20th Century Ranching

Tarryall Round-Up Nears End

Mining declined as ranching began dominating South Park, which contributed to the development of new ranching techniques. Fences replaced the open range, leading to the irrelevance of the famous “Old West” cattle round-up.

Woman feeds cow outside Hayman, Colorado, early 20th century

With the establishment of new ranches, the amount of available land decreased and cattle prices sunk due to an oversaturated market. Ranchers fenced in their lands and focused on upgrading their herds to produce much finer and pricier meat. The cattle market never truly stabilized, however, as the industry consistently faced the ramifications of depressions and rough weather conditions. Making a steady profit off of ranching was quite difficult.