1. The Growth of the Cattle Industry
Chapter 13 Section 2

2. I The Cattle Industry Becomes Big Business A. The First Cowboys
Horses and cattle introduced by the Spanish
Spanish settlers used horses for work & Longhorn for food
Longhorn flourished in Mexican plains  Spanish employing Aztec prisoners as vaqueros AKA cowboys
As herds grew  vaqueros learned to use horses to manage the herds
These first cowboys became expert riders and skilled at the use of la reata
La reata = the lariat (laso)

3. Ranchers & vaqueros travel north to provide food for silver miners
Eventually teach Pueblo Indians how to ride & rope
Others cross the Rio Grande and settle in Texas & Great Plains
Over yrs. Cattle and horses escaped and flourished in US as they had in Mexico

4. B. Influence of Mexican Culture
American cowboy culture stems directly from Spanish ranchers in Mexico
Amer. Learned how to manage herds on open range from their Mexican neighbors
American cowboy clothes, food, & vocab influence by Mexican Cowboys
Mexican vaquero first to use spurs
Chaparreras = leather overalls AKA Chaps
Charqui= dried strips of meat AKA Jerky
Caballo Bronco = “rough horse” AKA Bronco

5. Amer. Cowboy adopts and adds to vaquero way of life
Bandanna such a staple that it was requested to be official flag of open range
Six-shooter = gun that could fire 6 shots w/o reloading
Came to symbolize cowboy & the entire Old West

6. C. The Importance of the Railroad & City Dwellers Demand More Beef
Cowboys were not successful until the RR reached the west
Pre Civil War cowboys rarley left homesteads and sold to local markets
After civil war cities grew and so did demand for beef
Cowboys could ship their cattle on RR from Mizzou to the east  blockade from farmers
McCoy (Illinois) purchases land and build RR  ranchers hiring cowboys to drive their cattle to Albien (RR station)

7. II The Truth about Cowboys
Cowboy owned his saddle but horse belonged to his boss
Prob never shot anyone as they as portrayed in movies to conduct “hold ups”
Cowboy season begins w/ roundup  rode in open range and round up as many longhorns as they could into a coral
Branded the longhorn that was theirs
Trail boss then chose a crew for the long drive
Drive to RR tracks in Abilene

8. IV The End of the Cattle Frontier
Natural disasters contributed to the end of the cattle frontier
Overgrazing destroyed the plains
Drought caused land to dry up grasslands and turn it into a desert
Invention of barbed wire also contributed to the end of the cattle frontier
Ranchers turned to high-grade stock that yielded more meat than free grazing longhorn
Ranchers fenced in land w/ barbed wire to keep cattle from straying  the end of wide open west