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