Cattle Drives and Trails

Back in the day, cattle were kept in open range, so different herds could be mixed up. After calves were born in the spring, the owners and their cowboys would round up the cattle and sort out which calves belonged to which mother and brand them accordingly. If the cattlemen were going to take the cattle to be sold, then they could work together to get them to market since ownership was clear.

Texas Ranchers sent their longhorns on cattle drives because the demand of the cattle in Texas was low. But high in the north and east. Demand and supply affect the price of nearly everything that was bought and sold - not just the cattle.

Kansas had railroads

The increase in population along cattle trails led to the development of settlements and ranches, causing conflicts between the cattle drives and local communities. As a result, laws were passed to regulate the movement of cattle and prevent further conflicts, ultimately leading to the decline of cattle drives.

they had to gather up the herd, making sure all were branded

Chicago Great Western Railroad ended in 1941.

Chisholm Trail Academy was created in 1967.

The cast of Cattle Drive - 1951 includes: Leon Ames as Chester Graham Sr. Emile Avery as Cowpuncher Henry Brandon as Jim Currie Frank Chase as Cowhand Harold Goodwin as Waiter Timmy Hawkins as Tommy Carol Henry as Cowpuncher Hugh Hooker as Cowpuncher Cactus Mack as Train Passenger Lewis Martin as Winston Joel McCrea as Dan Mathews Tom McDonough as Cowpuncher Kenneth Patterson as Mason Howard Petrie as Cap Chuck Roberson as Chuck Saunders Bob Steele as Charlie Morgan aka Careless Dean Stockwell as Chester Graham, Jr. James Van Horn as Cowpuncher Chill Wills as Dallas

20 years

It is not known exactly, but branding supposedly has its roots in Ancient Egypt as a means to determine which livestock were owned by which man without having to keep them in a fenced area, which was nonexistent at that time.

The Great Western Cattle Trail stretched approximately 1,500 miles from southern Texas to railheads in Kansas, particularly in the areas of Abilene and Dodge City. Established in the late 1800s, it was a major route for cattle drives, facilitating the movement of cattle to markets in the north. The trail played a significant role in the development of the cattle industry in the United States.

They were VERY necessary during that time period because no other means of moving cattle existed that time like much easier methods (by use of cattle liners) do today.

barbed wire

While riding on a cattle drive, cowboys would typically carry a bedroll, firearm and ammunition, a knife and a rope lasso.

More than likely it was a Texican. In order to sell your product you must first get it to market.

The new rail lines enabled the western cattle ranchers to get their beef to market in better condition (to gain a better price), sooner.

There does not appear to be any real estimate of how many cattle were in Texas in 1834. However, there were 5,000 cattle exported from Texas in that year.

Cattle drives haven't ended, they still happen around the world, a lot more frequently than you think, actually.

But back in the late 1800's in the USA and Canada the implementation of barbed wire fences, increasing population of settlers taking over land that could be or would otherwise be used to graze and raise cattle on, the railroad, the invention of the car (which turned into manufacturing large trucks to transport livestock in) and the Great Winter of 1885-86 where thousands of cattle died of starvation all came together to bring the great, one-hundred-mile-plus cattle drives from the home range to the stockyards to an end. It was no longer needed, wasn't feasible, and easier and easier methods were created to transport, rather than herd, cattle from one place to another.