RANGELANDS: AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Dec 28, 2015
RANGELANDS:AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
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I) GRAZING BY NATIVE ANIMALS
At the time of settlement by Europeans ..
..perhaps 67 million “animal units” present
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(Pre-Settlement Grazing Pressure may have approachedCurrent Grazing Pressure)
Four Hudson Bay Fur Company Records(1500’s – 1600’s)
Overgrazing by Bison in Canada?
(Forage for Horses?)
Overgrazing by Bison in Montana?Meriweather Lewis (1814) 4
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Overgrazing by Bison in Montana?Meriweather Lewis (1814) 4
Overgrazing by Bison in Kansas?
Overgrazing of prairies may have led to low numbers of prairie chickens and waterfowl
Impact of Grazing west of the Rockies in North America?
32Great Basin Shrubland - Utah
II) EARLY LIVESTOCK GRAZING
Hernando Cortez
.. brought the first Cattle and Sheep into Mexico in (1515-1530) 4
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Francisco Coronado ..
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.. brought the first livestock into the United States from Mexico in 1540 4
Escaped cattle and horses established stocking ranges throughout the Southwest (NM, AZ, TX, CO) 4
Spanish Settlements in (1600’s)Livestock escape, become established in the Southwest
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.. moved 4000 sheep, 1000 goats and 1000 cattle from south Texas to northern New Mexico 4
*Key to establishing the livestock industry in the Southwest
Don Juan de Onate (1590s) …
**Spaniards Attempt to “Christianize” Native Americans, and also teach them about farming and animal husbandry
Spanish Missions established all along major rivers in the NM, AZ, TX (17th Century)
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Herds of cattle and flocks of sheep established in most pueblos by 18th century
Conflict between Spaniards and Native Americans!
New Mexico is major supplier of sheepto regions elsewhere in the Southwest
(early to mid 19th century)
Patrone System in New Mexico (through the mid 1800s)
• Patrones: Recipients of large Spanish, and then Mexican land grants 4
• Peons: Shepherds in charge of individual flocks 4
New Mexico Supplies Sheep to the West (mid-1800s) 4
• California Gold Rush (1849)• Nevada Silver Mines• Colorado Gold Mines• Mormon farms in Utah
Livestock Industry Expands into the Pacific Northwest (1830-1850s) 4
“Palouse Horse”
“Palouse” Country
(Beginning of Land Baron Era and Range Exploitation)
III) 1865 – 1900 PERIOD
CIVIL WAR ENDS
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Transcontinental Railroad Act(1862)
• Granted large tracts of land to railroads
• Large numbers of people moved west
Homestead Act (1862)
• Grants 160 acres of land after 5
year’s residence
• Encourages large numbers of
people to move west to farm
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Transcontinental Railroad Completed into Kansas (1866) 4
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Longhorn Cattle Drives from Texas toKansas (1866 – 1885)
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“A Market for Long-Horn Cattle in the East”
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Danger of Cattle Drives
Expansion of Cattle Industry into Northern and Central Great Plains
(1870s)
• Millions of dollars invested to Supply eastern US, European markets
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1870 : 4.6 million cattle in western states
1884 : 35-40 million cattle in western states
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Sheep Industry Expansion into West (1880s – 1890s) 4
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1890’s – 1900’s
CONFLICT!!
Rangeland Production Declines
1884 – 35-40 million cattle in western states
1890 - 27 million cattle in western
states4
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A) Overgrazing
B) Severe Summer Droughts (1891 – 1892)
C) Severe Winter Weather (1885-1886)
WHY?
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Conversion of rangelands to pasture and
farmland by homesteaders (1870’s – 1900’s)
(Prairies, Palouse)
IV) 1900 - 1930 PERIOD
1) Government Regulation of Grazing
2) Range Management as a Scientific Discipline
1 http://images.pearsoned-ema.com/jpeg/small/9780130474759.jpg
2 Stoddart, L.A. and A.D. Smith. 1943. Range Management, 3rd edition. McGraw-Hill Book Company, NY.
3 http://www.naturalkansas.org/images/Bison.jpg
4 Holecheck, J.L., R.D. Pieper and C.H. Herbel. 2004. Range Management: Principles and Practices. 5th edition. Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ.
5 http://fineartamerica.com/images-medium/sage-gruff-chip-knobl.jpg
6 http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/rareplants/profiles/tep/opuntia_basilaris_t releasei/images/opuntia_basilaris_treleasei_habitat_lg.jpg
7 Kirsch, L.M. and A.D. Kruse. 1972. Prairie fires and wildlife. Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference 12:289-305
8 http://www.lawnoven.net/images/Sheep%20Grazing.jpg
9 http://www.ut.blm.gov/cedarcity_fo/images/cows.jpg
10 http://www.visitusa.com/newmexico/images/toaspic.jpg
11 http://www.cpluhna.nau.edu/images/logging15a.jpg
12 http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/batatlan.jpg
13 http://www.fortogden.com/jupiter1.jpg
14 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/ndfahtml/images/hult_sod_02.jpg
15 http://www.chathamhillgames.com/images/west-longhorn.jpg
16 http://www.bio-link.org/res/mapTX.gif
17 http://www.co.wilbarger.tx.us/Crossing.jpg
18 http://www.guidon.com/bookgfx/cozzensv4.jpg
19 http://images.amazon.com/images/P/080328246X.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
20 http://media.canada.com/idl/ntnp/20060817/161876-59213.jpg
21 http://www.archives.gov/research/american-west/images/017.jpg
22 http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/states/kansas/maps/kansas- location-map.gif
23 http://www.gis.net/~shepdog/BC_Museum/Permanent/SheepHerding InTheWest.jpg
24 http://www.geocities.com/james_mcinerney2000/stockwagons.htm
25 http://www.six-mile-ranch.ca/images/cattle-drive-cropt.jpg
26 http://agnews.tamu.edu/dailynews/stories/RNEC/photos/Mar0804a.jpg
27 http://wildsonora.com/img/Cow-Patties.jpg
30 http://www.metcalfemuseum.org/collection_images/skinning_cattle.jpg
31 http://fineartamerica.com/images-medium/sage-gruff-chip-knobl.jpg
32 http://www.sunsetcities.com/nevada/greatbasin/DSCF0001-schellrangsign.jpg
33 http://thebsreport.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/wild-horses.jpg
34 http://k53.pbase.com/o6/28/566028/1/81012720.Tknbq8qI. nm6copy.jpg
35 http://www.stockinterview.com/News/03162006/WY-sheep.gif