After the passage of the Homestead Act, settlers flooded to the Great Plains where lumber was scarce. Barbed wire enabled these settlers to fence in their lands. As a result, the movements of Native Americans and cattles drivers were severely restricted, and the era of open range came to an end.
The practice of cattle ranching in the Great Plains was be traced to the Spanish settlers who first arrived in the Western Hemisphere, as early as 1500, when the Spanish cowboys were engaged in raising cattle for commercial purposes in the Caribbean Islands.
The cattle ranching, as it developed on the Great Plains, was well adapted to the physical environment and the Cattle were able to consume the nutrient-rich grasses that grows in the Great plains.
In conclusion, the cattle ranching was an important business for the great Plains because it provided a source of income, food for the colonists and it slowly built the economy.
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