Transcript Railroads, Ranches, and Farms

Lone Star: The Story of Texas
Chapter 14
Farming and Ranching
in the Late 1800s
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Lone Star: The Story of Texas
Chapter 14: Farming and Ranching in the Late 1800s
Section 1:
The End of the Open Range in
Texas
Section 2:
Railroads, Ranches, and Farms
Section 3:
From Family Farms to Commercial
Farming
Section 4:
Agricultural Products of Texas
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
The End of the Open Range
Chapter 14, Section 1
Objectives:
• How did Texas land policies affect the
open range?
• What events led to the range wars of the
late 1800s?
• What changes did ranchers make in the
way they raised cattle after the Big DieUp?
Ranching on the Open Range
Chapter 14, Section 1
• The first West Texas ranchers owned little or no
land. Their cattle grazed on the open range. The
open range was undeveloped public land held by
the state government for future sale.
• Since there were no fences, cattle from several
ranches often intermingled. To identify their own
cattle, ranchers branded the animals.
• Ranchers on the open range considered the water
and grass to be resources that everyone could
share.
Changes on the Open Range
Chapter 14, Section 1
Land Policies
•
•
Land and cattle
companies
•
•
•
•
•
In the 1850s, the state government began offering
free public land to encourage internal improvements.
Those are changes that help boost the economy and
population.
Railroads received almost 90 percent of this land.
Open-range ranchers began to buy up land right
away, before someone else did.
Huge privately owned ranches soon developed.
Ranchers began fencing in their land in the 1880s.
Conflicts between ranchers and sheepherders
worsened.
A range war developed over fences and fence
cutting.
An End and a Beginning
Chapter 14, Section 1
Changes For Cowboys
• Cowboys found fewer jobs.
There were now fewer long
trail drives or open-range
roundups.
• Cowboys’ new
responsibilities included
setting fence posts and
stringing barbed wire.
• In 1883, Texas Rangers
broke a strike by Panhandle
cowboys. A strike is a work
stoppage to force an
employer to meet certain
demands.
The Big Die-Up
• In 1885, thousands of cattle
froze to death trying to flee
a huge blizzard. They were
trapped by drift fences that
ranchers had put up to keep
infected cattle away from
the healthy herds.
• The Big Die-Up nearly
wiped out the herds in the
Panhandle. It also marked
the start of the modern
ranching industry in Texas.
The End of the Open Range-Assessment
Chapter 14, Section 1
What caused the death of the cattle in the Big Die-Up?
(A) They froze to death.
(B) They starved to death.
(C) They were slaughtered for food.
(D) They died from disease.
What is a strike designed to do?
(A) Drive up the cost of production
(B) Temporarily end work so workers can get a rest
(C) Force an employer to meet certain demands
(D) Create a friendly work atmosphere
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The End of the Open Range-Assessment
Chapter 14, Section 1
What caused the death of the cattle in the Big Die-Up?
(A) They froze to death.
(B) They starved to death.
(C) They were slaughtered for food.
(D) They died from disease.
What is a strike designed to do?
(A) Drive up the cost of production
(B) Temporarily end work so workers can get a rest
(C) Force an employer to meet certain demands
(D) Create a friendly work atmosphere
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Railroads, Ranches, and Farms
Chapter 14, Section 2
• How did the railroads affect the cattle
drives?
• How did the railroads change farming
in Texas?
• What other effects did railroads have on
the Texas economy?
Railroads Change Ranching
Chapter 14, Section 2
The building of rail lines in
Texas changed the cattle
business.
Nearly all of the early rail lines
linked Houston to nearby
towns.
In 1873, the Texas rail system
linked to the nationwide rail
network. Ranchers began
shipping their cattle by rail.
By the 1890s, Fort Worth had
become a collection point for
Texas cattle.
Railroads Change Farming
Chapter 14, Section 2
• Commercial agriculture- the growing of crops for
sale to make a profit
• Texas farmers used the railroad to ship surplus
crops to market. Railroads also brought seeds,
plows, and other supplies.
• Railroads allowed people to begin farming the
land in West Texas. Growing crops in that dry
region required water conservation.
• Railroads showed Texas farmers the power of
machines. They began using machines to help
plant and harvest their crops.
Railroads Affect the Economy
Chapter 14, Section 2
• Railroads put Texans in contact with more distant
markets quickly and cheaply.
• Towns did what they could to convince railroads to
lay tracks in their area:
• Cash incentives
• Donated sites
• The growth of the railroad in Texas spurred other
businesses:
• Lumber for bridges, stations, rail ties, and
platforms
• Food service for railway workers
• Coal to power the trains
Railroads, Ranches, and Farms - Assessment
Chapter 14, Section 2
How did the railroad help commercial agriculture?
(A) Railroads brought in more seeds, plows, and other supplies.
(B) Farmers could ship surplus crops to market.
(C) Both of the above
(D) None of the above
How did towns convince railroads to lay track in their areas?
(A) They donated sites and gave cash incentives to railroads.
(B) They allowed the railroads to rename the towns.
(C) They used lawyers to strong-arm the railroad companies.
(D) Town governments took the railroads to court to force them to
build tracks through their towns.
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Railroads, Ranches, and Farms - Assessment
Chapter 14, Section 2
How did the railroad help commercial agriculture?
(A) Railroads brought in more seeds, plows, and other supplies.
(B) Farmers could ship surplus crops to market.
(C) Both of the above
(D) None of the above
How did towns convince railroads to lay track in their areas?
(A) They donated sites and gave cash incentives to railroads.
(B) They allowed the railroads to rename the towns.
(C) They used lawyers to strong-arm the railroad companies.
(D) Town governments took the railroads to court to force them to
build tracks through their towns.
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From Family Farms to Commercial Farming
Chapter 14, Section 3
• What encouraged people to move to
Texas?
• What factors made it hard for tenant
farmers to prosper?
• What hardships affected Texas farmers in
the late 1800s?
Farming and Growth
Chapter 14, Section 3
• Texas ran ads and placed articles in southern
newspapers to attract settlers to Texas in the midto late 1800s.
• Most new settlers during this time were farmers.
Some arranged with local farmers to work their
land and became tenant farmers. Others bought
public land from the state or from the railroads.
• Tenant farmer - a person who rents a plot of land
from its owner and pays for its use with a share
of the crop
Changes in Texas Farming
Chapter 14, Section 3
The Cycle of Debt
Tenant farmers almost always planted cotton. They had
to buy food, often on credit. The farmer had to pay
interest, which is additional money paid to a lender for
the use of the money borrowed. This made it difficult for
tenant farmers to break the cycle of debt.
Supply and Demand
For tenant farmers to succeed, the price of cotton had to
be high and the amount of cotton produced had to be
great. Because of the principle of supply and demand,
these two conditions rarely happened together.
Farming New Lands
Chapter 14, Section 3
• Much of West Texas could not support farming without
irrigation. Irrigation brings water to land by artificial means.
• Railroads wanted to sell land and lure settlers to West
Texas. They hid the truth about the dry conditions in West
Texas from settlers. They said that West Texas was simply
“less humid” than other areas.
• The U.S suffered three economic depressions between
1870 and 1890. A depression is a period during which
business activity and prices drop and many workers lose
their jobs.
• Crop prices and demand for cash crops fell. Thousands of
farms failed.
• By 1900, half of all the farmers in Texas were tenant
farmers.
Farmers Help Themselves
Chapter 14, Section 3
The Grange
• The National Grange was a farmers’ organization. It helped
farmers share knowledge about the latest farming
techniques.
• It also set up stores where farmers could purchase goods
at a lower cost.
• A branch of the National Grange formed in Texas in 1873.
• The Grangers worked to improve many aspects of life for
farming families, including education. They helped create
an agricultural college in Texas in 1876. Grangers also
called for the regulation of railroads.
• During hard times in the 1880s, many Texas farmers left the
Grange and joined the Texas Farmers’ Alliance.
From Family Farms to Commercial Farming-Assessment
Chapter 14, Section 3
Which statement about tenant farmers is false?
(A) Tenant farmers did not own their land; they rented it.
(B) Tenant farmers received wages for their labor.
(C) Tenant farmers provided their own tools and supplies.
(D) Many freedmen became tenant farmers.
What happens when demand is high and supply is low?
(A) Prices go down.
(B) Prices stay the same.
(C) Prices fluctuate.
(D) Prices go up.
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From Family Farms to Commercial Farming-Assessment
Chapter 14, Section 3
Which statement about tenant farmers is false?
(A) Tenant farmers did not own their land; they rented it.
(B) Tenant farmers received wages for their labor.
(C) Tenant farmers provided their own tools and supplies.
(D) Many freedmen became tenant farmers.
What happens when demand is high and supply is low?
(A) Prices go down.
(B) Prices stay the same.
(C) Prices fluctuate.
(D) Prices go up.
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Agricultural Products of Texas
Chapter 14, Section 4
• How did machinery and other technology
change cotton farming?
• What effect did immigrants have on the
Texas wool industry?
Agricultural Products of Texas
Chapter 14, Section 4
Product
Uses
Cotton
The cotton gin removed the seeds from the
cotton. Cotton was used to make cloth and
thread.
Cottonseed
Oil
This was oil made from the seeds left after the
cotton was ginned. This oil was used in the
production of margarine and vegetable oil.
Corn
Early Texans used corn for food, corncobs for
fuel and tool handles, and corn husks for
mattress stuffing and writing paper. Corn
became a major source of food for Texans and
their livestock in the late 1800s.
Swine, Sheep, and Goats
Chapter 14, Section 4
• Hog raising - Texas ranked fourth in the country
in hog production in the late 1800s.
• Sheep ranching and the wool industry Newspaper publisher George Wilkins Kendall
used his paper to turn the emphasis of sheep
raising from meat to wool production in the
1850s. The Civil War helped boost demand for
wool.
• Goat ranching - Many sheep ranchers also raised
goats. By 1900, Texas led the nation in mohair
production.
Agricultural Products of Texas-Assessment
Chapter 14, Section 4
What was the function of the cotton gin?
(A) It spun the raw cotton into thread.
(B) It removed the seeds from the cotton.
(C) It planted cotton seeds evenly in rows.
(D) It extracted oil from the seeds for use in margarine production.
Which crop in Texas became a major source of food for people and
livestock?
(A) Tomatoes
(B) Wheat
(C) Cottonseed oil
(D) Corn
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Agricultural Products of Texas-Assessment
Chapter 14, Section 4
What was the function of the cotton gin?
(A) It spun the raw cotton into thread.
(B) It removed the seeds from the cotton.
(C) It planted cotton seeds evenly in rows.
(D) It extracted oil from the seeds for use in margarine production.
Which crop in Texas became a major source of food for people and
livestock?
(A) Tomatoes
(B) Wheat
(C) Cottonseed oil
(D) Corn
Want to link to the Lone Star Internet activity for this chapter? Click here