What time of year did cattle drives begin?

Cattle drives to northern and western markets, and later to railroad-loading facilities, started in earnest in 1866, when an estimated 260,000 head of cattle crossed the Red River. The drives were conducted for only about 20 years, becoming unnecessary with the advent of the railroads and refrigeration in the 1880s.Click to see full answer. Furthermore, what time of year were cattle drives?Cattle drives were at one time a major economic activity in the American West, particularly between the years 1866-1895, when 10 million cattle were herded from Texas to railheads in Kansas for shipments to stockyards in Chicago and points east.Beside above, what was the reason for cattle drives? The Cattle Drives The cattle ranchers wanted to sell their cattle in the East and North. They could get better prices because the demand was high and the supply was low. Cattle ranchers needed to get their cattle to railroads that were often hundreds of miles from the cattle ranches. Similarly one may ask, when did cattle drives start and end? Cattle drives were a major economic activity in the 19th and early 20th century American West, particularly between 1850s and 1910s. In this period, 27 million cattle were driven from Texas to railheads in Kansas, for shipment to stockyards in Louisiana and points east.Do cattle drives still exist?Our Cattle drives are conducted much as they were a century and more ago and are still part of the local economies. There are several reasons for a legitimate cattle drive. Of course once the cows are in winter or summer areas they often must be moved periodically to different sections.