Cattle Drives Moved Beef North
The Civil War broke out in 1861 and affected not only the Northern and Southern States, but Texas and the Western States as well.
Men who worked tending cattle in Texas went o join armies in either the North or South and left huge herds of unbranded cattle with no known owners roaming the ranges. In Texas, alone, four to six million unbranded cattle were roaming the open ranges.
After the war, there was a big demand for beef and a market developed on the eastern coast for beef and beef-related products like leather and rawhide for drive belts in factories and leather for clothing.
A cattle dealer in Springfield, Illinois, saw an opportunity. Young Joseph G. McCoy came up with the idea of a shipping point along the railroad and away from settled areas. He chose Abilene, Kansas, where the land was mostly inhabited and had an abundance of grassland.
He negotiated with the railroads, Kansas Pacific Railroad and Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad for rates and for stock cars and sidings to be built. The railroad agreed to pay McCoy a commission for each carload of cattle.
McCoy then sent word to Texans advertising the route to Abilene. Texas cattlemen soon realized that an unclaimed steer in Texas worth $4.00 could be worth $40.00 in the Kansas market.
The next twenty years saw as many as 10 million head of cattle make the drive from Texas to Abilene. In 1871, records show 600,000 head of cattle from Texas reached the markets.
Not all the cattle were sent to markets to be slaughtered, some were used to stock ranches.
Men who worked tending cattle in Texas went o join armies in either the North or South and left huge herds of unbranded cattle with no known owners roaming the ranges. In Texas, alone, four to six million unbranded cattle were roaming the open ranges.
After the war, there was a big demand for beef and a market developed on the eastern coast for beef and beef-related products like leather and rawhide for drive belts in factories and leather for clothing.
A cattle dealer in Springfield, Illinois, saw an opportunity. Young Joseph G. McCoy came up with the idea of a shipping point along the railroad and away from settled areas. He chose Abilene, Kansas, where the land was mostly inhabited and had an abundance of grassland.
He negotiated with the railroads, Kansas Pacific Railroad and Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad for rates and for stock cars and sidings to be built. The railroad agreed to pay McCoy a commission for each carload of cattle.
McCoy then sent word to Texans advertising the route to Abilene. Texas cattlemen soon realized that an unclaimed steer in Texas worth $4.00 could be worth $40.00 in the Kansas market.
The next twenty years saw as many as 10 million head of cattle make the drive from Texas to Abilene. In 1871, records show 600,000 head of cattle from Texas reached the markets.
Not all the cattle were sent to markets to be slaughtered, some were used to stock ranches.
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Texas ranchers such as Charles Goodnight, George W. Littlefield and others began taking advantage of the Kansas markets and drove huge herds northward. The drives required good organization. They were usually started in the springtime when grass and water were in good supply and there was enough time to complete the drive before cold weather.
Size of the herds was usually between 2500 and 3000 head of cattle. It was not unusual to have cattle several owners in a trail herd. Each were branded with a "road" or "trail" brand. This would identify cattle that strayed from the herd. The trail boss was in charge of the drives and received a monthly salary of $100 to $150 depending on his experience and skills. At the end of the drive, the trail boss would receive a bonus, which he sometimes shared with his crew. He would usually be riding several miles ahead of the herd scouting for water, good grazing areas and for any potential problems. |
Life on the trail... |
Next in importance would be the cook. A good cook could make the difference in getting good trail hands. He also had to be good in managing cooking skills and managing supplies. He also tended to medical and dental problems for the crew. His salary could be $60 to $75 a month.
The cook was in charge of the chuck wagon and usually traveled faster than the herd in order to be at a campsite and have food ready for the crew when they arrived.
The cattle drive required one or two "wranglers" whose responsibility was to manage the herd of spare horses or "remunda". The remunda was made up of eight to ten horses for each man and usually traveled to one side of the cattle herd.
The cowboys made up the rest of the crew, usually boys between 14 and 18 years old. The drovers worked in pairs, one on each side of the herd in varying positions. The best cowboys were usually "pointers" who worked near the head of the line. "Swing" riders were positioned about a third of the way back.
"Flank" riders were two-thirds of the way back and "dragmen" brought up the dusty rear. The riders in the swing, flank, and dragmen positions usually rotate so no one had to ride the dust every day.
A large herd might stretch out as much as one to two miles. The distance traveled would be determined by the amount of grass available. A good trail boss would try to fatten the cattle as they traveled so they would be worth more at the railhead.
When the herd was stopped for the night, drovers would take turns as "nighthawks". The nighthawks working in two or three hour shifts, riding in circles on the outside of the herd to keep them contained. They would sing softly to keep the cattle calm and keep themselves awake.
A typical day for a cowboy would begin at sunrise when the cook would have a hot breakfast waiting. The cowboy would wrap a couple of biscuits in his neckerchief to have for lunch if they were unable to stop for a hot lunch. He would fill his canteen with water, then mount his horse. After the evening meal, the cowboys would wrap themselves in their blanket, using their saddle for pillow and sleep. They rarely slept through the night, but were awakened to take their turn as nighthawk.
An average cattle drive from Texas to Kansas market would last nearly four months.
Life on the trail was usually a steady boring pace. No liquor or gambling was allowed, so it was a life of work and sleep.
Compiled from archives at Window on the Plains Museum
The Great Texas Cattle Drives by Linda S. Moore, Texas Monthly.
The cook was in charge of the chuck wagon and usually traveled faster than the herd in order to be at a campsite and have food ready for the crew when they arrived.
The cattle drive required one or two "wranglers" whose responsibility was to manage the herd of spare horses or "remunda". The remunda was made up of eight to ten horses for each man and usually traveled to one side of the cattle herd.
The cowboys made up the rest of the crew, usually boys between 14 and 18 years old. The drovers worked in pairs, one on each side of the herd in varying positions. The best cowboys were usually "pointers" who worked near the head of the line. "Swing" riders were positioned about a third of the way back.
"Flank" riders were two-thirds of the way back and "dragmen" brought up the dusty rear. The riders in the swing, flank, and dragmen positions usually rotate so no one had to ride the dust every day.
A large herd might stretch out as much as one to two miles. The distance traveled would be determined by the amount of grass available. A good trail boss would try to fatten the cattle as they traveled so they would be worth more at the railhead.
When the herd was stopped for the night, drovers would take turns as "nighthawks". The nighthawks working in two or three hour shifts, riding in circles on the outside of the herd to keep them contained. They would sing softly to keep the cattle calm and keep themselves awake.
A typical day for a cowboy would begin at sunrise when the cook would have a hot breakfast waiting. The cowboy would wrap a couple of biscuits in his neckerchief to have for lunch if they were unable to stop for a hot lunch. He would fill his canteen with water, then mount his horse. After the evening meal, the cowboys would wrap themselves in their blanket, using their saddle for pillow and sleep. They rarely slept through the night, but were awakened to take their turn as nighthawk.
An average cattle drive from Texas to Kansas market would last nearly four months.
Life on the trail was usually a steady boring pace. No liquor or gambling was allowed, so it was a life of work and sleep.
Compiled from archives at Window on the Plains Museum
The Great Texas Cattle Drives by Linda S. Moore, Texas Monthly.