History of Cattle Drives and the Creation of an American Hero
The history of cattle drives can teach us a lot about life on the American frontier.
Few time periods produced as many iconic figures as the American West during the 19th century. Mountain men, cowboys, Oregon Trail pioneers, horseback Native American warriors; they all found glory during that brief 100 year period. I doubt they’ll be making movies of App developers and iPhone salesmen in 150 years, but people are still telling stories of the American West. Although the time period gets a lot of attention, some people don’t seem to fully understand what life was really like. Many people seem to commonly assume it was all about adventure and exploration. While lots of people in the West were searching for adventure, perhaps more people were just concerned with making a living. Like most places and times, the American frontier was complicated. Lots of people were moving for lots of different reasons. Learning about the history of cattle drives is one good way to learn about life on the frontier in general.
Before understanding the cattle drives themselves, you need to understand the more general history of Texas and cattle.
Where the Cattle Came From
What is today Texas, used to be land controlled by tribes of Native Americans (the names of which would be different depending on time and place. Remember, Pre-Columbian America wasn’t a stagnate place.), then was controlled by the Spanish, then Mexico won independence in 1821, then Texas became an independent nation in 1836, THEN it joined the United States in 1845.
When the Spanish controlled the territory, they built a series of missions all throughout their holdings in the Southwest. These missions were more-or-less self-sufficient communities. Part of what made their self-sufficiency possible were the herds of cattle they often kept. As time went on, many of the Spanish cattle escaped the missions and began living a feral existence in the Texas brush. The feral cattle flourished In the mild climate, and as time went on more and more lived free from man’s management. By the mid-1800s, there were many feral cattle in Texas along with the managed herds.
This image shows a Spanish mission in the background and men working cattle. Image via wikicommons.
It was Texas’ massive surplus of cattle that made it the place from which the cattle drives would emerge.
Early Cattle Drives
While most people think the history of cattle drives started after the Civil War, that is only part of the truth. The truth is that the cattle drive boom began after the Civil War in 1865. Prior to that, people had been driving cattle out of Texas for quite a while.
Some sources have determined the “first cattle drive” may date to 1690, at a time when current-day Texas was still controlled by Spain. Of course, the Spanish had to drive cattle to their missions to stock their ranges, and that is what the 1690 date recognizes. Even if you want to start at the history of cattle drives with the first American drives, you can push the start date to as early as the 1850s. At that time, Texans were driving cattle to the mining regions of California. These drives were met with good success, but the drives were long and difficult.
Although drives were growing more common in the late 1850s, the chaos of the Civil War period brought much of the country to a halt. California cattle drives were victim like many other enterprises. However, once the Civil War was over, people returned to their business of moving cattle.
Economic History of Cattle Drives
Although the cowboy is a figure who embodies freedom and carefree living (and often he was), the men who organized the drives were generally not. Like many iconic events of the American West, cattle drives of the latter 19th century had powerful economic roots. Basically, beef was in high demand across the war-ravaged country, and the cattle that had done so well in Texas were in high supply. After the war, Texas was high on cattle and low on cash, while the North was high on cash and low on beef. Entrepreneurs of the time didn’t hesitate to capitalize on the opportunity.
While estimates vary, in 1860 you could buy beef for $4 to $5 a head in Texas and sell it for $35 to $45 a head in northern markets. That meant big money if you could only get the beef to the market. As previously mentioned, Texans were already familiar with cattle drives, but these new drives were going to be different. The big change was the construction of the railroad.
By 1860, the railroad reached points as far west as Sedalia, Missouri. After the Civil War, railroad construction roared back into full swing. As the railroads marched further west, cattlemen capitalized on the new technology. They realized they didn’t need to drive their cattle all the way to the eastern markets, they just needed to get them to the railroads. From there, they could be shipped anywhere track was laid.
Another budding economic opportunity was to supply beef to Indian reservations. In fact, in 1866, Charles Goodnight’s famous first drive was to Fort Sumter, New Mexico for such a purpose.
Understanding the economic incentives is important to understanding the history of cattle drives.
How Cattle Drives Worked
Cattle drives normally started with buyers scouring the country for cattle to purchase. These cattle could come off ranches that developed and maintained herds, or they could be bought from men who gathered wild “mavericks” off the range. Mavericks were unbranded cattle older than a year in age. Many viewed these cattle as a public resource, and any man who could put his brand on it could claim ownership.
Branding cattle on the Texas prairie in the 1860s. Image via loc.gov.
Buyers making their rounds often tried to buy cattle by the thousands before starting up the trail. Drives generally took from 3-5 months and were massive undertakings. Due to the long duration and high risk, investors tried to move as many cattle north as they could at a time. Although estimates vary in regards to the number of cattle on a drive, many sources indicate drives of 2,000-4,000 as being very common.
Many hands were needed in order to drive the cattle north. Here is where the American cowboy was born. Men, mostly young and either in search of adventure or just in need of a job, were hired on for the drives. Cowboys came in all colors, from all places, from all backgrounds, and for all reasons. Although portrayed as a romantic life, the reality was long days in the saddle, little to no sleep, dangerous storms, bad cattle, bucking horses, swollen rivers, bad food, and $30 a month. Contrary to popular legend, this was not much money even on the American frontier. If you want to learn more about the dangers of cattle drives, this page of primary sources may interest you.
After pushing the herd north, drives generally terminated at a railhead. Cattle were herded into cars and moved by rail to markets. The cowboys either rode horses or took the train south to get ready for the next drive. Towns that received cattle became known as “cow towns.” Many of these towns are still prosperous communities today.
Here is a good video describing the basics of the cattle drives.
Cattle drives were like other events of the 1800s in many ways. First, the main incentive to organize the drives was economic. Like the mountain men trapping for fur, the Oregon Trail emigrants in search of better farmland, or the miners in search of gold, the cattle drives were about connecting resources to markets. Secondly, the cattle drive period created a lifestyle that was uniquely American. Although American cowboying has its roots in Spanish vaquero traditions, as time went on it would certainly create a culture all its own. Lastly, cattle drives left an impression on American history and gave rise to a famous American hero. Cowboys may not have led the romantic lifestyle often portrayed, but they certainly embodied the character of the American West. Perhaps, that is one of the most important contributions of all.
