Curated OER
Hit The Trail
Young historians research one of the most colorful periods in US History: the cattle drives of the 1800's. They research the three most popular trails, and complete mapping and writing assignments about each one. The lesson has many...
Curated OER
Hit the Trail
Students read about the history of cattle trails and complete language arts, math, social studies, and more activities about barbed wire. In this barbed wire lesson plan, students read poetry, research changes over time, draw cattle...
Curated OER
Cattle Trails
Students identify and locate cattle trails on a globe. In this map skill lesson, students use a marker to locate Texas and Montana and use the map scale to calculate the distance of the cattle trail.
Curated OER
Cattle Trails
In this cattle trails study guide worksheet, students read about the American West. Students read 4 sections of information.
Curated OER
Texas Challenge
In this state facts instructional activity, students explore the state of Texas. Students complete ten multiple choice questions involving facts about Texas.
Curated OER
Texas Vocabulary
In this recognizing words about Texas worksheet, students use the word bank to match terms with their descriptions. Students match 10 answers.
Curated OER
Texas Crossword Puzzle
In this Texas worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle, using 10 clues given at the bottom of the page. A reference web site for additional activities is given.
Curated OER
HIT THE TRAIL
Students draw three cattle trails that passed through Indian Territory, using a written description of the trails and will create a diary of trail life. Students research a historical trail as assigned. Students share their information...
Curated OER
American West Crossword Puzzle
In this American West crossword puzzle worksheet, students use the 27 clues to identify the correct words and names that will solve the crossword puzzle.
Curated OER
Food
Students examine the types of foods eaten after the Civil War. They create their own cowboy style menu.
Curated OER
The Adventure Begins: "Boys I Believe I Have Found a Gold Mine!"
Students view and discuss historical documents regarding Native Americans and Californians prior to the gold rush in the 1940's. They complete a variety of activities designed to show what they have learned from these sources and class...
Other
Ellis County Museum: Texas Cattle Trails
This article surveys the cattle kingdom and cattle boom in Ellis County, Texas that started in the 1840s.
Other
Seymour Chamber of Commerce: The Great Western Cattle Trail
Learn about the Great Western Cattle Trail, that was used in the 1800s, and stretched from Bandera, Texas to Dodge City Kansas.
Other
Southwest Collection: The Texas Ranching Frontier
Discusses the cattle drive era that occurred in the late 1800s. It gives details about the drives from Texas to the north.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: School Publishers: Join a Cattle Drive
At this site take a look at maps of cattle drives from the ranches and ranges of Texas to the market places in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming.
Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma Historical Society: Shawnee Trail
The Shawnee Trail, also known as the Texas Road, was a major corridor for transporting cattle, goods and people across Indian territory in the 1800s and stretched from Texas to Oklahoma. Briefly described it its history.
Texas State Historical Association
Texas State Historical Association: Almanac: Ranching in a Changing Land
Read how the traditional Texas professions of ranching and farming have changed throughout the history of Texas.
Ancestry
Ok Gen Web Project: The Chisholm Trail and the Overland Cattle Trade
Description of the establishment and use of the Chisholm Trail for cattle drives in the mid- to late-1800s.
PBS
Pbs the West: Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight (1836-1929) was one of the most prosperous cattleman of the American West. Read a thorough biography about him here at this site.
Nebraska Studies
Nebraska Studies: High Falutin' Beef
This is an impressive history of the introduction of beef to the Great Plains region complete with videos, photos, and lesson plans.
PBS
Pbs: New Perspectives on the West
This in-depth resource presents a history of the American West from pre-Columbian times until World War I with profiles, documents, and images. It encourages visitors to link these into patterns of historical meaning for themselves....
Nature Conservancy
Nature Conservancy: Nash Prairie Preserve
Explore the beauty of America's prairies and examine efforts to preserve this vanishing part of America's landscape.