Cattle drives in the United States
Cattle drives were a major economic activity in the 19th and early 20th century American West, particularly between 1850s and 1910s. In this period, 27 million cattle were driven from Texas to railheads in Kansas, for shipment to stockyards in St. Louis and points east, and direct to Chicago. The long distances covered, the need for periodic rests by riders and animals, and the establishment of railheads led to the development of "cow towns" across the frontier.
A modern small-scale cattle drive in New Mexico.
Cattle herd and cowboy, circa 1902
The Texas longhorn was originally driven overland to the railheads in Kansas; they were replaced with shorter-horned breeds after 1900.
The Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico opened a year after the railroad established it as a key railhead for the cattle drives.
A chuckwagon or chuck wagon is a horse-drawn wagon operating as a mobile field kitchen and frequently covered with a white tarp, also called a camp wagon or round-up wagon. It was historically used for the storage and transportation of food and cooking equipment on the prairies of the United States and Canada. They were included in wagon trains for settlers and traveling workers such as cowboys or loggers. In modern times, chuckwagons feature in special cooking competitions and events. Chuckwagons are also used in a type of competition known as chuckwagon racing.
Chuckwagon used to prepare food at gatherings, Texas 2014
Chuckwagon on a Texas roundup, 1900
An authentic chuckwagon, Texas 2007
The Rangeland Derby race at the Calgary Stampede (2017)