cattle-drives
Moving herds overland
Cattle-drives are the large-scale movement of livestock overland from one location to another, typically from ranches to railheads or markets.
The term evokes the American Old West, when cowboys drove herds hundreds of miles along trails like the Chisholm: The cattle-drives of the 1870s shaped the mythology of the American frontier.
The practice declined with the expansion of railroads.
Post-Civil War cattle route
- longhornsCattle with elongated horns
- cowboysRanch hands tending herds
- Old WestAmerican cowboy era
- droversLivestock transporters on foot
frontier · 1800s · Texas · Abilene · Dodge City · range · stampede · chuck wagon
Grazing animals together
- longhornsCattle with elongated horns
- steersControls direction of travel
- calvesRear shin muscles
- bullsAdult male cattle
head count · livestock · grazing · watering · stampede · strays · horns · hooves
Livestock transporters on foot
- herdingManaging animal groups
- wranglersLivestock handlers on ranches
- trail handsCattle drive workers
- ropingCatching with a lariat
lasso · night watch · bedding down · saddle · spurs · chaps · roundup · branding iron
Path through wilderness
- migrationMovement to new territory
- crossingPoint where paths intersect
- terrainLand's physical features
- waypointsIntermediate navigation targets
grazing · water sources · distances · route · passage · landmarks · encampment · pace
Movies set in frontier America
- Lonesome DoveEpic Western about aging lawmen
- cowboy songsMusic of the range
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- rodeoCowboy skills competition
American West · Red River · campfire stories · gaucho · jackaroo · stockman · outback · pampas
Chisholm Trail
Post-Civil War cattle route
drovers · frontier · 1800s · Texas · Abilene · Dodge City · range · stampede · chuck wagon · trail boss
herd
Grazing animals together
bulls · head count · livestock · grazing · watering · stampede · strays · horns · hooves · bellowing
drovers
Livestock transporters on foot
- herdingManaging animal groups
- wranglersLivestock handlers on ranches
- trail handsCattle drive workers
roping · lasso · night watch · bedding down · saddle · spurs · chaps · roundup · branding iron · campfire
trail
Path through wilderness
- migrationMovement to new territory
- crossingPoint where paths intersect
- terrainLand's physical features
waypoints · grazing · water sources · distances · route · passage · landmarks · encampment · pace · dust
Western films
Movies set in frontier America
- Lonesome DoveEpic Western about aging lawmen
- cowboy songsMusic of the range
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
rodeo · American West · Red River · campfire stories · gaucho · jackaroo · stockman · outback · pampas · ranch life