Chapter 14 Section 2

1. Chapter 14 Section 2 By : Michaela Stiger Eric Moss Luke Smith

2. Railroads, Ranches, and Farms • Main cash crop of Abilene was bison bones. • Manufactures used elements from bones for making fertilizer, buttons, and fine bone China. • About half a million tons of bison bones were shipped out to western Texas by rail.

3. Railroads Change Ranching • The first railine in Texas opened in 1851. • Mostly all of the early rail lines were connected to Houston to nearby towns. • Ranchers needed rail lines to move cattle from Texas. • Railroads made the bison bone business possible.

4. Railroads Change Ranching Continue • The civil war ceased the railroad building in Texas. • 1873- Texas rail system linked to nationwide rail network. Texas ranchers begin shipping cattle by rail.

5. Moving the Cattle • It was still cheap to drive cattle over trails. • In 1890’s Fort Worth railhead became a collection point for Texas cattle. • Ranchers herded animals on the trains and shipped them somewhere else to be slaughtered.

7. Railroads Change Farming • Texans changed the way they farmed due to the building of the railroad. • A farmer that grew more than what he would supply for his family led to commercial agriculture. • Growing crops in West Texas was different from ranching.

8. Railroads Affect the Economy • Texans struggled trying to convince railroad companies to place railroads in their region. • Many Texas cities and towns owe their success to the business created by railroads.

9. Railroads Affect the Economy Continue • Southern Pacific bought Texas lines. • Railroads changed old patterns of trade in Texas.