Changes in the Cattle Industry

• The beef bonanza of the 1870s meant that the open range became overstocked. This put an end to open range ranching.

  
• • There were too many animals on the Plains. All the grass was eaten up and the soil eroded.
  • Because so much beef was available, there was a fall in demand. Beef prices fell.
  • The Great Die-Up: A very harsh winter in 1886- 87 killed off 15% of the open range herds. Temperatures hit as low as -55°C.
• The cattle that did survive the Great Die-Up were in poor condition. This made them difficult to sell, so prices dropped even more. The big ranches on the Plains struggled the most because they couldn’t possibly save such a large number of cattle.
• After 1887, the most viable ranches were small ones.

  • Small herds were easier to manage, especially during droughts and winters.
  • Smaller herds reduced the supply of beef, so prices went back up.
  • Ranchers focused on high-quality meat with pure-blooded breeds of cow.
• The impact of the end of the open range:

  Many ranchers went bankrupt and moved back east, so more homesteaders moved in. There was less demand for cowboys. Many became ranch hands. Their lives became less adventurous: The impact of the end of the open range:

  • They looked after horses, mended fences and harvested hay.
  • They lived in uncomfortable bunkhouses with strict rules.
  • They patrolled the boundary between two ranches (‘riding the line’).