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Cattle Drivin' Cattle Drivin’ 1860s – 1880s The Historical Cattle Drive Era Developed by: Kathy Hazen Greenleaf Friends Academy 1 Cattle DrivDrivin’in’in’in’ 1860s --- 1880s The content of this lesson will be taught through a teacher-directed game. Each student will be given a game board and seven “herds” of Texas Longhorn cattle along with a few answer strips. The teacher will guide the game by drawing cards from either the “Good Fortune” or the “Tough Luck” cards. (Cards will be kept with the teacher.) These cards are numbered and are placed in a predetermined order by the teacher so that events will occur as they actually did in history. The teacher will choose a student to read each card, and as it is read, students will respond accordingly to the information on their game boards. (Exact instructions for each card are given in the Game Guide.) The instructor is given additional information to supplement the cards on the following Game Guide, and is welcome to add information from their knowledge base on the subject to aid in student understanding. A series of questions will be given throughout the game, and students can earn points on the side of their game board by answering them correctly. Some questions require critical thinking skills or prior knowledge – others are comprehension questions based on the material presented. Teachers should award points for logical and/or thoughtful answers. To speed the answering process for questions during the game, it is recommended that students be in groups of 4 or 5. After a question is asked, groups will be given a short time (recommended 15 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the question) to brainstorm and finalize an answer. This will be written on their answer strip and groups will be awarded points for correct answers. Upon completion of all eleven cards, the teacher will ask additional questions for student points. The group(s) with the most points will win the game. Materials needed for each student: Game board (copied onto 8 ½ x 11 paper) Seven “herds” of cattle – cut from copied master Game cards – only one set needed (copied on cardstock and cut out) Answer strips (copied for each student – double-sided) Pencil Red crayon, colored pencil or marker Notes to the teacher: • Although this game is designed to be taught in one 45 minute session, depending on the discussion in the classroom and added teacher explanations, this game could easily be broken into two teaching sessions. Feel free to expand the game as you like, asking more questions and eliciting more student response. • This lesson is specifically designed to have the ability to be graded. Many of the questions are intended to be thought provoking and should not be counted wrong if students are processing through the content. Rules to be read to the student: This is a game about beef cattle in the mid 1800s. You will want to listen carefully throughout the game as cards are read [ hold up the first Good Fortune card ], and as I give additional information about each card. You will be moving cattle pieces on your board, but you will also be keeping track of points that you earn during the game for correctly answering questions by coloring in trail markers on the left side of the game board. Although each of you has your own game board and answer strips, we will be playing in groups. [ Make certain at this point that students are aware of their groupings. ] You will need to come to a majority decision in your group for the answer to each question, and then will write that answer down on your answer strip. At the end of the game, the group with the most points wins. 2 Game Guide: (Underlined words can be found in the key words listing on the Answer Strip.) *Students begin by placing one herd of longhorn cattle in Texas. Teacher explanation: • In the mid 1800s, the population of the US was growing and shifting westward. The country now held over 20 million individuals, with the bulk of them living on the eastern seaboard. Pioneers and mountain men were exploring territories, missionaries traveled to evangelize Native Americans, and American emigrants were traversing the Oregon Trail. It was a dangerous and exciting time in US history, and adventurous folks were the lead players in this westward expansion. Gold rushes in California and other western territories sent even more daring entrepreneurs traveling. In the meantime, down in Texas, cattlemen were raising Texas Longhorns to supply a growing and ever hungry transforming country. Cattlemen would drive their cattle from Texas to railheads in Kansas, and would then be sent via train to their final destinations. Most of these cattle went to the feed the bustling population on the east coast of the US. In this game, you play the adventurous role of one of these cattlemen. Question : Why would there be a demand for cattle? What do you think people would have used them for in the 1850s and 60s? (Answer: Cattle were used mainly for their meat, milk, and labor, but they used hides and most other parts of the animal after they were butchered as well. Texas Longhorn cattle were mostly sold for their meat. It was stringy and lean – but it was a hardy breed of cattle that could make long journeys and travel far across the US.) [Give a point for each use identified within the groups.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Teacher chooses a student to take the first “Good Fortune” card (#1) and read it to the class. Student reads: Your herd has grown to 1,500 head of cattle and you decide to drive them up to Kansas to fill the demand in the east and make some money for yourself. You are both the owner of this herd – and the trail boss ! You travel about three months with your crew of cattle and ten cattlemen and finally reach the railhead in Kansas. [Students move their herd of cattle to Kansas on their game boards.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Question: If each of your hired men gets about $30 per month, how much money total would you owe to 10 hired men after the trip? (Answer: $30 x 3 months= $90 per hired man. $90 x 10 men= $900 total.) Teacher explanation: • $30 to $40 per month was a standard wage for a hired cattleman in the mid 1800s. A trail boss would receive about $100 per month, and the cook would get around $60. If you were taking a herd of 3,000 head of cattle, you would need at least 10 cowboys to help herd. Each cowboy needed at least 3 horses – and often had many more than that! A cook would be a necessary addition for the journey to prepare meals for the cattlemen, to drive the chuck wagon , and to provide medical supplies and treatment. A wrangler would be in the company as well to handles the cowboy’s extra horses along the trail. • Cattlemen found early on that they should not drive the cattle more than 10 to 15 miles per day. If they traveled further, the longhorns would lose weight and not be marketable at their destinations. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Teacher chooses a student to take the next “Good Fortune” card (#2) and read it to the class. Student reads: 3 While you were away for the past three months, your longhorns at home have continued to breed, and you have many new calves to welcome to your herd. Fellow cattle ranchers have heard of your successful drive north, and are anxious to send some of their longhorns with you on your next trip to Kansas. [Students add another “herd” of cattle to their Texas territory.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Teacher explanation: • It will be spring before you travel to Kansas again, and you make plans with other ranchers to take some of their cattle along with yours. All the herds will need to be marked with their own brand so that you can tell the animals apart when herding them together – and so that everyone gets a fair price when they are sold. Question: Why do your cattle need to be branded? (Answer: Cattle were branded so that as they were roaming the open grasslands or being herded together, ranchers knew which were theirs.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Teacher chooses a student to take a “Tough Luck” card (#3) and read it to the class. Student reads: Your cattle are ready once again and you are preparing another trip north when you hear about the new legislation that has been passed in Missouri and Kansas. It all centers around an illness that affects cattle called “Texas Fever” – and the Texas Longhorns are the cause! Your cattle drive is postponed while you talk with other ranchers about your common dilemma . Meanwhile, your herd keeps growing…. [Students add another herd to Texas.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Question: Why could it be a problem if you herd continues to grow? (Answer: It costs a lot to care for such big animals; too many cattle without a market will cause prices to drop, etc.) {Reminder teachers: accept any logical or thoughtful answer.} Teacher explanation: • Texas Fever was a big deal! It was a disease that was caused by ticks that rode on the longhorns. The Texas cattle were immune to the illness, but cattle in other areas (that hadn’t traveled up from Mexico originally) were not. Whole herds in the northern and western United States died because of this dreaded disease. Cattlemen from Texas who tried crossing into populated parts of Kansas were met by angry, gun-bearing mobs – and forced to turn back.
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