Fall of the Cattle Industry

• What was the key event that contributed to the decline of the cattle industry?

  The winter of 1886 to 87
• What does the term "chinook" refer to in the context of the cattle industry?

  A warm northerly wind that usually occurs at the start of spring
• How did the harsh winter of 1886 affect the cattle?

  Cattle could not find grass and many starved
• What percentage of cows on the open range starved during the winter of 1886?

  At least 15 percent
• What was the impact of the starving cattle on market prices?

  They fetched lower prices at market
• What term was used to describe the event of cattle dying during the winter of 1886?

  The great die up
• What was the significance of the term "great die up"?

  It referred to the large number of cattle that died instead of being rounded up for sale
• What year did the Civil War disrupt the Texas cattle industry?

  1861
• How did the Civil War affect cattle herds in Texas?

  Herds multiplied and became bigger and tougher
• What trail was established by Texans by 1865?

  Trails to rail head towns
• What was the significance of the Goodnight-Loving Trail established in 1866?

  It supplied Indian army forts and reservations with beef
• Who established the first real cow town in 1867?

  Joseph McCoy
• What was the purpose of the stockyards in Abilene, Kansas?

  It was where buyers met cattle sellers
• What was the impact of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty on cattle drives?

  Cattle drives needed to pay Indians to use their land
• How did homestead farmers affect cattle drives in 1862?

  They began blocking cattle drives due to fears of cattle diseases
• What innovation in 1874 impacted the open range?

  Barbed wire fences
• What conflict arose from the use of barbed wire fences?

  It often damaged cattle and led to conflicts with homesteaders
• What year were refrigerated railroad cars developed?

  1875
• How did refrigerated railroad cars change the cattle industry?

  They allowed ranch beef to be sold further away as pre-prepared meat
• What term describes the period when investors rushed to back ranching in 1876?

  The beef bonanza
• What happened during the winter of 1886 to 87?

  A harsh winter starved cattle, leading to low prices for survivors
• What was the outcome for smaller ranches after the great die up?

  They tended to survive better than larger ranches
• How did the cattle industry change after the great die up?

  The big days of the beef bonanza were over, but the industry continued
• What were the main points on the development of the cattle industry?

  • The cattle industry boomed from the 1860s to the 1870s.
  • Conflicts with homesteaders and Indians complicated the industry.
  • Cattle barons seized control, pressuring smaller ranches.
  • Overstocking of cattle affected prices.
  • The winter of 1886 to 87 led to the great die up.
  • Smaller ranchers tended to survive better than larger ones.
• What were the strengths and weaknesses of the cattle industry during its development?

  Strengths:

  • Rapid growth and profitability in the 1860s and 1870s.
  • Innovations like refrigerated railroad cars improved distribution.

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Conflicts with homesteaders and Indians.
  • Vulnerability to harsh weather conditions.
  • Control by cattle barons pressured smaller ranches.
• What did the smaller ranchers do differently that helped them survive the great die up?

  They tended their cattle individually and fed them properly
• What does the phrase "the cattle industry didn't die out but it had declined" imply?

  It suggests that while the industry faced challenges, it continued to exist in a different form
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