Cattle kingdom - the hidden history of the cowboy west

A revolutionary new appraisal of the Old West and the America it made The open range cattle era lasted barely a quarter-century, but it left America irrevocably changed. These few decades following the Civil War brought America its greatest boom-and-bust cycle until the Depression, the invention of the assembly line, and the dawn of the conservation movement. It inspired legends, such as that icon of rugged individualism, the cowboy. Yet this extraordinary time and its import have remained unexamined for decades. Cattle Kingdom reveals the truth of how the West rose and fell, and how its legacy defines us today. The tale takes us from dust-choked cattle drives to the unlikely splendors of boomtowns like Abilene, Kansas, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. We venture from the Texas Panhandle to the Dakota Badlands to the Chicago stockyards. We meet a diverse array of playersfrom the expert cowboy Teddy Blue to the failed rancher and future president Teddy Roosevelt. Knowlton shows us how they and others like them could achieve so many outsized feats: killing millions of bison in a decade, building the first opera house on the open range, driving cattle by the thousand, and much more. Cattle Kingdom is a revelatory new view of the Old West. “The best all-around study of the American cowboy ever written. Every page crackles with keen analysis and vivid prose about the Old West. A must-read!” — Douglas Brinkley, author of The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America The open-range cattle era lasted barely a quarter century, but it left America irrevocably changed. Cattle Kingdom reveals how the West rose and fell, and how its legacy defines us today. The tale takes us from dust-choked cattle drives to the unlikely splendors of boomtowns like Abilene, Kansas, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. We meet a diverse cast, from cowboy Teddy Blue to failed rancher and future president Teddy Roosevelt. This is a revolutionary new appraisal of the Old West and the America it made. “Knowlton writes well about all the fun stuff: trail drives, rambunctious cow towns, gunfights and range wars . . . [He] enlists all of these tropes in support of an intriguing thesis: that the romance of the Old West arose upon the swelling surface of a giant economic bubble . . . Cattle Kingdom is The Great Plains by way of The Big Short .” — Wall Street Journal “Knowlton deftly balances close-ups and bird’s-eye views. We learn countless details . . . More important, we learn why the story played out as it did.” — New York Times Book Review “The best one-volume history of the legendary era of the cowboy and cattle empires in thirty years.” — True West "A revolutionary new appraisal of the Old West and the America it made. The open-range cattle era lasted barely a quarter century, but it left America irrevocably changed. These few decades following the Civil War brought America its greatest boom-and-bust cycle until the Depression, the invention of the assembly line, and the dawn of the conservation movement. It inspired legends, such as that icon of rugged individualism, the cowboy. Yet this extraordinary time and its import have remained unexamined for decades. Cattle Kingdom reveals the truth of how the West rose and fell, and how its legacy defines us today. The tale takes us from dust-choked cattle drives to the unlikely splendors of boomtowns like Abilene, Kansas, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. We venture from the Texas Panhandle to the Dakota Badlands to the Chicago stockyards. We meet a diverse array of players--from the expert cowboy Teddy Blue to the failed rancher and future president Teddy Roosevelt. Knowlton shows us how they and others like them could achieve so many outsized feats: killing millions of bison in a decade, building the first opera house on the open range, driving cattle by the thousands, and much more. Cattle Kingdom is a revelatory new view of the Old West."--Jacket. Describes the truth of how the West rose and fell, and how its legacy defines us today. A Revolutionary New Appraisal Of The Old West And The America It Made The Open Range Cattle Era Lasted Barely A Quarter-century, But It Left America Irrevocably Changed. These Few Decades Following The Civil War Brought America Its Greatest Boom-and-bust Cycle Until The Depression, The Invention Of The Assembly Line, And The Dawn Of The Conservation Movement. It Inspired Legends, Such As That Icon Of Rugged Individualism, The Cowboy. Yet This Extraordinary Time And Its Import Have Remained Unexamined For Decades. Cattle Kingdom Reveals The Truth Of How The West Rose And Fell, And How Its Legacy Defines Us Today. The Tale Takes Us From Dust-choked Cattle Drives To The Unlikely Splendors Of Boomtowns Like Abilene, Kansas, And Cheyenne, Wyoming. We Venture From The Texas Panhandle To The Dakota Badlands To The Chicago Stockyards. We Meet A Diverse Array Of Players--from The Expert Cowboy Teddy Blue To The Failed Rancher And Future President Teddy Roosevelt. Knowlton Shows Us How They And Others Like Them Could Achieve So Many Outsized Feats: Killing Millions Of Bison In A Decade, Building The First Opera House In The West, Driving Cattle By The Thousand, And Much More. Cattle Kingdom Is A Revelatory New View Of The Old West. The open-range cattle era lasted barely a quarter century, but it left America irrevocably changed. These few decades following the Civil War brought America its greatest boom-and-bust cycle until the Depression, the invention of the assembly line, and the dawn of the conservation movement. It inspired legends, such as that icon of rugged individualism, the cowboy. Yet this extraordinary time and its import have remained unexamined for decades. [This book] reveals the truth of how the West rose and fell, and how its legacy defines us today. The tale takes us from dust-choked cattle drives to the unlikely splendors of boomtowns like Abilene, Kansas, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. We venture from the Texas Panhandle to the Dakota Badlands to the Chicago stockyards. We meet a diverse array of players-- from the expert cowboy Teddy Blue to the failed rancher and future president Teddy Roosevelt. Knowlton shows us how they and others like them could achieve so many outsized feats: killing millions of bison in a decade, building the first opera house on the open range, driving cattle by the thousands, and much more Part one: Birth of a boom. The demise of the bison ; Cattle for cash ; Birth of the cattle town ; Cattle-town high jinks ; Lighting the fuse ; Cowboy aristocrats Part two: Cowboys and cattle kings. From stockyard to steakhouse ; The rise of Cheyenne ; Barbed wire : the devil's rope ; Frewen's castle ; The nature crusader Part three: The boom busts. Teddy Blue and the necktie socials ; Mortal ruin ; Poker on joint-stock principles ; The big die-up ; The fall of Cheyenne Part four: Nails in the coffin. The rustler problem ; Nate Champion and the Johnson County War ; The cowboy president ; The closing of the range ; Failed second acts ; Myths of the Old West Afterword: "Unhorsed for good." A revolutionary appraisal of the Old West and its role in shaping post-Civil War America retraces the pivotal evolution of open-range cattle ranching, the growth of boomtowns, and the rise of the legendary icon of the cowboy A rich and endlessly surprising new account of the rise and demise of the open range cattle era, revealing how that moment created the institutions and myths in whose shadows we still live