Cowboys of the Old West
|
Cowboys of the Old West for Kids:
The Vaqueros
The Spanish had established
the ranching industry in America with the Vaqueros, the
horsemen and cattle herders of Mexico. The Spanish
introduced longhorn cattle to the New World that were
kept on an open range, looked after by cowboys called
vaqueros. In 1836, Texas gained their independence from
Mexico. The Mexicans were soon gone from Texas, but they
left their cattle behind. Texans claimed the cattle and
set up their own ranches. Many of the vaquero traditions
were adopted by the North American Cowboys of the Old
West.
Cowboys of the Old West for Kids:
The Farmers and the Cowboys
Following the Civil War
(1861-1865) cattle in Texas were worth only $3 - $4 per
head, compared to between $30 to $40 per head in the
North and East. The Texan cowboys began to move
herds of cattle long distances to market. The cowboys
drove the cattle from Texas through Kansas to the
Northern cities in the East. Trouble flared between the
farmers of Kansas and the cowboys. The Kansas farmers
fiercely objected to cattle and the cowboys crossing
their lands which led to considerable violence. The
vigilante groups, and cattle rustling caused problems
for the drovers.
Cowboys of the Old West for Kids:
Joseph G. McCoy
The cattle drives could realize high profits and by
1867, a cattle shipping facility owned by Joseph G.
McCoy opened in Abilene, Kansas. Joseph G. McCoy
arranged for cowboys to drive cattle from Texas to
Abilene and they were then taken east by train.
Between 1865-1885 the cowboys herded 10 million
cattle from Texas to railheads in Kansas for
shipments to stockyards in Chicago and the east.
Joseph G. McCoy was an honest man and promised
a good price for the cattle delivered by the cowboys
to Abilene. His reputation for honesty and
reliability gave rise to the expression 'the real
McCoy' used by the Cowboys of the Old West. The following facts tell the story of the
cowboys of the Old West and the cattle drives.
Cowboys of the Old West for Kids:
Cowboy Clothes
The legends of the Cowboys of the Old West are known the world
over and the iconic images of the cowboys were made
memorable by the Cowboy clothes they wore - for history, facts
and information refer to
Cowboy Clothes of the 1800s.
Facts about the
Cowboys of the Old West: Facts Sheet for kids
Interesting Cowboys of the Old West Facts for kids are
detailed below. The history of the Cowboys of the Old West is told in a
fast, fun sequence consisting of a series of interesting, short facts
providing a simple method of relating the
history of the Cowboys of the Old West for kids, schools and homework projects.
Cowboys of the Old West Facts for kids
Cowboys of the Old West Fact 1:
The open-range cattle business
started in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Nevada,
Arizona, and California and spread throughout the Great
Plains region with the demise of the buffalo.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
2: Cattle-shipping boom towns such as
Abilene, Caldwell, Wichita, Ellsworth, and Dodge City
emerged bringing both prosperity and violence to
the Old West.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
3: Cattle drive: A cattle-drive involved
the movement of a herd from ranches and grazing lands by
the Cowboys of the Old West to
the railroad lines for shipment to meat-packing plants
in the east.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
4: The Cowboy: A man who worked the
cattle business in the Old West was called a cowboy. It
was a dangerous life and legends about these men are
part of American history. They faced dangers from the
weather such as storms, lightning and drought,
stampedes, rattlesnakes, rustlers and outlaws.,
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
5: Black Cowboys: At least 20% of the
drovers were black.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
6: Open Range: There were no fences in
the Old West, cattle roamed free across the "open
range", moved between grazing lands. Cattle were branded
as a means of own identification.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
7: Longhorns: The long-horned cattle
were common in southwestern United States - see picture
above depicting a longhorn
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
8: Branding: The Vaqueros branded their
animals with their family coat-of-arms. The American
cowboys created their own brand
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
9: The Brand: A brand was a permanent
mark of identification made by using a hot iron to make
an imprint on to the animal's skin. The unique letters
and symbols of a brand mark were usually about 4 inches
high.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
10: The Round-Up: A Round-up was when
steers were brought together to start a cattle drive or
for branding. Calves followed their
mothers around and were branded during the yearly
round-up. The calves were pulled off balance to the
ground by the 'flankers' who then branded the animal
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
11: Does branding hurt? No the process is
not painful as the hides are thick, and the animals are
unharmed. The noise made by the animal is because they
are scared of this unusual activity - not because they
are hurt
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
12: Mavericks: Unbranded cattle were
known as "mavericks" and became the property of anyone
able to capture and brand the unmarked animal.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
13: The Brand Book: Cowboys of the Old
West would carry personal Brand Book as part of his
trail equipment. A Brand Book contained images of brands
of local herds and their owners and reports of stolen
cattle.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
14: Rustlers: The worst crime in
cattle-country was to steal animals - these thieves were
called rustlers. Rustlers often changed brands in an
attempt to transfer ownership of herds. The penalty for
getting caught as a rustler would be hanging.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact 15:
Lariat and Lasso: A Lariat was a
braided rope used by the Cowboys of the Old West. A
lasso was a lariat rope tied with a special knot so that
the lariat could be tightened when thrown over the head
of a steer. A Half-Hitch knot was often used to tie a
lariat to his saddle horn. A clove hitch knot was used
to tie a lariat or rope to a post.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact 16:
Stampede: A Stampede was extremely
dangerous. A stampede was a wild and uncontrollable run
by a herd of cattle that had been badly spooked.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact 17:
Chuck Wagon: The Chuck Wagon was the
cooking and supply wagon used by cooks (called cookies) during
roundups and cattle drives. The word 'Chuck' was the
slang word for food. Typical food included salted meats,
bacon, beef steak, stews, beans, and sourdough biscuits.
Jerky was the name for strips of dried meat that could
be stored for long periods.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact 18:
The Chisholm Trail: The 520 mile
Chisholm Trail was the most important route for
cattle-drives heading north from the Texas, across
Indian Territory (Oklahoma) to the railhead at Abilene
Cowboys of the Old West Fact 19:
Trail Boss: The leader of the drives,
the second in command was the 'Cookie'. A trail Boss was
paid $100 - $125 a month. The Cookie was paid about $60
per month.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
20: A cowhand was paid out about $125 per
month at the end of a month long trail drive
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
21: A 12-man crew of cowhands could
manage a herd of 2,000 to 3,000 steers.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
22: Greenhorns: Life was hard and
dangerous for the cowboy. On a typical drive, two-thirds
of all the cowhands were new to the job, and most would
quit after just one drive. A newcomer to the life was
called a greenhorn or a tenderfoot.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
23: Bronco: A Bronco was the name for a
wild horse. A Bronco buster was a cowboy who had special
skill in taming wild horses. A Rodeo showed off skills
in bronco busting and rope work that began in the 1870s.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact 24:
Horses: Spare horses were always
taken on the long drives.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact 25:
Bedroll: A bedroll was the cowboy's
bed and suitcase. A bedroll made up of blankets and a
coat wrapped up in canvas, fastened with hooks.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact 26:
A herd of 1,000 head of steers might
stretch out 1 - 2 miles on the trail. The drovers worked
in pairs, one on either side of the line of animals.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact 27:
A cattle drive would cover around 10
- 15 miles per day and a drive to western Kansas would
take between 50 - 100 days, depending on delays
encountered.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact 28:
Refrigerated railroad car: In the
early 1870s, Gustavus Swift hired an engineer to develop
a refrigerated railroad car. In 1877 Swift shipped the
first refrigerated load of fresh meat.
Cowboys of the Old West Fact 29:
Barbed wire: Barbed wire was invented
by J F Glidden in 1874 and allowed cattle to be confined
to designated areas to prevent over-grazing of the
range. Barbed wire meant that large areas could be
fenced cheaply to enclose cattle. Steers no longer
roamed the open range and fewer cowboys were needed. The
long drive became a thing of the past and the days of
the cowboy were numbered
Cowboys of the Old West Fact
30: Barbed wire meant that large areas could be
fenced cheaply to enclose cattle. Steers no longer
roamed the open range and fewer cowboys were needed. The
long drive became a thing of the past and the days of
the cowboy were numbered
Cowboys of the Old West Facts for kids
Cowboys of the Old West for kids - President Grover Cleveland Video
The article on the Cowboys of the Old West provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Grover Cleveland video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 22nd and 24th President of the
United States whose presidencies spanned from March 4, 1885 to March 4, 1889
and from March 4, 1893 - March 4,1897.
Cowboys of the Old West
●
Interesting Facts about Cowboys of the Old West for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Cowboys of the Old West in US history
●
The Cowboys of the Old West, a major
event in US history
●
The life and times of the
Cowboys of the Old West
●
Fast, facts on Cowboys of the Old West
●
History, Stats, facts and information on the Cowboys of
the Old West
● Grover Cleveland Presidency and
Cowboys of the Old West for schools,
homework, kids and children |
