Cotton
Why was Galveston important to the cotton industry?
It acted as a major port for shipping to other states/countries
What was used to transport cattle to northeastern markets?
Railroads
Name 2 goods that were shipped by railroad to the Northeast.
Cattle and cotton
Which group first introduced cattle to Texas and the southwest?
The Spanish
How is ranching different than farming?
Farming- raises crops
Why was cotton the major crop grown in Texas even though it required a lot of labor?
It was still the most profitable crop, it made them the most money
Which invention helped ranchers protect their land and herds, and ended the open-range period?
Barbed wire
Texas cattle ranchers often had to drive their cattle north to railroads in which other state?
Kansas
Many cowboys belonged to which 2 groups?
Mexican-American and African-American
8-12 cowboys were often responsible for driving how many cattle along the cattle trails?
2,000-3,000
What negative environmental effect happened from growing too much cotton too often?
Name 3 dangers cowboys faced on the trails.
Prairie fires, rustlers, bad weather, stampedes, water shortages
Why did cities grow along railroad lines? Name 2 reasons
More trade, more population
Which invention helped ranchers and farmers pull fresh water from underground aquifers in dry areas?
Windmills
How would cowboys and ranchers identify which cattle belonged to them?
By branding them
Many poor farmers in Texas had to use ____________________________ or ____________________________ since they did not own any land.
Sharecropping or tenant farming
Why did cattle ranchers not just sell their cattle in Texas?
The population was too low, so there weren't enough buyers
What did we call the railroad that stretched all the way across the country?
The Transcontinental Railroad
What was different about the Goodnight-Loving Trail when compared to the other major cattle trails?
Why was barbed wire such a good choice for fencing in the west? Name at least 2 reasons
What happened to the price of cotton when most farmers started growing only cotton?
It dropped due to an increased supply
Why did cattle ranchers not get along with sheep ranchers?
Sheep graze down to the roots, making the land unsuitable for future grazing by cattle. Competition over land
Why were railroad shipping rates usually pretty high in Texas and the southwest?
There weren't very many railroads in Texas or the southwest at that time, so the railroad companies could pretty much charge whatever they wanted.
Which ranch grew to include over a million acres and helped develop southern Texas?
The King Ranch
Why did cattle ranchers and farmers sometimes not get along?
Cattle would often trample farmers' crops when traveling along cattle trails