The Outlet

by Andy Adams

Overview

The demand for a market for the excess cattle of Texas at the end of the Civil War was both urgent and widespread. There had been repeated attempts to find a market, and there is proof that Texas cattle were transported to Illinois in 1857. Forty thousand people were transported inland by train after being transported by water from Cairo, Illinois, to the mouth of the Red River in Louisiana eleven years later.The short path, which was wholly contained within the reservations of the Choctaw and Cherokee Indians, two civilized Indian tribes, made it absolutely practicable. The buffalo and the unconquered, nomadic tribes' homeland was further to the west, making this the sole way to the north. The Texas steer that had been sent to the north overwintered and developed flesh similar to that of its original land, developing into marketable meat. At this time, all eyes were on the newly formed Northwest, which was seen as the nation that would provide a suitable market for cattle. The largest annual drive occurred in 1884 when more than 300 herds of cattle, totaling close to 80,000, crossed the Red River. The push cost millions of dollars and required over 4,000 men and over 35,000 horses to be on the path.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789357274654
Publisher:	Double 9 Books
Publication date:	01/01/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	614 KB

About the Author

Andy Adams (May 3, 1859 - September 26, 1936) was an American writer of western fiction. Andy Adams was born in Indiana. His parents were Andrew and Elizabeth (Elliott) Adams. As a boy he helped with the cattle and horses on the family farm. During the early 1880s he went to Texas, where he stayed for 10 years, spending much of that time driving cattle on the western trails. In 1890 he tried working as a businessman, but the venture failed, so he tried gold-mining in Colorado and Nevada. In 1894, he settled in Colorado Springs, where he lived until his death.