NOTES ALIGNED TO CHAPTER 4 SECTION 2 MR. BABCOCK 7 TH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES Westward Expansion and Ranchers and Farmers

Origins Where did cattle ranching come from? As the Spanish continued their conquest of areas of South, Central, and North America. They brought many new species with them to the Americas including pigs, horses, and cattle. The breed of cattle they brought into Mexico and Texas as they were being settled are called longhorn steer. American ranchers learned to ride, rope, raise, and drive these cattle from vaqueros (Hispanic cowboys from formerly Spanish controlled lands such as Mexico and Texas)

Railroads and Cow Towns Prior to 1865, there was plenty of cattle in the West but no easy way to sell that cattle to the markets of the North and East This changed as the railroad continued to extend farther and farther west (remember the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869) With the extension of the railroad, now cattle ranchers could drive their huge herds of cattle (sometimes hundreds of thousands of cows) from the ranges and ranches of the West (the Long Drive) to railroad stations to be shipped to the North and East  Almost overnight, the value of cattle rose from about $3/cow to about $40/cow

Life on the Great Plains Ranchers and Cowhands lived difficult lives  Cattle driving required long days – typically hours per day in the saddle  Ranchers and cowhands had to endure rain storms, dust storms, and very high daily temperatures  Cold weather was only an issue on the ranges and cattle ranches and not on the Long Drives because this was done during the spring and summer so that there would be enough food for the animals to graze along the way.  Ranchers and cowhands also had to deal with rustlers, hostile natives, and stampedes  Many cowhands were Civil War veterans, foreign immigrants, and African American former slaves all who moved out West in search of a better life

The Long Drive

The Cattle Kingdom Ends The cattle industry, of course, exists to this day but… The Cattle Kingdom (the period of huge economic growth and large profits in the cattle business during the latter half of the 19 th century) came to an end when the cattle supply grew larger than the demand for beef and leather  Once the cattle supply had outpaced the demand, the price per head of cattle dropped quickly – driving many people out of the business and keeping others from entering it in the first place

Farmers Settle the Plains During the 1860s, many new people migrated to the Great Plains despite the belief of previous generations that this land was not farmable Quickly this part of the United States evolved from wilderness to farmland because of several contributing factors:  First, the railroads made the journey to the West easier and more affordable  Second, new laws offered free land (Homestead Act)  Third, new farming methods and technology made farming the Great Plains more possible than it had been for previous generations  Fourth, the 1870s saw well above average rainfall which encouraged many that agriculture was possible in this region  Finally, the Great Plains offered opportunities to those who had struggled to find success and wealth in the North and East (immigrants, former slaves, widows, etc.

The Homestead Act In 1862, the Homestead Act was passed by the United States Congress to encourage (and subsidize) people to settle on the Great Plains How did it work?  Once a piece of land available for homesteading was claimed, the claimant then had to pay a $10 filing fee to the US Government and then live on the land for 5 years… after that, the land was the private property of the claimant officially Who took advantage of this law?  Thousands of people took advantage of this opportunity to own essentially free land on the Great Plains  Many immigrants, former slaves, Civil War veterans, widows, etc. were among the thousands who claimed land through the Homestead Act

The Homestead Act