Spanish Ranching

Spanish Ranching. . , Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Goats, And Other Livestock were introduced into the New World by Europeans in the 1500s. Spanish exploratory expeditions that moved north out of Mexico released cattle and horses at stream crossings to provide an economic base for future colonists. When missionary-led communities were founded in the early 1700s, cattle and sheep ranches were established to support the missions and also provide meat, leather, and wool for the entire province. These remote ranches prospered as the threat of hostile Indian activity decreased due to the Spanish military presence, success of the missions, and a growing civilian population. When the missions were closed beginning in the late 1700s and their property distributed to community members (a process called secularization), private ranching began to flourish in the San Antonio River valley. Ranching continued to be the area's most important economic activity throughout the Spanish, Mexican, and Republic periods, as well as after Texas became a state in 1845. Overland cattle drives, barbed wire fencing, and rail and truck shipments of livestock to distant markets all transformed ranching in Texas during the 1800s and 1900s, and today it remains a significant sector of the state's economy., Captions , Top: The Spanish imported cattle and other livestock into Mexico beginning in the 1500s. The descendants of these animals formed the vast herds of Longhorns that roamed Texas for the next 250 years. , Painting: Tom Lea: , Courtesy: Dallas Museum of Art., Bottom 1: By the end of the 1700s most of the land along the San Antonio River had been converted into ranches. The ample grass and water produced large herds that could be marketed not only locally but also south to Mexico and east to Louisiana. , Source: Jack Jackson, Los Mesteño, 1986; , Courtesy: Jack Jackson Estate, Austin. , Bottom 2: Wild livestock was rounded up on the open range by ranchers and branded to prove ownership before barbed wire made it possible to confine cattle and horses on large land holdings. This brand was used on the Mission Espada ranch. , Source: Jack Jackson, Los Mesteño, 1986; , Courtesy: Jack Jackson Estate, Austin.