Cattle Industry Expansion

The cattle industry started to see substantial growth around the 1860s. This growing industry provided new opportunities and endless possibilities to people in the South, as they began taking over new lands in the West and creating cow towns. Many Indian tribes were displaced from their native lands so they could be used for the cattle trade. This caused conflicts between white Americans and the Indian people. By expanding the railroad systems westward and forcing Indian tribes to leave their land, Southerners were able to take advantage and conquer new lands to develop more urban societies.
The cattle business started in the deep South, mainly Texas. Once the potential of cattle trade was realized, it expanded beyond Texas to other states like Wyoming and Nebraska (Goldberg, ed. 7, The American Journey, 55). It was easy for the cattle industry to expand far Westward since it was pretty inexpensive to invest in cattle and grass and land was free and fairly easy to obtain (cite). Farmers were able to utilize public lands as well to keep their costs low. The initial problem ranchers faced during the cattle industry
As a result, many conflicts arose between whites and the Indians. Many Indian tribes that lived on these lands were