1. Closing of the Open Range
Open Range: unfenced, public land; usually for grazing cattle

2. End of Cattle Drives By late 1880s, the great cattle drives were over
Renewed outbreaks of Texas Fever caused states to quarantine
Cattle prices fell in the 1880s, making it too costly to drive the herds
More farmers & ranchers installed fencing, closing off the open range
Rail lines had been extended into Texas, making cattle drives unnecessary

3. Fencing the Open Range
Farmers moved to West Texas & wanted to fence their land to protect crops from stray cattle & sheep
Some ranchers also wanted to fence their land
Wood was hard to find in the region
Joseph F Glidden developed barbed wire in 1873
Barbed Wire: type of wire fencing, designed with sharp points, or barbs (kept cattle off the fencing without hurting the animals)
Invention of barbed wire was influenced by the use of natural fences in the past
Easy & inexpensive
By late 1880s, there were barbed wire fences in nearly every Texas county

4. Barbed Wire

5. Windmills
Not a lot of rivers for water, but the Ogallala Aquifer lay underneath the region
Aquifer: a layer of rock/gravel that absorbs rainfall & keeps it flowing underground
Ranchers adapted to the environment by using windmills
Windmills: devices using wind power to pump water from underground to the surface
Made it possible for cattle owners to fence in their cattle
Allowed farmers & ranchers in West Texas to irrigate crops without having access to a river

6. Windmill

7. Range Wars Late 1800s Caused by ranchers fencing land with barbed wire
Fight was also over the blocking of water sources, cattle drives, sheep & goat ranching
Farmers & ranchers battled between each other, cutting & destroying fences
Resulted in gunfights & lower property values

8. Fencing Laws Fence cutting became an important political issue
Texas Legislature made fence cutting a felony
Also required a gate every 3 miles of fence to allow passage of roads & railroads

9. Legacy of the Open Range
End of the 1880s, open range began to disappear
The windmill allowed farmers and their crops to expand onto the plains
Severe winters caused the death of thousands of cattle
Some ranchers expanded too quickly, allowed overgrazing
Newly invented refrigerator cars could move processed beef to eastern cities
Cattle ranching continues is still a significant part of the Texas economy today
In 2010, the total value of cattle production in Texas was over $6 billion

10. WAYS TEXANS HAVE ADAPTED TO AND MODIFIED THE ENVIRONMENT AND POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF THE MODIFICATIONS
Closing the frontier
Adapted/Modified – fences kept cattle, sheep, and goats within one’s property.
Consequences – changed business of ranching, more commercial, & encouraged other types of industries to move into the area

11. Create Chart in Journal – on left side of notes
Explain how these inventions influenced the development in Texas
Barbed Wire
Windmill
Effect
Led to closing of the open range
End of the Cattle Drives
Led to the Range Wars
Effect
Increased ranching & farming in dry West Texas
Contributed to the closing of the open range