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Ranching in the 1800s
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Ranching in the 1800s
Which Came First; the Dressing or the Cattle?
Background
Ranching began to expand in Texas around the 1820s. Ranching came from Central America where Vaqueros started to raise cattle. As people moved west and the Vaqueros moved north the American cowboys started to appear more. Ranching boomed when settlers came west for the Gold Rush. Cattle ranching became an economic staple in the West. When the population in the east grew so did the need for beef. In the 1870s and 80s the ranching industry really took off. The Midwest wasn't very settled yet and people could get large amounts of vast land for little amounts of money.
These are the REAL Cowboys
Who were the Vaqueros?
Vaqueros were developed in Spain and their presence was brought to Mexico. Some refer to them as the Mexican cowboys. Vaqueros brought the idea of cowboys into Texas. Americans used the ideas and equipment that they did because of the Mexican ranchers.
John Wayne?
Culture
Although modern movies have cowboys represented by mostly white men, in the 1800s one-third or more of all the cowboys within the U.S. were Mexican Vaqueros. Other nationalities included the Chinese, Filipino, and African American cultures.
The City Slickers Can't Handle It!
What was a Cowboy's Job?
The Vaqueros (later the Americanized Cowboy) had the job of herding and protecting the cattle. Most had to care for and defend a free-roaming herd of up to 30,000 cattle that occupied within the distance of a few thousand miles. As cattle herding trails expanded the farther the cowboys had to travel. The risk of running into the problems of bandits and natural dangers (lack of water and predatory animals) increased as the distance grew.
Moooooooooove!
Techniques
In the 1800s ranchers used a teqnique called open range ranching. They allowed their animals (could be cattle and/or sheep) to roam free over the prairie. Twice a year the cowboys would round up their cattle. Once in the spring to brand the new calves and once in autumn to gather steers to sell. With the invention of barbed wire around 1874 the use of this tecnique reduced.
I Can't Even get my Dog to go on a Walk with Me!
Cattle Drives
Cattle drives were very important to the ranching industry in the 1800s. Moving the cattle around large distances of land was very difficult and dangerous task. It would take many days to move the cattle. The cattle drives were necessary to make the selling of the cattle easier.
You Thought Road Trips were Bad!
Moving the cattle was difficult and it took a large amount of time. Many factors that made the cattle drives dangerous were natural problems like weather, dehydration, and wild animals. There was also the threat of bandits.
Hardships
Many conflicts came between farmers and ranchers over land and water rights as the farmers began to fence off their fields. As more and more Americans took on ranches overgrazing began to appear. As the amount of open range ranches increased, the quality of land started degrading. In the winter of 1886-87 many ranches went bankrupt. Why? Hundreds of cattle died because the were already weakened by the reduced grazing. This was a reason that some ranchers began to fence off their land.
Little House on the Prairie or Smaller House on a Ranch?
Life on the Ranch
The first ranches only had enough land for a homestead and a source of water. On small ranches an entire family might live in a tiny sod hut. A sod hut was made up of what could be found. It is very small with very close quarters. If the ranch had forestland the people would usually live in a log cabin. Larger ranches had a house and outbuildings. Outbuildings are structures that are not connected to the main house like a barn, outhouse, cookhouse and a bunkhouse for cowboys. The bunkhouse had simple wooden frames tied by cord to make a bed and the cowboys would sleep on the same bedroll that he used on the range. Newspaper was often used as wallpaper to block out wind and it provided something to read.
They Couldn't Go to the Mooovies!
Entertainment
When they weren't tending to the cattle, cowboys had to find a way to spend their time. They entertained themselves by gambling, reading, and swapping tall tales. Sometimes they would even recite poems. Rodeos started in the late 1800s. Cowboys would stage rodeos. They would callenge the hands of nearby ranches in horse racing and roping.
"Ain't it funny how life changes" -Thomas Rhett
Cattle ranching still remains a huge source of income for ranches. (People still love beef). Ranchers fence off their land instead of letting the animals roam free. With the invention of the automobile and the development of highways there is no longer a need for cattle drives. Today most cowboys are seen in movies, literature, and songs but they seem to be potrayed as gunslinging hunks (eyeroll).
How has Ranching Changed Today?
Readers still enjoy some of the tall tales that were recorded and the work of "cowboy poets" such as Charles Badger Clark Jr., Curley Fletcher, and Bruce Kiskaddon.
- Bestoloffe, John. “History of Ranching and Texas Cowboys.” Eaglefordtexas.com, 2013, eaglefordtexas.com/history-ranching-texas-cowboys/.
- National Geographic Society. “Ranching.” National Geographic Society, National Geographic, 9 Oct. 2012, www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/ranching/.
- Peter. “The Western Frontier Women / Life on the Ranch.” Western Trips, 1 Jan. 1970, westerntrips.blogspot.com/2012/02/western-frontier-women-life-on-ranch.html.