Steel Rails and Mud Streets

Ch. 7

Notebook Stuff

TP-Steel Rails and Mud StreetsCM- 61-71 & 73-83 2 pagesGeo- Map of Kansas: labeling all cattle

and railroad trails Graphic Organizer- ???

More Notebook Stuff

Illustrated Dictionary- Free Enterprise, monopoly, Capitalist, subsidiary, long drive, quarantine, public domain, open range, homesteading

Section Reviews Pg. 72 1-11 Pg. 84 1-13

Cattle Industry Begins

There was a huge demand for beef in the eastern United States.

Cattle had been allowed to roam across Texas and their numbers were pushing 5 million.

Civil war soldiers were returning home and looking for work and many began working the cattle drives.

Chisholm Trail

Cattle were driven up from Texas to the railroads that were in Kansas.

Ranchers used the Chisholm trail to get their herds to Kansas.

The trail stretched from San Antonio to Abilene.

From Abilene the cattle were put on cars and shipped east.

Cowboys

Cowboys would drive the cattle to Kansas

Members of the drive: Trail Boss 8 men to work the cattle 1 Cook 1 man to take care of the horses

Cowboys

Cowboys would need around 60 horses with them on the drive

Clothing Saddle- for a long day of riding Pointed Toe Boots- to fit in stirrups Hat Chaps- to protect his legs at they rode

through brush.

What Ended the Cattle Drives?

The cattle coming up from Texas carried disease that would kill the local cattle.

Eventually no Texas cattle were allowed east of Mcpherson. This was known as the quarantine line.

What Ended the Cattle Drives?

As more settlers moved into Kansas they began to fence off their property, ending free grazing.

This also lead to the invention of barbwire, which was more effective in fencing off the cattle.

Eventually the railroads extended their lines into Texas eliminating the need for the cattle drives.

Cowtowns

Abilene and Dodge City were two Cowtowns

Great for BusinessMost cowboys would spend their money

in these towns.Not everyone supported the cattle being

brought in because they would ruin crops and bring disease.

Cowtowns

Cowtowns were often ruthless places that gave rise to famous lawmen like Wyatt Earp.

Earp built his reputation as a stern lawman that was intent on cleaning up these cowtowns.

Homestead Act

This program allowed people to get free plots of land.

There were a couple of requirements to get this free land. Settlers had to live on the land for five

years. Settlers had to put up buildings, fences,

and break the sod. Settlers also had to pay a filing fee.

Homestead Act

This free land was far from the best farming land in Kansas.

Even though the land was free, most people could not afford the extra costs that went along with starting a farm. Machinery Seed Animals House Fencing

Railroads

The railroad industry had a tremendous impact on the settling of the west.

Railroads were fueled by the nations desire to have a transcontinental railroad, which would connect the east and west coasts.

Immigrants from the east were used to lay tracks for the railroad.

Railroads in Kansas

The first railroad reached Kansas before it even became a state.

The Elwood and Marysville Railroad was the first company to lay tracks in Kansas.

Railroads and Towns

As people moved west across Kansas they created towns near railways.

This made it easier to get supplies and businesses to their town.

It was also very profitable for the railroads.