Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 12: Though cowboys are perhaps the most lasting image we have of the American frontier; in fact, their prominence was short-lived, with the majority of cattle drives happening from 1866 to 1886. These drives, from railroad-less Texas to Kansas to points East, aimed at resupplying the East's meat supplies after they became devastated after the Civil War. Until 1867, a restrictive quarantine was placed on Texas longhorns, who carried a tick which could kill other cattle breeds with Texas fever; the lessening of this quarantine ushered in the zenith of the cattle drive years. Towns like Abilene, Wichita, and Dodge City sprang up around the drives.

A cattle drive's personnel included a trail boss, who would plot the route and conduct financial transactions; the cook, who would feed the men via his chuck wagon; about six or so hands to...