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Texas Longhorn: From Spanish Herds to the Trail Drives and Back from the Brink

The rangy descendants of Spanish cattle fed the trail drive era, nearly disappeared, and survive today because of a handful of preservers.

Where did the Texas Longhorn come from?

The longhorn's ancestors crossed the Atlantic with the Spanish. In 1492 Christopher Columbus introduced Iberian cattle to Hispaniola, and in 1521 the conquistador Gregorio de Villalobos brought Spanish livestock to Mexico. As missions and settlements were founded, explorers kept importing cattle, and when settlements failed, colonists released the animals. According to the Alcalde history of the longhorn, those cattle spread through Mexico, Central and South America and north into Texas.

The Texas climate resembled that of Spain and Portugal, which helped the herds adapt, and natural selection over time produced the longhorn. The breed's long, lean legs, its lack of loose skin to snag on brush, its drought resistance and its willingness to eat grass, weeds and even cactus all fit that harsh history.

The cattle that fed the trail drive era

By the 1860s longhorns numbered in the millions across Texas. After the Civil War, Confederate veterans rounded up the cattle to start ranches. Early drives to coastal markets earned modest profits, so ranchers aimed at Abilene, Kansas, where rail lines reached eastern cities. A longhorn worth $5 to $10 in Texas could sell for $30 to $40 in Kansas.

Herds of 1,500 to 2,000 or more head were driven by a few dozen cowboys. Over about 30 years ranchers moved roughly 20 to 30 million head, and the profits helped pay for land purchases and for churches and schools in West Texas. The longhorn's endurance on long walks with sparse feed is the reason it, and not a heavier breed, carried that traffic.

Why the longhorn nearly disappeared

Barbed wire arrived in the late 1870s, and within a decade hundreds of miles of it fenced Texas rangeland, ending the open range. Expanding railroads and changing markets cut demand for the breed. The horns made the cattle hard to pack into rail cars, and their leaner meat was less desirable.

Ranchers crossed longhorns with Durham and Hereford cattle, and by the 1920s the breed was nearly extinct. The story is a common one in livestock history: a breed suited to one system of production loses out when the system changes.

Saving the herd: 1927 to 1969

Preservation began with federal rangers and ended up involving writers and ranchers. The steps are well documented.

  • 1927: U.S. Forest Rangers lobbied for preservation, and Congress appropriated $3,000 to gather the last longhorns and establish a national herd at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.
  • 1938: J. Frank Dobie led an effort to create an official purebred herd for Texas. With Sid Richardson and Graves Peeler, he acquired cattle and donated them to the State Parks Department, now Texas Parks and Wildlife.
  • 1964: The Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America was formed. It is the largest registry, and its registrar estimates about three-quarters of a million longhorns have been registered.
  • 1969: The 61st Texas Legislature officially recognized the State of Texas Longhorn Herd.
  • 1991: The Cattlemen's Texas Longhorn Registry was established to preserve the historic original longhorn.

What Made It Work

The longhorn's survival, first as a working animal and later as a preserved breed, rests on adaptation and then on organized effort. As a range animal it needed no help from ranchers: it found feed and water over long distances, resisted drought, reproduced quickly and defended itself with its horns.

Its second life depended on people who decided the cattle were worth keeping when the market no longer was. That meant a federal appropriation, a state herd and several registries.

  • Natural selection did the breeding: Spanish cattle adapted to Texas over generations with no formal program.
  • Trail endurance: lean legs with no loose skin to snag on brush made long drives to Kansas practical, which turned a $5 to $10 Texas animal into a $30 to $40 one.
  • Fast reproduction and hardiness kept herds growing on open range.
  • Public institutions stepped in: Congress in 1927 and the Texas Legislature in 1969 backed preservation herds.
  • Separate registries serve different goals, from large-scale registration (TLBAA) to preserving the historic type (Cattlemen's registry).

Costs, limits and conservation status

The same traits that made the longhorn a survivor made it a poor fit for later markets. The horns complicated rail shipping, the beef was leaner than buyers wanted, and crossbreeding with Durham and Hereford cattle diluted the original type. The Cattlemen's Texas Longhorn Registry says fewer than 2,000 registered historic longhorns remain, and The Livestock Conservancy lists the historic breed as Critical on its conservation priority list.

The longhorn in Texas culture today

The Texas state herd now numbers about 250 cattle, mainly at Fort Griffin State Historic Site and San Angelo State Park. Within about a decade after Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986, the Legislature named the longhorn the state large mammal. The University of Texas mascot Bevo is a longhorn, and a student group cares for him.

For stories about ranching life today, see the ranching section of farm.FM and a farm.FM story about Texas Longhorn cattle. Further reading is available from The Livestock Conservancy's longhorn page and the Wikipedia overview of the breed.

Timeline

  1. 1492Columbus introduces Iberian cattle to Hispaniola.
  2. 1521Gregorio de Villalobos brings Spanish livestock to Mexico.
  3. 1860sLonghorns number in the millions across Texas.
  4. 1870sBarbed wire arrives and begins ending the open range.
  5. 1927Congress appropriates $3,000 for a national herd at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.
  6. 1938J. Frank Dobie leads an effort to create a Texas state herd.
  7. 1964Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America is formed.
  8. 1969The Texas Legislature recognizes the State of Texas Longhorn Herd.
  9. 1991Cattlemen's Texas Longhorn Registry is established.

Frequently asked questions

Where did Texas Longhorn cattle come from?

They descend from Iberian cattle brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers, beginning with Columbus in 1492. Released and escaped animals spread north into Texas, where natural selection produced the longhorn.

How many cattle were driven up the trails?

The Alcalde history says that over about 30 years ranchers moved roughly 20 to 30 million head, mostly toward railheads such as Abilene, Kansas, where cattle sold for far more than in Texas.

Why did the Texas Longhorn nearly go extinct?

Barbed wire ended the open range, railroads changed markets, the horns made shipping awkward, and ranchers crossbred with Durham and Hereford cattle. By the 1920s the breed was nearly extinct.

Who saved the Texas Longhorn?

Forest Rangers and Congress created a federal herd in 1927, and J. Frank Dobie, Sid Richardson and Graves Peeler helped start the Texas state herd in 1938. Breed registries followed.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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