# What is the rate of travel of a cattle drive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 9, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rate-of-travel-of-a-cattle-drive/592022 "2011-08-09T02:08:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TGWATY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rate-of-travel-of-a-cattle-drive/592022/1 "2011-08-09T02:08:35Z")
How far can cattle be driven per day? They have to eat after all. And since the caloric content of grass is pretty low, they have to eat a lot. They spend a lot of time of grazing, I would think. I was just watching Lonesome Dove again in which cattle are driven from the southern border of Texas to Montana and wondering how long that would take. Unlike the classic cowboy film Red River, Lonesome Dove does not linger too long on the difficulties of the cattle drive itself. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rate-of-travel-of-a-cattle-drive/592022/2 "2011-08-09T05:43:35Z")
Why in the world would anyone drive cattle from the King Ranch to _Montana_? :dubious: The Chisolm Trail ran from Central or South Texas, give or take, to Abilene Kansas. It loosely followed a path a few miles to the east of modern day Interstate 35, and most of this land is or used to be grassland on low rolling hills. Even though they were going through prime cattle country, and even though they were driving longhorns, a breed known for tolerating rough conditions, they still went at a walking pace, going 10-12 miles per day, according to the [State Handbook of Texas](http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ayc02), or 15 miles per day according to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_drives_in_the_United_States). The goal was to fatten and finish the cattle as they traveled to the railhead at Wichita (or at least to not lose too much weight), and maximise the amount of beef to be sold. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rate-of-travel-of-a-cattle-drive/592022/3 "2011-08-09T05:54:10Z")
By the way, [In a Narrow Grave](http://www.amazon.com/Narrow-Grave-Essays-Texas/dp/0684868695), Larry McMurtry’s collection of essays on Texas at the end of the rural era, might be a good source for understanding the difficulties of working cattle. Though he was only old enough to watch the last of the cattle drives from his roof as a kid, he did grow up in a ranching family, and there’s enough in the book to probably give an idea of what working cattle was like. He was working off of family lore when he wrote Lonesome Dove. ---
**Author:** ![TGWATY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rate-of-travel-of-a-cattle-drive/592022/4 "2011-08-09T19:10:40Z")
Thanks. Wikipedia actually has an article about cattle drives in the US? wow > [@cornflakes](#): > > Why in the world would anyone drive cattle from the King Ranch to _Montana_? To settle there. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rate-of-travel-of-a-cattle-drive/592022/5 "2011-08-10T02:11:43Z")
Sorry, I should have read the entire Wikipedia Entry on the novel. Apparently, the book is based on the Goodnight-Loving drive, which ran from the Texas to the Denver railhead, and ultimately to Wyoming. McMurtry doubled the distance, making for a greater difference in climate, and removing the final goal of reaching a railhead. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rate-of-travel-of-a-cattle-drive/592022/6 "2011-08-10T20:21:47Z")
How often was this done? I’d guess once a year or so, but with different cattle ranches, was the trail crowded? What a mix-up it would be if two herds “Collided” (so to speak). 😛 ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rate-of-travel-of-a-cattle-drive/592022/7 "2011-08-10T20:28:35Z")
Is that an African cattle drive or a European cattle drive? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rate-of-travel-of-a-cattle-drive/592022/8 "2011-08-10T20:51:32Z")
as long as they keep moving, moving, moving then it’s ok. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rate-of-travel-of-a-cattle-drive/592022/9 "2011-08-10T20:51:41Z")
I don’t knoaaaAAAAAAAIGH! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rate-of-travel-of-a-cattle-drive/592022/10 "2011-08-10T23:58:22Z")
Well, you have to know these things when you’re Richard King you know. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rate-of-travel-of-a-cattle-drive/592022/11 "2011-08-11T16:29:01Z")
How do you know he’s a cowboy? He _does_ have shit all over him.