Texas Cattle Trail Map

Shawnee Trail

Chisholm Trail

Western Trail

Goodnight-Loving Trail

St. Louis

Brownsville

Abilene

Dodge City

Denver

Kansas City

Sedalia

San Antonio

Dallas

•In the spring, cattle were brought into a central camp to be branded.

•Herd sizes varied, the average herd size was around 3,000 head.

•Managers (AKA trail bosses) planned and managed the drive.

•The number of men on a drive ranged from 11-18

•Cowboys needed 50-60 good horses, called a remuda.•Managers earn $100/m Cooks earn $75/m Wranglers earned $50/m Trail Hands earn $25-$40/m•Wore a wide brim hat, bandanas, boots with spurs, gauntlets, vests with several pockets, and chaps.Goat ranching and Mustang ranching engulfed the cattle drive tradition, causing a stop of drives in the 1880s. Railroads expanded west into Texas and made it less essential to have drives.

Range Wars• Sheep at the grass almost to the roots which

destroyed the grazing for cattle• Sheepherders often needed to drive their flocks

over ranchers’ land in order to move from pasture to another.

• As ranchers began fencing their land in 1880’s conflicts worsened.

• Some public roads and water supply were cut off by fences, so small farmers fought back by cutting fences

• By 1883 a “range war” had begun, finally legislature made it illegal to cut fences. People who fenced across public roads or water supply had to provide a gate.

•Before the Civil War there were very few railroads in Texas.

•Railroads were first successfully completed in 1851

•In 1853 the first trains rolled across Texas on 20 miles of track

•By 1861, nine sets of railroads were in Texas

•By 1900 over 10,000 miles of railroad tracks expanded across Texas.

Modern Ranching BeginsBig Die UPThis was the beginning of modern ranching in TexasA lot of cattle roam the rangeIt was the harsh winter of 1886-1887There was a mild winter the year before and extreme drought in the summer left prairie grasses stunted and sparse.Mid November the winter storm hit and temperatures dropped below minus 20 degrees with 6- 10 inches of snow and temp. did not rise till mid February.

Fall of the Cowboy Painting

Modern Ranching Hundreds of thousands of herds of cattle drifted with the blizzard many of the weaker animals died along with cowboys.

• Cattleman that were able to stay in business, fenced off pasture of each group of cattle required

• Constructed barns to store hay for winter feeding, they cross bred Angus, and Herefords, several new breeds resulted which produced more meat, resisted heat and Texas Fever.

Poem The Big Die UpBy Mike Puhallo

• With "the big die up” in ’88

• Some said the west was done.

• And for a fact it forced a change in way a ranch was run.

• They had to fence the open range

• So cattle wouldn't stray.

• They put in fields and water works

• To winter cows on hay

• With “the big die up” in 88

• Some said the west was done.

• But the days of cattle ranching

• Had really just begun.

• Ranches keep on changing

• More modern every day!

• But there’s still a place, for a good cowhand

• To ride and earn his pay.

• With “the big die up” in 88

• Some said the west was done.

• Bit if heart and spirit count at all

• Hey, folks we’ve just BEGUN!!!!

Laredo

Houston

DallasFort Worth

Austin

San Antonio

El Paso

Texas and PacificSouthern PacificHouston & Texas Central

International Great Northern