After the Civil War, the Texas ranchers had a problem. During their absence fighting as soldiers, their longhorns had been wandering wild and free on the vast ranges of Texas, increasingly in huge numbers. So huge that the ranchers claimed that if the war hadn't ended when it did, the whole south of Texas would have "sank under the weight of the cows".
The local markets who had once handled so much of the cattle supply and driving herds to the slaughterhouses and was inefficient for the number of cattle. The slaughterhouses in Cincinnati, St Louis and Chicago were a long way away and cattle were poor travelers. They need special handling, special feed, cleaning and care just to make it to the local markets and survive. There was no way they could be driven overland to Chicago with enough meat on their bones for profit.
In 1867 news reached the Texan ranchers that could be the solution to their problems...the Kansas Pacific Railroad.
Next time...the railroad brings the solution
you are completely wrong about this post. longhorns were driven out of Texas to the railheads because they were worth next to nothing in Texas but in high demand in the north who were starving for beef. longhorns were driven overland to chicago and st Louis but it was faster for them to be carried by trains. and the longhorns themselves did run wild in Texas but they were not the weak unhardy animals you described. longhorns were never given any care whatsoever and evolved over hundreds of years to be extremely hardy animals that never needed mans help to survive. on trail drives they were always given time to rest and graze and drink therefore they would gain weight but they did not need special care.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem being wrong Mr Anonymous - but not to sign your name or credit yourself with your correction doesn't hold much weight with me. In lieu of that, I am going to change the posts allowed to include only those that add there name/online identity. No one is hiding here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for you comment. I research several sources before I post any selection, but can always be a mistake.
I am the poster from above and am sorry about not giving my name. I am a longhorn rancher which is why I was so defensive about the longhorns and their history. Id be happy to tell you more about longhorn ranching in the old west if you are interested.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Kyle to our readers! It wasn't just you that caused me to change the policy, it was alot spam to wade through. And yes, I have been wrong before so I appreciate you adding your comment! Hope you enjoy the blog :)
ReplyDeleteLooking back over some comments and saw that I didn't really address what you asked me! Yes Kyle, I would be very interested in hearing more about the longhorn ranching industry - especially from first hand experience. The information I based my blog post on was second hand, of course...we haven't had much on Texan cattle history because I haven't found much. Let me hear from you!
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