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How did the railroads affect the ranching industry?
Railroads created the market for ranching, and because for the few years after the war that railroads connected eastern markets with important market hubs such as Chicago, but had yet to reach Texas ranchlands, ranchers began driving cattle north, out of the Lone Star state, to major railroad terminuses in Kansas.
How did the railroad help the cattle industry?
Railroads brought rapid expansion of people, business, and cities across the state. Although the era of the cowboy slowly came to an end as ranchers found that railroads were a faster and more economical way of transporting cattle for sale, the era of ranching and cattle production continued.
How did the railroads make cattle ranching so profitable?
Cattle ranching became profitable in the late 1800’s because: The railroads made it possible for Western cattle to be shipped to cities in the East.
What impact did railroads have on ranchers and farmers in the West?
Farming was also affected by the growth of railroads; in particular, single-crop “bonanza farms” such as the ones in California that grew wheat were able to transport large amounts of their crops and flours for sale across the country, or move them more easily to mills for processing and storage.
How did the railroad industry impact Western life?
It made commerce possible on a vast scale. In addition to transporting western food crops and raw materials to East Coast markets and manufactured goods from East Coast cities to the West Coast, the railroad also facilitated international trade.
What caused the end of the cowboy era?
During the winter of 1886-1887, thousands of cattle died when temperatures reached well below freezing in parts of the West. Many scholars believe that this devastating winter was the beginning of the end for the cowboy era. Most cowboys gave up the open trail life and were hired by private ranch owners in the West.
What caused the cattle boom to end?
By the 1880s, the cattle boom was over. The romantic era of the long drive and the cowboy came to an end when two harsh winters in 1885-1886 and 1886-1887, followed by two dry summers, killed 80 to 90 percent of the cattle on the Plains. As a result, corporate-owned ranches replaced individually owned ranches.