Farming & the Cattle Industry 1876-1895

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Changes in Farming

Dryland farming

Dryland farming is a method of farming that is very popular in Colorado, Oregon, Wyoming, and Mexico.
Dryland (or dry) farming is a method that allows crops to grow in areas that do not receive much rainfall and experience droughts.
Dryland farming was perfect for homesteaders in the Great Plains. This allowed them to grow more crops and increase their standard of living.
It also made settling in the Great Plains more practical.
The Wheat industry did very well in the Plains.

Barbed wire

The Great Plains suffered from a lack of trees and timber.
The invention of barbed wire allowed homesteaders to put up barriers without timber.
Barbed wire was also popular on the railroads to try to keep animals like buffalo off the tracks. Hitting a buffalo could potentially derail a train.

The Cattle Industry to 1895

Cattle ranching took off in the 1870s. As you know the number of cattle in the USA doubled between 1880 and 1900.

Excess supply

By 1895, there was an excess supply of cattle. This was also called 'overstocking'.
As with the railroads a few years earlier, lots of investors and entrepreneurs had got excited and overinvested in cattle.
Having too many cattle meant that there was too much beef and that the price of beef fell.
More cattle meant more disputes with Plains Indians and homesteaders.
More cattle also meant that the Plains had even more animals grazing on there. This put pressure on buffalo populations and buffalo were integral to the Indians' lifestyle.

The Winter of 1886-87

In the winter from the end of 1886 to the start of 1887, America saw one of its snowiest years in decades.
Because of this, the winter was referred to as the 'Big Die-Up'.
Lots of the cattle got frostbite in the snow and millions of cattle died. Some historians think that 15% of cattle died that winter.

The end of the open range ranches

The winter changed cattle ranching forever.
In future winters, ranchers would bring their cattle inside during extreme weather conditions. This meant that cattle ranching shifted back in favour of small ranches, rather than huge ranches.

1The Early Settlement of the West, c1835-c1862

1.1The Plains Indians: Beliefs & Way of Life

1.1.1The Plains Indians - Social Structure

1.1.2The Plains Indians - Way of Life

1.1.3End of Topic Test - Social & Tribal Structures

1.1.4Grade 9 - The Plains Indians

1.2Migration & Early Settlement

1.2.1The Oregon Trail & Gold Rush

1.2.2Manifest Destiny

1.2.3Major Migrations - Donner, Mormon & Farmer

1.2.4End of Topic Test - Migration and Early Settlement

1.2.5Grade 9 - The Early Settlement of the West

1.3Conflict & Tension

1.3.1Fort Laramie Treaty & Indian Appropriations Act

1.3.2Lawless Towns

1.3.3End of Topic Test - Conflict & Tension

2Development of the Plains, c.1862–c.1876

2.1The Development of Settlement in the West

2.1.1Causes of the American Civil War

2.1.2The American Civil War

2.1.3Homesteading & Railroads 1862-1876

2.1.4Continuing Law & Order Problems 1862-1876

2.1.5Ranching, Cattle & Cowboys 1862-1876

2.1.6End of Topic Test - Development of the Plains

2.2Changes in the Way of Life of the Plains Indians

2.2.1Impact of Railroads & Settlers 1862-1876

2.2.2Impact of the Peace Policy & Reservations

2.2.3The Indian Wars (1862-1868)

2.2.4End of Topic Test - Changes in the Way of Life

2.2.5Grade 9 - Development of the Plains

3Conflicts & Conquest, c.1876–c.1895

3.1Changes in Farming & Settlement

3.1.1Farming & the Cattle Industry 1876-1895

3.1.2The Exoduster Movement & Oklahoma Land Rush

3.1.3End of Topic Test - Exodusters, Land Rush & Cattle

3.2Conflict & Tension

3.2.1Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp and the Range Wars

3.2.2Little Big Horn, the Ghost Dance & Wounded Knee

3.2.3Destroying the Indian Way of Life

3.2.4End of Topic Test - Conflict and Tension

3.2.5Grade 9 - Conflicts & Tension

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