The Chisholm Trail and Its Role In The Cattle Industry Research Paper

The Chisholm Trail and Its Role In The Cattle Industry - Research Paper Example This paper declares that the Chisholm Trail suffered as well. With barbed wire defining the boundaries of ranch lands, the trails were soon feeling cramped . It received a temporary reprieve in 1880 from competition on the western trails that led more directly to Dodge City, when rail service was extended to Caldwell, Kansas, and once again there was a temporary boom. However, it was apparent that the route was declining, and it would soon be silent forever. To the cattle industry, the Chisholm Trail was responsible for more than just driving the steers to market. Towns had been built and grown because of it. It had caused the upswing of meat-packing plants in Chicago and Kansas City, and had even caused rage in Europe when businessmen became irate that their markets were being flooded with American beef. This paper makes a conclusion that by 1885, fenced-in ranching replaced the way of life that had been known on the open range and trails. Though the Chisholm Trail soon grew quiet, and it would never know again the thunderous sound of cattle at its crossings. The Chisholm Trail carries a legacy that has come to symbolize the heyday of the cattle industry and the era of the cowboy, and neither time, nor change, nor the invention of barbed wire can upset the place that it holds in the hearts of those descended from the cowboys, trail bosses, guides, and chuck wagon cooks that once rode along its routes.