Why did the cattle drive end?

Answer 1

Cattle drives still exist as they did in the late 1800s, but not over the same extensive distances. The growth of towns and farms and extensive use of barbed wire blocked many of the traditional routes, and much of the open grazing land became private property. The advent of the railroads meant that it became cheaper in many cases to ship cattle by rail, so the drives were from the ranches to the local stockyards, where the cattle cars would be loaded.