Cowboys and their place in American History
After the Civil War and with the spread of railroads, the Ranching Industry began to develop in the “Great Plains”. Ranching- The raising of livestock to later sell for profit Growing cities in the East needed food. Cattle would be bred and raised on ranches in Texas In order to be sold for profit, cattle had to be taken to the railroad so they could be shipped to the East. Cattle were worth 10X more in the East than in Texas Creation of an Industry: Ranching
Cowboys were needed to drive herds of cattle across the “open range”, from Texas to the railroads in Kansas Young men from many backgrounds answered the call to become “Cowboys” Many were poor Southerners looking for work Many were former slaves looking for a fresh start Many were Mexican immigrants and former “vaqueros” Vaqueros = Mexican cattle ranchers All came seeking the freedom and adventure that the Cowboy lifestyle would provide. The need for “Cowboys”
Cowboys worked on ranches throughout the year, but their most important and vital job was the cattle drive. Cattle Drives took large herds of cattle from Texas, across the open range, to the railroads in Kansas. Cowboys usually worked in teams of ~10 men Cowboys could drive as many as 2500 cattle at a time Cattle drives covered ~1000 miles and could take as long as 3 months Cowboys on cattle drives faced long days filled with hard work, and numerous hardships along the way. The work of a Cowboy
Cowboys were paid to tend and protect the herd Less healthy cows to sell in Kansas = less money for the cowboys Cowboys averaged ~ $1 per day The herd had to be tended 24 hours a day, which meant cowboys often got very little sleep Cowboys had to live on the open range for months at a time They lived in tents and ate basic meals prepared on the “chuck wagon” Cowboys faced bad weather, storms, and had to drive cattle across rough terrain. Cowboy work was long, difficult, and often extremely boring The work of a Cowboy
The myth of the “Wild West” – a lawless place filled with violence and rowdy behavior – was created in Kansas “cow towns” At the end of a cattle drive, Cowboys would arrive in a “cow town”, get paid, and want to have fun and blow off steam Cowboys would spend money, party, dance, gamble, and usually drink heavily Laws were often hard to enforce, and bad behavior was common Cow Towns like Wichita and Dodge City, Kansas became infamous parts of the “Wild West” legend The “Wild West”
Cow towns had wanted Cowboys to have fun and spend money, but did not want things to get out of hand. Cow Towns often had many people, from many backgrounds all partying heavily in the same area Rowdy, drunken behavior was common Cowboys did carry guns on cattle drives in order to protect the herd from animals or rustlers. Rustlers = cattle or horse thieves Lots of drunken Cowboys carrying guns in a small area created a fear that violence could break out at any moment Surprisingly, gun violence was not common in the “Wild West” Gunfights or “Showdowns” did happen, but were very rare The “Wild West”
By 1890, the era of the “Wild West” and the true “Cowboy” was over. Barbed Wire had been invented, and made it possible for settlers and farmers to fence off the “open range” Railroads had spread across the United States and eliminated the need for Cattle Drives Small towns had grown into larger, more civilized cities and had become much less “wild”. The golden age of the American Cowboy only lasted ~ 25 years ~ The end of the “Wild West” and the era of the “Cowboy”
After the golden age of the Cowboy, many stories were written about the time period. People in the East wanted to read about the “Heroic Cowboy” Books, Comics, and later Movies were made that glorified the Cowboy lifestyle Many stories were greatly exaggerated or made up all together Stories of Cowboys, Sheriffs, and Outlaws became famous and popular, and a few have remained legendary parts of American History to this day. The Myth and Legend of the Cowboy