Cattle Drives

Madison Howbert, Michael Arnone, Hannah Hosick

Music:

Objective: Students will look at the themes of music that were common on cattle drives, then
create their own cattle drive song.

Print:
● https://www.loc.gov/folklife/LP/CowboySongs_opt.pdf
○ This text covers songs, callads, and cattle calls from mainly Texas. It gives some
background on each example that it gives, and then it also has the words so that
you can read the story. I chose this text because I like the background it gives
with each example, so you can kind of immerse yourself in that situation for the
purpose of the song. This text will be used for background knowledge of songs.
● https://www.worldcat.org/title/he-was-singin-this-song-a-collection-of-forty-eight-
traditional-songs-of-the-american-cowboy-with-words-music-pictures-and-
stories/oclc/8293958
○ This is a really good text for a variety of things. For every song it has, it has an
accompanying story, Not only does it just tell you about the songs and stories
themselves, but it also gives a breakdown of the genres and how they changed,
when they changed, and what exactly brought brought about those changes. I
chose this text because of how in depth and comprehensive it is. This text could
be used for just history, or can also be used for giving lessons on the different
genres and how they breakdown.

Media:
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZlTcia01Ys
○ This is a recording of The Colorado Trail which was a popular cowboy song while
on the trails and moving herds. I chose this particular one because its under the
category for on the trail, and it doesn’t sound like the classic cowboy song. This
can be used to show a different style of cowboy song.
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAWxuYiF2hw
○ This is a video of The Last Longhorn, which is a more serious song from the
cattle drives. I chose this one because it was under The Serious Side category,
and I want to show that not all the songs on cattle drives were about a girl you
left at home, or about getting along little doggies. It shows that there was a
sadness to see the last of the longhorns, and does get into the more serious side
of the cattle drives. Once again, can be used to demonstrate different styles.

Interactive:
● GarageBand
○ This is a good interactive program to get students into the composition side of
things. They can use this program to write their own songs about cattle drives as
 well as incorporate the themes they have been hearing into their own creations.
You can use this text as an assessment tool, to see if they understand what
themes and subjects play into songs about cattle drives.

Instructional:
● https://www.worldcat.org/title/he-was-singin-this-song-a-collection-of-forty-eight-
traditional-songs-of-the-american-cowboy-with-words-music-pictures-and-
stories/oclc/8293958
○ I think this Text can also be used as an instructional text because there is
a lot of material in here that you can really dig into and elaborate on.
There’s a lot of opportunity for additional lessons because of how many
songs are included in this text, you can draw from so many of them and
get all kinds of different perspectives.

History:

Objective: Students will break down the daily life of someone on the Cattle Drive.

Print Texts:

“The Chisholm Trail.” Kansas Historical Society, https://www.kshs.org/p/the-chisholm-

● This text covers the daily life on the Chisholm Trail, a trail used mainly by ranchers to
transport cattle from as far north as Abilene, Kansas all the way down to San Antonio,
Texas. This text was chosen because the Chisholm Trail was the most important trail on
the Cattle Drive as it brought industry and agricultural opportunities to the state of
Kansas. This article also gives a great historical/political perspective on the Cattle Drives
and what they entailed. This text will be used to give the students some knowledge on
the lifestyle of the Cattle Drives. Giving students perspective on the life of someone on
the Chisholm Trail will give that student a better understanding on the Agricultural
benefits and why they sing these songs on the trails.

“Ellsworth as a Texas Cattle Market.” Kansas Historical Society,

● This text covers the city of Ellsworth, Kansas which became the Cattle Drive capitol of
Kansas after Abilene’s reign. This text also covers the daily life of the people in Ellsworth
as well as showing us the economics of the Cattle Drive. This text was chosen because
it shows how much a city can boom during the cattle drive. Ellsworth was a lawless
wasteland before the Cattle Drive swept through. Students will use this text to
understand some of the economics during the Cattle Drive, as it was a very profitable
industry in the 19th Century. Just like the other article, this text gives students more
perspective on the life of someone on the Cattle Drive.
Media Texts:

Lamb, Rick. YouTube, YouTube, 7 Sept. 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

● This is a video that documents a journey of a Cattleman on the Chisholm Trail. This
video looks at the events one might have faced while transporting Cattle on the
Chisholm Trail. This video was chosen because it goes hand in hand with our first Social
Studies Print Text. We are giving students a visual on what they might see on the trails,
as well as giving them an idea of how hard it was to be on the Cattle Drive. This is a nice
video to break up and use certain chunks of it to further teach a point. It also gives
students a break from doing actual reading.

Hawks, Howard, director. Red River.

● Red River is a movie directed by Howard Hawks in 1948, starring the famous actor John
Wayne. This movie depicts the dangerous side of the Cattle Drive, as John Wayne and
his group face many foes on their trip from Texas all the way to Kansas. This movie was
chosen because it can be used as an intro to our lesson on the Cattle Drive. This is an
exciting Western film, and seeing a classic standoff between Wayne and some other
cowboy might spark some interest within the students. This movie brings the preceding
texts to life.

Interactive Text:

“Texas Ranch House: PBS.” THIRTEEN, https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/ranchhouse/.

● Texas Ranch House is an interactive game made by PBS. This game is a “choose your
own path” game, as the game gives you questions and your answers affect your
progression throughout the game. This game was chosen because students can use the
knowledge prior learned from other texts to take the Cattle Drive on with their own
decisions. Students love using technology, especially for games in the classroom. This
game is special as it brings all prior knowledge from all disciplines into play. You would
use this text towards the end of a unit, sort of like a “test” on if the students can make it
through the grueling Cattle Drive.

Instructional Resource:

“Cowboys of the Old West for Kids and Teachers.” Cowboys of the American West for
Kids and Teachers - FREE American History Lesson Plans & Games for Kids,
https://westernexpansion.mrdonn.org/cowboys.html.
 ● This website is a great resource for us teachers to use as it provides many links to
sources and other instructional guides for teaching the Cattle Drive. Examples of texts
found on this website are learning about Cowboys, the Homestead Act of 1862, and
lessons on the many jobs along the Cattle Drive. This is great to use as you can mix it
up between years teaching the Cattle Drive, as you can take multiple different routes
and still end up at the same end goal. The lesson plans given are also simple and to the
point, and can be used between multiple grade levels.

Agriculture:
Objective: Students will explore the history and impact of the american cattle industry.

Print Texts:
https://www.americancowboy.com/people/popular-cattle-breeds-30141

Radke, Amanda. “Popular U.S. Cattle Breeds - American Cowboy: Western Lifestyle -
Travel - People.” American Cowboy | Western Lifestyle - Travel - People, 20 Oct. 2015,
www.americancowboy.com/people/popular-cattle-breeds-30141.

● This article outlines 5 main breeds of cattle that were being driven during the initial
american cattle drives. These 5 breeds are still very prominent in the US. Understanding
breed types and where they originated from will help animal science students better
understand breed management practices. I would have my students read this article and
identify breed names with colors as well as facts about each breed.

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/ranching/

National Geographic Society. “Ranching.” National Geographic Society, 9 Oct. 2012,

● This article encompases all aspects of cattle management was well as how cattle drives
play into the cattle industry. The article highlights the demand for red meat all around the
world and country and the importance of the transportation around the country. I chose
this to engage students in the processes of the industry and to help make real world
connections. I would have my students read this article and draw a timeline or flow chart
of all the components involved in cattle production.

Media Texts:

https://naitc-api.usu.edu/media/uploads/2015/07/14/Cattle_Drive_Positions.pdf
 ● This text provides a visual of what the important positions cowboys rode while moving
the herd. In a classroom I would have my students play a game similar to ships and
sailors to learn the positions. This game is very high energy and fun and would engage
the class a lot. I chose this visual because it is easy to understand and will provide
insights to the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaHQ2vrt0ak

● This video highlights how cattle drives have changed the american west over time. It
includes real life documentation and encounters. I chose this video because it will help
students in an agricultural leadership class better appreciate the industry and the history
of cattle production. I would have students watch this video and create a short podcast
with a classmate over what they have learned.

Interactive Text:

https://4-h.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/act8cattledrive.pdf

● This board game is a very interactive way to learn and understand the every day
workings of american cattle drives. Students will put themselves in the shoes of the
cowboys and learn things such as feedings, cattle deminors, working with others and
environmental impacts and issues. I chose this game can be used in any agricultural
class because it has such a wide array of lessons to be learned. I would have students
play it as a unit induction and then at the end of my cattle drive unit to see how much
better they got.

Instructional Resource:

https://www.agclassroom.org/teacher/matrix/lessonplan.cfm?lpid=268

Mitsuoka, Yasuko. “The Cattle Drive and Westward Expansion.” National Agriculture in
the Classroom, www.agclassroom.org/teacher/matrix/lessonplan.cfm?lpid=268.

● This website is a great resource for this lesson. It used agriculture curriculum
which fits into multiple classes and grade levels within the Ag Ed realm. I chose
this website because is from an agriculture curriculum that is widely used within
programs and has many hands on and influential components to it. I would have
my students use many parts of this curriculum.
REVIEW

Context:
We felt as though this was a great lesson to engage all three of our disciplines while focusing on
one important topic. It is important to all of us that students in America understand their
countries history and this specific unit plays a large role in that in many different ways. This unit
also encompases two industries that formed out of a major historical event, country music and
the livestock industry as we know it today.

As A Set

Unlike others, we did not initially choose to work together, we were just the three students left
over after everyone had chosen. However, we believe our disciplines meshed so well,
especially for a lesson such as this one. We were able to pull valuable information over a period
in history and make it relevant to today in three different aspects.