Today Rachel continued presenting on Chapter 5 Section 1. I learned that cowboys were based on vaqueros from Mexico. When the buffalo started to die out , the need for beef increased. I also learned that the cowboys learned a lot from Mexico, but their wasn't a big demand for beef until the railroads went up. Next she talked about the day in the life of a cowboy. I learned that cowboys worked 10-14 hours a day, and the ages of the cowboys ranged ffrom 15-40. I also learned that they spent 3 months on a long drive with 250-300 cattle. They spent most of their time on horses and a trail boss could earn up to $100. The demand for beef went up because the buffalo started to disappear. I learned that in 1865 the Chicago Union Stock Yards opened. By 1866 railroads ran in east which increased the demand for cowboys. The Open Range was where cattle roamed freely in the Great Plains. It ended because of bad weather, overgrazing, and the invention of barbed wire. In 1887 there was a really bad weater period, so ranchers went to smaller herds and used fence to hold cattle.Next we moved onto Chapter 5 Section 2, Settling on the Great Plains. From 1850 to 1871, the government made land grants to the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. I learned that the Central Pacific moved east from Sacramento and Union Pacific most west from Omaha. African Americans, Chinese, and Mexican immigrants did most of the work on the railroad. I learned that the two railroads met in Promentary Point, Utah to form first transcontinental railroad in 1869. Next Ashley talked about the Homestead Act. I learned that it gave 160 acres of free land to any citizen that is the head of the household. From 1862 to 1906 up to 600,000 families took the offer, but several were exodusters (Africans from the South). I learned that it was made to help farmers, but many private speculators, railroad, and state agentsalso used it. I also learned that only 10% of land was settled by families.
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