Cattle Trails

Why was the Chisholm Trail important to America?

• It created the desire to build more roads for transportation.

• It provided a source of income for Chinese immigrants.

• It supplied the Eastern states with a supply of beef.

• It improved homesteaders’ ability to find land.

The Chisholm Trail connected Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Why was the Chisholm Trail important?

• It was the main trail for settlers moving west.

• Homesteaders used the trail to guide them to new lands.

• It was a vital supply route for Native Americans on reservations.

• Texas cowboys used the trail to drive cattle to railroads in Kansas.

How did price incentives motivate ranchers to hire cowboys to drive their cattle all the way to Kansas?

• Due to the Civil War, there was a shortage of beef in Kansas. Cattle were driven here by cowboys who would be paid money for each cow.

• Due to the Civil War, there was a shortage of beef in the East. Cattle could be sold for higher prices because the demand was greater than the supply.

• Due to the Civil War, there was a surplus of beef in the East. Cattle could be sold for higher prices because the supply was greater than the demand.

• Due to the Civil War, cows in the southern states were shipped to Texas to be held until after the war. Cowboys drove them up to Kansas and were paid for each cow they returned .

What importance did Cattle Trails have for former male slaves?

• Black cowboys were treated more fairly than white cowboys but still paid the same.

• Black cowboys were not allowed to drive their cattle up the Chisholm trail due to the color of their skin.

• Black cowboys were treated more fairly than in other areas of the country and paid based on their skills.

• Black cowboys were always treated unfairly on the cattle drives and paid much less than the white cowboys.

Use the map to answer the question.

Why were trails such as the Chisholm Trail important to the development of the United States in the nineteenth century?

• The trails helped ranchers drive their cattle to major port cities so the cattle could be shipped internationally.

• The trails helped ranchers drive their cattle to railroad hubs so the cattle could be shipped all over the country.

• The trails helped factory owners transport goods to railroad hubs so the goods could be shipped to other states.

• The trails helped factory owners in the center of the country ship their goods to major port cities on the Gulf Coast.

What was the MAIN purpose of many nineteenth-century cattle trails such as the Chisholm Trail?

• to help settlers farm new lands

• to provide food (beef) to eastern cities

• to clear wildlife from crowded areas

• to supply western ranches with livestock

The "Black Cowboys" of nineteenth-century Texas are MOST associated with

• clearing and developing the Chisholm Trail for cattle.

• cattle drives from Texas and across the Great Plains.

• the founding of trading posts along the US-Mexican border.

• the relocation of American Indians in the American Southwest.

To whom in the American West did the term "cowboy" originally refer?

• men who raised cattle on plantations in the American South

• men who sold cattle to merchants at ports along the Texas coast

• men who sailed cattle up the Mississippi to communities in the north

• men who drove cattle from Texas to Kansas along the Chisholm Trail

How did the market for beef encourage ranchers to make cattle drives?

• Beef was expensive in Texas, but cheap everywhere else.

• There was nowhere to buy beef in Texas.

• Beef was cheap in Texas but expensive everywhere else.

• There were many places in the US to buy beef.

After the Civil War, thousands of African-Americans migrated west in search of work as cowboys. In addition to the availability of steady work, what drew many of these newly freed ex-slaves to the west?

• There were laws in place that prevented them from moving to northern cities.

• They moved west because of better educational opportunities for their children.

• There was less discrimination in the west compared to northern or southern states.

• They were lured by the chance to earn extra money working on the newly built Indian reservations.