I think that the answer is "They sold beef to eastern American towns" the cattle industry started booming around the civil war era (from 1867 to the 1880's). Western America had more land for ranching (like the grass and clearings and such) and it's why the cattle industry was mostly in western America. Eastern America had acquired a taste for beef, so they would of had to get the beef from the western parts to the eastern. This trip was longer so they could up the prices
