Cattle
on the Range: History vs. Today
by Ruth Ann Carlson
Zana Snell
Bill Lombardi
Trish Donovan
Grade: 4
Duration: 45 minutes
Description: The purpose of this lesson is to make students ware of the importance of cattle, in the past as well as the present.
Goals: Students will gain an understanding of the influences of cattle in the past through to today.
Objectives: The students will write a comparison chart between the uses of cattle today vs. the past
Materials:
1. Picture of a cattle ranch
2. Picture of the open range.
Procedure:
1. Review the design of the grass harvester or discuss how the cow is
important to the land. Ex. Harvests, reseeds, tills.
2. Discuss the 1st cattle drives in a very basic way.
a. Who brought the cattle north first? Texans
b. Why did they drive the cattle North? For free grass
c. What kind of cattle did they bring? Longhorns
3. Discuss Big Ranches/Cattle Barons: Grant-Kohrs Ranch
i. Grant traded healthy cattle for sick cattle that came
up the Oregon Trail.
ii. They ran their cattle over open range. NO FENCES
iii. They did no haying until after the harsh winter of 1886-87 which
caused many smaller ranchers to lose their cattle.
iv. This in turn began the idea of haying so cattle can be fed during
the winter months.
4. Compare and Contrast the Open Range to the introduction
of Fences.
a, Open Range:
1. Cowboys continuously move cattle.
2. Thousands of cattle were place on the ranges. This can cause havoc
on the ranges, by overgrazing.
3. Many owners' cattle are together.
4. Branding was a way of identification of cattle.
5. Spring round ups to brand new calves
b. Fencing:
1. Cattle are rotated from field to field. Can cause problems if left
in one place to long. Overgrazing
2. Cattle drives could no longer take place.
3. Purebreds are introduced.
4. Water rights is a issue
5. Irrigation
6. Haying
5. Why do we have cattle anyway?
a. Food source for human population
b. Range management.
Assessment: Student must be able to identify differences between closed and open range.