302:
never returned." The Big Die-up caused changes in the ways of the cattlemen. Laws increasingly restricted the right of cattlemen to graze on "open" (publicly-owned) lands. The number of small scale ranchers proliferated. They built fences to enclose their herds and improved the quality of their cattle by introducing new breeds and providing them shelter, forage, and water rather than allowing them to roam freely. Ranching after the Big Die-up "became more a business, less a gamble."
44:
167:(Oklahoma). The Texas panhandle was open to white settlement and by 1880 ranches had been established throughout the panhandle. The severe winter of 1880-1881 caused many cattle in Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska to migrate southward in search of shelter and good grazing. They competed with locally-owned cattle, putting pressure on pastures. The Panhandle Stock Raisers Association decided to string
68:
52:
138:
and their former lands became available to ranchers, the cattle industry boomed from 1880 to 1885. Most of the land was vacant, publicly-owned, and available to whoever chose to occupy it. Prices for beef were high, land was free, and domestic and foreign investors rushed into the business. Investors
292:
the tax rolls in 1886 listed 200 ranchers; in 1888 the total was 120. The number of cattle shipped to eastern U.S. markets from
Montana in 1887 was only two-thirds that of 1886 even though in 1887 ranchers engaged in panic selling of their remaining cattle in an effort to remain financially viable.
301:
Despite the losses and the poor condition of the grasslands, the plains recovered quickly -- aided by the reduction in the number of cattle and favorable weather during the remainder of 1887 and 1888. Prices for cattle improved in 1888, but in the words of one historian "the days of the open range
259:
The impact of the blizzards in the southern plains in early 1886 was compounded by conditions later that year, especially on the northern plains. The summer and fall were dry and grass was in poor condition for grazing cattle. The first blizzard of winter occurred on
November 22 and 23. Cattle had
245:
Prior to the blizzard, an estimated 2.5 million cattle inhabited the southern plains. The cattle were prevented from migrating to sheltered and more southerly areas by the drift fences and their bodies piled up near the fences, in rivers, and along the railroads. Ranchers in New Mexico cut their
154:
The Big Die-up impacted both the northern and southern Great Plains. The winter of 1885-1886 was mild on the northern plains but the blizzard of
January 1886 was catastrophic for ranchers on the southern plains. The winter of 1886-1887 had a wider impact with the Big Die-up killing hundreds of
250:
where drift fences were present are estimated to have died; south of the river the losses were only one percent. Individual ranchers often lost a larger percentage of their herds. Cowboys were put to work harvesting hides of dead cattle and 400,000 were marketed in Dodge City.
288:, Roosevelt remarked "Well, we have had a perfect smashup all through the cattle country of the northwest. The losses are crippling. For the first time I have been utterly unable to enjoy a visit to my ranch. I shall be glad to get home." Many of the ranchers went broke. In
195:
ordered the ranchers to remove their cattle from Indian territory. This added more than 200,000 cattle to the already over-grazed land in the Texas panhandle and Kansas. "Pastures that could have sustained 'a cow on every 40 acres had one on every 10 acres.'"
279:
melted the snow in early March and ranchers began to assess the impact of the winter on their cattle. Some estimates were low (to reassure investors) but most ranchers estimated losses of 50 to 90 percent of their herds. Roosevelt's cattle ranches near
175:
from east to west across the northern edge of each rancher's range to prevent cattle from further north straying into the
Panhandle. The longest of the drift fences stretched westward for 200 mi (320 km) from
234:
recorded a low of −6.5 °F (−21.4 °C) degrees. Heavy winds piled up snow two to three feet (.5 to 1.0 mts) deep in the Texas panhandle and New Mexico, closing roads for up to one month.
268:, North Dakota reported temperatures of −43 °F (−42 °C) on February 1 and 12. The winter weather even reached the West Coast, with snowfall of 3.7 inches in downtown
744:
739:
260:
trouble digging through the snow to reach to grass underneath. In late
December the weather turned very cold reaching an unofficial temperature of −35 °F (−37 °C) at
385:
187:
In 1883, With the Texas panhandle already crowded with cattle, ranchers leased 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km) of land in Indian
Territory from the Cheyenne and
264:. Bitterly cold weather returned in late January and a newspaper report said "more snow has fallen this year than any previous year in west Dakota."
31:
of the United States during the unusually cold and snowy winters of 1885-86 and 1886-87. Many ranchers were bankrupted as a result and the era of the
754:
499:
199:
Adding to the problems in 1885, prices for cattle fell and autumn was unseasonably dry. In
November large wildfires burned grassland from the
96:
724:
660:
734:
729:
719:
211:
147:
and herded to railroad terminals from where they were transported to eastern markets. Among the investors was future-president
436:
749:
210:
On
January 1, 1886, a snowstorm dropped up to one foot (.30 m) of snow in western Kansas. On January 6, 1886, the
774:
246:
fences to allow the cattle to seek shelter in sheltered valleys. Twenty-five percent of the cattle north of the
139:
believed that "no other business is so safe nor so profitable as cattle raising." The land in 1880 was unfenced
131:
in Texas (the heart of former
Comanche land) and soon the Texas panhandle was dotted with large cattle ranches.
281:
215:
289:
265:
59:
207:, and the Texas panhandle. The grass that remained was insufficient to sustain the cattle on the range.
764:
759:
379:
191:
tribes. Disputes resulted in the threat of violence between
Indians and ranchers and in 1885 President
135:
469:
417:
204:
148:
100:
318:
285:
261:
124:
123:
and the western part of the Dakotas settlement of ranches began in the 1870s. In 1876,
359:
192:
164:
155:
thousands of cattle and bankrupting many ranchers on both the northern and southern plains.
128:
47:
The Great Plains. Most of the large cattle ranches were located west of the 100th meridian.
769:
108:
525:
458:"The Blizzard of 1886 and its Effect on the Range Cattle Industry in the Southern Plains"
247:
239:
219:
200:
177:
72:
713:
269:
235:
231:
218:, issued a warning of a cold wave descending onto the southern plains. That morning,
88:
391:
276:
168:
104:
43:
28:
143:. Cattle drifted with the seasons and sought out good grazing until rounded up by
67:
103:(1861-1865) opened up the last large acreages of land for cattle ranching on the
172:
563:
227:
181:
140:
32:
163:
In 1875 the Indian tribes of the southern Great Plains had been relocated to
363:
347:
151:
who established two ranches in western North Dakota in 1883 and 1884.
63:
Overgrazing and harsh winters were the factors that caused the Big Die-Up.
223:
116:
92:
84:
473:
457:
35:
in which cattle roamed unfenced on the plains began its decline.
421:
405:
188:
120:
222:
enjoyed mild temperatures but by midnight the town closed down due to
144:
284:
were among those hit hard by that winter. In a letter to his friend
111:
in the south. Northern plains ranches were stocked with cattle from
51:
115:. In 1868, cattle were first driven north from Texas to ranches in
112:
80:
66:
50:
42:
27:) refers to the death of hundreds of thousands of cattle on the
230:
the temperature dropped to −16.2 °F (−26.8 °C) and
437:"Charles Goodnight Historical Marker, Armstrong County, Tx"
348:"The Early Open-Range Cattle Ranching Industry in Nebraska"
71:
Most of the cattle on the Great Plains in the 1880s were
319:"Chapter 8: Livestock and the Open Range, 1850-1887"
203:
in Kansas southward to northeastern New Mexico, the
272:setting an all-time record on February 5, 1887.
406:"The Hard Winter and the Range Cattle Business"
384:: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of August 2024 (
107:from the Canadian border on the north to the
8:
745:1887 natural disasters in the United States
740:1886 natural disasters in the United States
180:across the width of the Panhandle and into
689:
677:
647:
550:
701:
635:
623:
611:
599:
587:
486:
310:
377:
462:The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
7:
500:"Theodore Roosevelt in North Dakota"
435:Texas State, Historical Commission.
134:After the Indians were forced onto
14:
83:by hunters and the defeat of the
532:. Texas State Historical Society
326:Montana Historical Society (MHS)
755:Cold waves in the United States
410:The Montana Magazine of History
212:United States Army Signal Corps
1:
626:, pp. 415–416, 421–425.
159:Texas and the 1886 blizzard
79:The near-extinction of the
791:
661:"San Francisco Snowstorms"
456:Wheeler, David L. (1991).
504:Theodore Roosevelt Center
404:Mattison, Ray H. (1951).
214:, the predecessor of the
16:Weather event (1885–1887)
602:, pp. 419–421, 423.
346:Combs, H. Jason (2023).
282:Medora, Dakota Territory
216:National Weather Service
725:19th-century cold waves
364:10.1353/gpq.2023.a89748
127:established a ranch in
735:North American winters
730:1887 natural disasters
720:1886 natural disasters
352:Great Plains Quarterly
290:Custer County, Montana
76:
64:
56:Waiting for a Chinook,
48:
366:(inactive 2024-08-13)
70:
54:
46:
568:Texas Beyond History
524:Anderson, H. Allen.
255:The 1886-1887 winter
95:and other tribes of
704:, pp. 431–432.
638:, pp. 426–431.
614:, pp. 421–422.
590:, pp. 417–421.
205:Oklahoma panhandle
149:Theodore Roosevelt
101:American Civil War
77:
65:
49:
750:American frontier
680:, pp. 16–21.
530:Handbook of Texas
286:Henry Cabot Lodge
262:Glendive, Montana
125:Charles Goodnight
782:
775:Animal husbandry
705:
699:
693:
687:
681:
675:
669:
668:
667:. Mic Mac Media.
665:TheStormKing.com
657:
651:
650:, pp. 9–13.
645:
639:
633:
627:
621:
615:
609:
603:
597:
591:
585:
579:
578:
576:
574:
560:
554:
553:, pp. 5–21.
548:
542:
541:
539:
537:
521:
515:
514:
512:
510:
496:
490:
484:
478:
477:
453:
447:
446:
444:
443:
432:
426:
425:
401:
395:
390:Downloaded from
389:
383:
375:
373:
371:
343:
337:
336:
334:
332:
323:
315:
193:Grover Cleveland
165:Indian Territory
129:Palo Duro Canyon
790:
789:
785:
784:
783:
781:
780:
779:
710:
709:
708:
700:
696:
688:
684:
676:
672:
659:
658:
654:
646:
642:
634:
630:
622:
618:
610:
606:
598:
594:
586:
582:
572:
570:
564:"Red River War"
562:
561:
557:
549:
545:
535:
533:
523:
522:
518:
508:
506:
498:
497:
493:
489:, pp. 418.
485:
481:
455:
454:
450:
441:
439:
434:
433:
429:
403:
402:
398:
376:
369:
367:
345:
344:
340:
330:
328:
321:
317:
316:
312:
308:
299:
257:
226:conditions. In
161:
109:Texas panhandle
73:Texas Longhorns
62:
41:
17:
12:
11:
5:
788:
786:
778:
777:
772:
767:
762:
757:
752:
747:
742:
737:
732:
727:
722:
712:
711:
707:
706:
694:
692:, pp. 21.
682:
670:
652:
640:
628:
616:
604:
592:
580:
555:
543:
516:
491:
479:
468:(3): 416–417.
448:
427:
396:
338:
309:
307:
304:
298:
295:
256:
253:
248:Canadian River
240:Gulf of Mexico
220:Larned, Kansas
201:Arkansas River
160:
157:
40:
37:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
787:
776:
773:
771:
768:
766:
763:
761:
758:
756:
753:
751:
748:
746:
743:
741:
738:
736:
733:
731:
728:
726:
723:
721:
718:
717:
715:
703:
698:
695:
691:
690:Mattison 1951
686:
683:
679:
678:Mattison 1951
674:
671:
666:
662:
656:
653:
649:
648:Mattison 1951
644:
641:
637:
632:
629:
625:
620:
617:
613:
608:
605:
601:
596:
593:
589:
584:
581:
569:
565:
559:
556:
552:
551:Mattison 1951
547:
544:
531:
527:
520:
517:
505:
501:
495:
492:
488:
483:
480:
475:
471:
467:
463:
459:
452:
449:
438:
431:
428:
423:
419:
415:
411:
407:
400:
397:
393:
387:
381:
365:
361:
357:
353:
349:
342:
339:
327:
320:
314:
311:
305:
303:
296:
294:
291:
287:
283:
278:
273:
271:
270:San Francisco
267:
263:
254:
252:
249:
243:
241:
237:
236:Galveston Bay
233:
232:Austin, Texas
229:
225:
221:
217:
213:
208:
206:
202:
197:
194:
190:
185:
183:
179:
174:
170:
166:
158:
156:
152:
150:
146:
142:
137:
132:
130:
126:
122:
119:. In eastern
118:
114:
110:
106:
102:
98:
94:
90:
86:
82:
74:
69:
61:
57:
53:
45:
38:
36:
34:
30:
26:
22:
765:Great Plains
760:Pastoralists
702:Wheeler 1991
697:
685:
673:
664:
655:
643:
636:Wheeler 1991
631:
624:Wheeler 1991
619:
612:Wheeler 1991
607:
600:Wheeler 1991
595:
588:Wheeler 1991
583:
571:. Retrieved
567:
558:
546:
534:. Retrieved
529:
526:"Big Die-Up"
519:
507:. Retrieved
503:
494:
487:Wheeler 1991
482:
465:
461:
451:
440:. Retrieved
430:
413:
409:
399:
392:Project Muse
380:cite journal
368:. Retrieved
355:
351:
341:
329:. Retrieved
325:
313:
300:
277:chinook wind
274:
258:
244:
209:
198:
186:
169:drift fences
162:
153:
136:reservations
133:
105:Great Plains
78:
60:C.M. Russell
55:
29:Great Plains
25:Great Die-Up
24:
20:
18:
173:barbed wire
714:Categories
442:2008-10-10
228:Dodge City
182:New Mexico
141:open range
99:after the
39:Background
33:open range
21:Big Die-Up
358:(1): 44.
306:Footnotes
474:30238759
416:(4): 6.
224:blizzard
117:Nebraska
93:Cheyenne
85:Comanche
422:4515754
266:Bismark
242:froze.
238:on the
189:Arapaho
178:Higgins
145:cowboys
121:Montana
97:Indians
770:Cattle
573:10 May
536:10 May
509:15 May
472:
420:
370:10 May
331:10 May
297:Impact
89:Lakota
470:JSTOR
418:JSTOR
322:(PDF)
113:Texas
81:bison
575:2024
538:2024
511:2024
386:link
372:2024
333:2024
23:(or
19:The
360:doi
184:.
171:of
58:by
716::
663:.
566:.
528:.
502:.
466:94
464:.
460:.
412:.
408:.
382:}}
378:{{
356:43
354:.
350:.
324:.
275:A
91:,
87:,
577:.
540:.
513:.
476:.
445:.
424:.
414:1
394:.
388:)
374:.
362::
335:.
75:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
