114 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



reservation, now in Oklahoma; thence across Washita river at Anadarko, 

 Oklahoma; thence northeasterly to the Canadian river, which was crossed, 

 and the route extended through Fort Reno and Kingfisher and thence 

 northward, following here the sam^ general route as the present railroad 

 through Caldwell and Wichita, to the Kansas river at Abilene. This route 

 has been made famous of late through many interesting stories pub- 

 lished of cattle trailed amid encounters with Indians and the extortion 

 made by the roving bands, who demanded of the owner to pay liberally 

 in order to secure permission to ford a river or pass through their 

 territory. Failure to pay their price resulted in the stampeding and 

 slaughter of the animals and death to the herders. Thrilling tales of hair- 

 raising escapades in attempting to defeat the Indians in their vigils over 

 the land, are laid along the course of this route and its two branches. 

 The largest number of cattle trailed in one season from the southwest to 

 northern pastures has been estimated at 416,000 head. This was in 1884, 

 about the time of the opening of a through railroad line over that route, 

 and from that year the number moving over the long trails rapidly dimin- 

 ished. The valley of a river was often a favorite and convenient course, 

 although not always a direct one, over which to drive sheep from the 

 native ranges to pasture along the railroads which reached eastern mar- 

 kets. One route from Oregon led up the valley of the Columbia and the 

 Snake rivers, across the mountains of Idaho and down the valley of the 

 Platte to shipping points in Nebraska. 



And may I direct your attention at this time to one of the very 

 first shipments of cattle by rail, which was from Kentucky to an eastern 

 market in 1852, as told by the shipper. One week was consumed in driv- 

 ing the cattle, 100 in number, from the neighborhood of Lexington, Ken- 

 tucky, to Cincinnati. Here they were loaded in merchandise box cars 

 without any conveniences for feed, water or ventilation and shipped by 

 rail to Cleveland and from there taken by steamboat to Buffalo. After 

 a stay of several days at Buffalo, the animals were driven to Canandiagua, 

 New York. From there they wore hauled in immigrant cars to Albany, 

 where they were unloaded and housed in the freight house of the rail- 

 road company. After spending two days in a feed yard near Albany the 

 stock was taken by boat to New York City. The freight charges on these 

 cattle from Cincinnati to Buffalo was at the rate of $120 per car, and the 

 total expense from Kentucky to New York City was $14 per head. 



Among the routes over which cattle were moved from Texas to eastern 

 markets about 1870, three will serve as illustrations. One way led by 

 coastwise steamer to New Orleans, where the animals were taken by river 

 boats northward. At Cairo, Illinois, the railroad journey was begun, 

 northward to Chicago, thence to the east. A second route from Texas was 

 over a trail to a shipping point on Red river, where the cattle were for- 

 warded by steamboats to Cairo and there shipped by rail northward. A 

 third route followed the trails from Texas to feeding grounds along the 

 railroads in Kansas and in regions north. From stations along these 

 roads the animals were forwarded to eastern markets. 



The advent of rail shipments of cattle began an era of terrible suffering 

 for animals intended for market. Just when stock cars for transporting 

 them came into use is not known. The date is lost in the dark days of 



