Cattle Herd

Early cattle drives headed west to the California gold fields after 1850, when cattle worth $5 to $10 a head in Texas would garner five to 20 times that amount in San Francisco. Most drives to California took five or six months. Starting in the vicinity of San Antonio or Fredericksburg, many drives followed a southern route through El Paso to San Diego or Los Angeles and on north to San Francisco. http://www.texasalmanac.com/topics/agriculture/cattle-drives-started-earnest-after-civil-war. Image Description: Two black and white photographs of cattle and cowboys can be seen. In both images cows of distinct color combinations can be seen grazing in scarce desert field. Several dry bushes can be seen in the foreground and in the background at least seven cowboys on horseback watching the herd. No trees or large vegetation can be seen, just a flat horizon and an empty sky during the day.

Area: Far Eastside / Agua Dulce

Source: El Paso Public Library

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History