prospered. Technology and new breeds of cattle began to modernize ranching

Section 2 The Days of the Big Ranches Cultures Meet in the Ranching Country Many Mexican American cowboys, or Vaqueros, were found mainly on ranches in South Texas Many of these Mexican American began to raise sheep. African Americans, German, English, Scottish, and Irish farmers also began to establish ranches in the High Plains

Section 2 The Days of the Big Ranches Women Ranchers Along with helping men with ranching and frontier chores, women began to maintain and grow household gardens. They would preserve and store food throughout the year Some even became independent ranchers. Women like Elizabeth Johnson Williams, Molly Goodnight, Henrietta King became well known names for helping ranches grow Margaret H. Borland (pictured left) owned her own ranch with over 10,000 head of cattle!