History of the Texas Range Cattle

Paper Summary:

This paper provides a history of the Texas Longhorn breed of cattle and the cattle ranching industry in Texas. The paper discusses the origins of the Texas Longhorn, explains why this particular breed thrived so well in Texas and looks at the history of cattle ranching in Texas, explaining that it was Texas's production of beef for the Confederacy that started the industry in the first place. The paper also describes the more famous trails used to herd cattle, the round-up that took place before driving the cattle across the trails and life on the range. Additionally, the paper discusses the impact of the cattle trade on the American economy and examines the cattle industry in America today.

Table of Contents
Arrival of Cattle in the Americas
Cattle Trade
Impacts of the Cattle Trade
Cattle Industry in America Today

From the Paper:

"In Texas, the climate conditions and the range conditions were ideal for the raising of cattle, and perhaps this was why Texas became so very good in cattle rearing and farming. In addition, there was a liberal land system in Texas at the time, and this made it easy to acquire land, which everyone did. Soon, small acreage owners began to let their cattle graze on unoccupied lands, and others who had invested most of their money in cattle, came to depend on the open ranges for pastures. Even though some cattle were used to feed the soldiers of the Confederate Troops at that time, for the most part, the cattle were all left alone, and they grew in numbers as well as in size, and according to estimates, there were about five million longhorns at the end of the Civil War. The Longhorns in fact had long legs, and lanky bodies, that seemed to have been designed for speed, and because of the fact that for centuries these cattle had been allowed to run wild, they had developed into creatures that could withstand droughts and blizzards and other adversities with ease. In addition, they did not need much water to survive, and they had strong horizontal horns that could attack when provoked."

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