It was how the cattle was taken from the open ranges in cattle regions like Texas to the cow towns like Abilene where the drives would meet the railroads. From there the cattle would be loaded on rolling frieght and shipped to either the markets in the cities, or after the invention of the refrigerated rail car, shipped to meatpacking plants in Chicago or Green Bay, where they were butchered.
with the advent of barbed wire and the opening of the Great Plains to farming cattle drives became less common. These factors combined with a glut (too many cows = falling prices) on the cattle market led to the end of the "open range cattle drives"
Before the arrival of the railways, cattle reared in one part of America had to be driven to a distant market. As the cities sprawled ever outwards, and the population grew, so the demand for beef also grew.
Long Drive
That all depends on where you have to drive the cattle to. It may range from mere minutes to days or even months.
The most common name was 'cattle drive'.
the long drive
boo
Moving cattle from distant ranges to busy railroad centers that shipped the cattle to market
moving of cattle from distant ranges to busy railroad centers that shipped the cattle to market
Cattle moved from Texas to Northern cities
barbed wire
A few weeks to several months.
The railroads meant the rancher had a shorter journey to cattle markets. Instead of a cattle drive having to go a long distance, taking many days, the cattle were driven to the nearest railhead or cattle yard and loaded onto cattle trucks.
That depends on how far the cow hands had to drive the cattle. Most cattle drives lasted anywhere from a week to several months.