Background: As early as the 1840s, cattlemen looked for markets (a variety of places were good and services can be bought,sold, or traded- examples: Kroger, Suwanee’s Farmers’ Market, shopping centers, and malls) for longhorn cattle. Some ranchers, or person who owns a ranch where livestock such as cattle or sheep are raised, moved their cattle on cattle drive to miners in California and frontier forts. During the Civil War a few ranchers moved herds to feed hungry Confederate soldiers and civilians.
Problem: There were very few cattle markets but a lot of cattle.
Solution: The major meat packing centers were in the east, such as Chicago, and railroads were beginning to be built from the centers to the west. In 1867 Joseph G. McCoy created a railroad station in Abilene, Kansas where cattle could be loaded on railcars. He knew that $2 Longhorns in Texas would be worth ten times that in eastern cities. Joseph G. McCoy’s plan was a massive success.
Joseph G. McCoy
The Jobs of an Outfit
Trail boss: The trail boss organized and led the entire trip. He selected specific routes and rode ahead in search of water, grass and a good place to set up camp.
Cook:The cook and his chuckwagon moved ahead as well to make sure meals and coffee were ready when the cowboys settled in for the evening. The cook’s chuckwagon carried all the food, supplies, and cooking equipment need on the trail.
Wrangler:Wranglers had the job of caring for the horses that the cowboys rode. They were experts at horse riding, and they took care of the extra horse brought on the trip.
Cowboy: Cowboys had to be dependable under difficult conditions, act quickly, and know a lot about longhorn behaviors. Most often these cowboys were hard-working and nearly one in three were Mexican or African American.
The cowboys were in charge of protecting and guiding the cattle along the trail. Stampedes and mills, cattle forming tight circles when crossing rivers, were always a possibility. It was up to the cowboys to stop and break up these actions. Also, they kept watch over the camp at night.
The Longhorn
The Texas Longhorn came from Spanish cattle brought over by explorers, ranchers, and missionaries. Spanish missions maintained large herds of cattle which provided food, clothing, and other products for Spaniards and Native Americans.
In the 18th century, Spain lost control of the region and abandoned the area. The cattle were left to roam freely were there was plenty of food and water, and very little human contact. These conditions allowed the cattle to adapt to the land and as a result the population grew into the millions.
Supply and Demand
Demand refers to how much of a product or service is desired by buyers. The higher the demand is for a product or service the higher the price. The lower the demand is for a product or service the lower the price.
Example 1: The more the people in eastern cities wanted beef the more money ranchers received for each head of cattle.
Example: In today’s world, the high demand is for oil which causes a higher price at the gas pumps. When the demand for gas deceases, the price of gas will decrease.
Supply refers to how of a product or service is available. Therefore, the more of a product or service is available the lower the cost. The less of a product or service is available the higher the price.
Example: If there are more cattle than people are willing to buy, the cost for each cattle goes down. When there are fewer cattle for people to buy, the cost for each head of cattle increases.