Jackson County
(Mo.) Historical Society
Portals to the Past by David W. Jackson
Area used to be nation’s cattle capital In light of
today’s terrorist, biological and environmental threats, imagine how the hostilities
of the American Civil War paralyzed most day-to-day operations across our
country, and decimated communities and industries because of, and yet without
discrimination. Union and
Confederate soldiers surviving the horrors of the battlefield had to subsist
between skirmishes. Often fending for themselves, they confiscated foodstuffs
and livestock. A scarcity of commodities after the War included beef, but
sizeable herds of Texas long cattle grazed in the southwest. Getting
cattle to hungry eastern markets saw the advent of cattle drives and the
American cowboy, who herded longhorns out of New Mexico and Texas and up
through Oklahoma to the nearest railhead at Abilene, Kansas. Cattle buyers
would then load their commodities on train cars headed east toward Kansas
City. But, getting goods, including beef, from Kansas City to eastern
markets was an obstacle because of the wide and muddy Missouri River.
Providentially, foresighted Kansas City promoters and politicians managed to
get the first railroad bridge across the Missouri at Kansas City. The
Hannibal Bridge was dedicated in 1869, and Kansas City steamed forward full
throttle to become the second largest rail center in the country, second to
Chicago. The railroad bridge, and the “stampeding” cattle industry, helped
transform the small “Town of Kansas” into metropolitan Kansas City. As cattle from the southwest
were shipped from Abilene into Kansas City they were transferred to other
rails heading out in every direction to eastern markets. The holding pens
constructed to transfer cattle became the famed Kansas City Stockyards . . .
Jackson County’s first million-dollar industry that soon generated a million
dollars a day. After the advent of refrigeration, packing houses could
provide “prepared” meat-to-market. Having overcome transportation
challenges, producing better quality beef became a priority for the industry.
One inferior trait of Texas Longhorn cattle was that their slender
hindquarters made tough meat, particularly cuts of steak. Jackson County
farmers responded to the demand for better steak by trying to breed a better
bull. To protect money generated by the new cattle industry, bankers and
corporate leaders began establishing vast farm estates across eastern and
southern Jackson County in an attempt to be the first to develop a new breed
of beef cattle. Suddenly, livestock breeding
became fashionable, and each ranch or estate competed to outdo the other.
Cattle were imported from Europe and the United Kingdom and crossbred as
breeders searched for perfection. Jackson County became the “Cattle Capitol”
of the country. Simpson and
Gudgell, an Independence outfit, finally made the right connection with a
bull obtained in England named “Anxiety IV.” Much of the beef available today
is American Polled Hereford, the product of the perfect beef first sired by
Simpson and Gudgell on their ranch along Noland Road, south of 23rd
Street. It’s hard to imagine in today’s
sprawling Kansas City metropolitan area that cattle and agriculture were once
vital to Jackson County. What happened to those huge livestock, dairy and
produce farms, some of which were still in place in the mid-1960’s? Little
primary documentation has yet been donated and the Jackson County (Mo.)
Historical Society welcomes additions of written historical information and
original photographs that “corral” for future citizens this area’s rich
livestock lineage and agricultural heritage. David
W. Jackson is archivist for the nonprofit, membership supported Jackson
County (Mo.) Historical Society's Archives and Research Library at 112 W
Lexington Ave, Suite 103, Independence, MO 64050. The Society’s scholarly
JOURNAL, a membership benefit, offers articles on interesting local history
topics. For more information, or to donate historical materials, visit
www.jchs.org, call (816) 252-7454, or e-mail info@jchs.org. |
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