Cattle Ranching In Settling The Great Plains
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A ranch is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching. Ranching first started in Texas, with ranches mostly manned by Mexican cowboys called vaqueros. In 1836 Texan ranchers drove many Mexicans out, and claimed the cattle left behind. See what else you know about the period through this quiz.
- 1.What tough, strong breed of cattle had the ability to go long periods without water and could survive on a grass only diet was brought to America by Spanish settlers and raised in Texas in the late 1800s?
- A.
Angus
- B.
Longhorn
- C.
Hereford
- 2.Texas became part of the U.S. in 1845. What country did Texas win its independence from before it became part of the U.S?
- A.
Spain
- B.
Canada
- C.
Mexico
- 3.What was the name of Mexican cowhands who were respected for their skill in herding cattle?
- A.
Vaqueros
- B.
Mexicans
- C.
Amigos
- 4.True or False? When Texas was annexed into the U.S., many Texans faced prejudice from other Americans.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 5.What does the term “demand” mean in economics?
- A.
The amount of something that people want to sell at certain prices
- B.
The amount of something that people want to buy at certain prices
- C.
The amount of something that the government says must be sold
- 6.What does the term “supply” mean in economics?
- A.
The amount of something that people want to sell at certain prices
- B.
The amount of something that people want to buy at certain prices
- C.
The amount of something that the government says must be bought
- 7.What does the meeting point of a supply line and demand line on a supply and demand graph mean?
- A.
The number of products made
- B.
The price of the product
- C.
The need of the product by people
- 8.What does the term “price” mean in economics?
- A.
Where the amount of something that people are willing to pay is more than the amount that buyers demand
- B.
Where the amount of something that people are willing to pay is less than the amount that buyers demand
- C.
Where the amount of something that people are willing to pay equals the amount that buyers demand
- 9.When the supply of something is low and the demand for it is high, the price will be _______________.
- A.
Low
- B.
High
- C.
There is not enough information
- 10.The amount of cattle found in Texas was ________________.
- A.
Low
- B.
High
- C.
There is not enough information
- 11.The demand for cattle in Texas was ___________________.
- A.
Low
- B.
High
- C.
This was not covered
- 12.The cost of cattle in Texas was ___________________.
- A.
Low
- B.
High
- C.
This was not covered
- 13.The amount of cattle found in the Northern and Eastern United States was ________________.
- A.
Low
- B.
High
- C.
This was not covered
- 14.The demand for cattle in the Northern and Eastern United States was ___________________.
- A.
Low
- B.
High
- C.
This was not covered
- 15.The cost of cattle in the Northern and Eastern United States was ___________________.
- A.
Low
- B.
High
- C.
This was not covered
- 16.What was a railhead?
- A.
The owner of a railway
- B.
A town where railroad tracks begin or end
- C.
A main railroad on the Eastern Seaboard
- 17.Where were cattle loaded on trains to be shipped East?
- A.
Railhead Towns
- B.
Cattle Stations
- C.
Auction Houses
- 18.True or False? Cattle drives were headed by ranch owners and only took a day or two to complete.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- C.
This was not covered
- 19.What was a stampede?
- A.
When cattle drivers rushed the cattle through rivers
- B.
When cattle ran away after being startled
- C.
When cattle charged cowhands who were not on horses
- 20.What were the four cattle trails between 1860 and 1890?
- A.
The Oregon Trail, the Utah Trail, the Denver Trail, and the Kansas Trail
- B.
The Shawnee Trail, the Chisholm Trail, the Western Trail, and the Goodnight – Loving Trail
- C.
The Cheyenne Trail, the Dodge City Trail, the Red River Trail, and the Omaha Trail
- 21.What were the three of the major railheads?
- A.
Kansas City, Dodge City, and Abilene
- B.
Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Denver
- C.
Boise, Seattle, and Des Moines
- 22.What two major rivers cut the cattle trails?
- A.
The Rio Grande and the Mississippi Rivers
- B.
The Ohio and Missouri Rivers
- C.
The Arkansas and Red Rivers
- 23.Who was a famous cowhand who wrote a book about his adventures where he described recovering lost cattle at night?
- A.
Robert Harding
- B.
Nat Love
- C.
Billy Matheson
- 24.What was barbed wire?
- A.
Long strands of wire that connected telegraph poles
- B.
Railroad tracks where a lever could change the track direction
- C.
Twisted wire with sharp points every few inches
- 25.Why three things caused the end of cattle drives?
- A.
Barbed wire, railroad expansion, and a harsh winter
- B.
Strikes, labor unions, and ranch wars
- C.
Mexican War, Civil War, and Reconstruction
- 26.What was an open range?
- A.
The length of land between a ranch and railhead
- B.
A long, thin sheet of metal used to cook on over campfires
- C.
Vast areas of grassland owned by the federal government
- 27.How did cattle drivers keep up with which cattle was theirs?
- A.
The cattle were branded with a ranch symbol
- B.
The cattle wore tags in their ears
- C.
The cattle were all the same color
- 28.__________________ was a stray calf that had no brand?
- A.
A rogue
- B.
A maverick
- C.
A lost boy
- 29.Which three factors contributed to the rise of the cattle industry?
- A.
California’s statehood, the invention of barbed wire, and the expansion of telegraph wire
- B.
The Civil War, the French and Indian War, and the War of 1812
- C.
The abundance of cattle in Texas, rising cattle prices in the East, and emergence of railheads
- 30.True or False? Cattle drives only lasted about 20 years, yet people still think of these as a major symbol of the U.S. West.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- C.
We did not talk about this information
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