Microcosm in Slavery: The Northwestern Texas Frontier, 1845–65

The history of the cattle era in Texas conveniently omits the relationship between ranching and slavery, and certainly does not explore the success of those former slave owners in the post-war years. The California gold rush of 1849 was the needed catalyst for livestock raisers to move to the northwestern Texas frontier. Both slave- and non-slave owning individuals relocated along the Comanche frontier to take their chances in the livestock business. Without exception, the portion of the population with slaves built greater wealth, declared more property, wielded more influence, and had much larger livestock holdings than the portion of the population without slaves. This correlation can be seen throughout Texas, but the northwestern frontier, the region traditionally associated with successful postwar cattle barons, offers an unusually rich example of the foundations built during the antebellum years.