Rise and Fall of the Ranching Kingdom: A Study on the Development of Open Ranges in the American West

Author: Zhou Gang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Professor Zhou Gang has dedicated over a decade to researching the development history of the American open-range livestock industry, accumulating extensive knowledge and materials. Through meticulous reflection, he has written a substantial and well-grounded monograph titled The Rise and Fall of the Livestock Kingdom: A Study on the Development of the American Open-Range Livestock Industry, which I was honored to review. Although I have spent considerable time studying American history, my knowledge in this specific area is limited. It was a challenging task, but I approached it with a sincere desire to learn and carefully read the manuscript to share my reflections. Below are some of the key features I found in the book.
1. Filling a significant gap in Chinese American history research. Over the past two decades since the reform and opening-up, China's American history research has made considerable progress. In addition to monographs on general and specialized histories, numerous works on specific topics have been published. However, no monographs have been devoted to the history of the "livestock kingdom" in America or the development of the open-range livestock industry in the West. According to An Index of Chinese American Studies Papers (1979-1989), edited by Yang Yusheng and Hu Yukun (Liaoning University Press, 1990), no specialized papers on this topic were published before 1990. To date, several general histories of the United States published in China, such as Huang Shaoyang's A Concise History of the United States (Beijing: Sanlian Bookstore, 1953) and A Short History of American History (Beijing: People's Press, 1979), have not covered this topic. Works like A New History of American History by Yang Shengmao and Lu Jingsheng (China Renmin University Press, 1990) and A General Outline of American History: From Colony to Superpower by Yu Zhisen (East China Normal University Press, 1992) only briefly mentioned the "cattle kingdom" without addressing the "sheep empire" or the horse industry. The General Outline of American History, edited by Gu Xuejia et al. (Sichuan University Press, 1992), touched on both the "cattle kingdom" and the "sheep empire" but only in a cursory manner, omitting the horse industry. The third volume of the six-volume General History of the United States, edited by Liu Xuyi and Yang Shengmao (People's Press, 2002), includes a section on the "cattle kingdom" but primarily focuses on it, with only passing mentions of the "sheep empire" and the horse industry. The neglect of the history of the "livestock kingdom" in Chinese American history research does not mean it holds little significance in American historiography. On the contrary, Professor Zhou Gang's research shows that the "livestock kingdom" left a glorious chapter in American history. Although its golden period was brief—only about 20 years from the Civil War to the mid-1880s—it played a vital role. Against the backdrop of the second wave of modernization, the development of Western American livestock in this period surpassed the 300 years before the war, reaching its peak. It fully utilized the abundant grassland resources of the Great Plains, once considered the "American desert," transforming roaming unowned longhorns and continuously degenerating Churo sheep into valuable livestock resources. It attracted substantial capital from the East and Europe, combining traditional, primitive production methods with monopolistic capital to rapidly improve productivity. It supplied large numbers of horses and meat to mining camps and railroad construction sites, becoming a key client for railroad companies and strongly supporting the development of Western mining and railroads. It spurred the rise and growth of cattle towns, which gradually became economic, political, and cultural centers of the livestock regions, forming a unique model of urbanization in the West. It accelerated the westward shift of American meatpacking and wool industries, making the West a major livestock production base. It gradually merged with the Western mining and agricultural frontiers, causing the retreat of the "free land" region and rapidly "Americanizing" its "simple primitive society," transforming it into territories or states that joined the Union, thereby expanding and strengthening the U.S. federal system. The establishment of organizations like the "Cowboys Association," "Wool Producers Association," and "Livestock Raisers Association" in each livestock region reflected the democratic spirit of the frontier and developed the tradition of American self-governance. During its social formation, the characteristics of the American national character—such as "pragmatism and," "mobility," and "determination"—were sustained and developed. Of course, the rise and development of the "livestock kingdom" also fueled the U.S. government's genocidal policies against Native Americans, exacerbated the brutal rule of monopolistic capitalism, strengthened American expansionism, led to grassland desertification, and caused the devastating dust storms that affected the entire nation in the 1930s. In summary, the rise and development of the "livestock kingdom" had a comprehensive and profound impact on American history. Therefore, the fact that the history of Western American livestock development has been a neglected area in Chinese American history research is a regrettable oversight. Professor Zhou Gang's The Rise and Fall of the Livestock Kingdom not only fills this gap but does so in a significant way.
2. Bringing research on the history of the American "livestock kingdom" closer to reality. The renowned American historian Charles A. Beard (1874-1945) once said, "No historian can depict the past as it actually was; every historian's work—through the selection, emphasis, omission, organization, and presentation of facts—is shaped by his own personality and the era and environment in which he lives." He also noted, "All historical interpretations are relative to time and place and are destined to fade as the environment—ideas and interests—that gave rise to them disappear." (Both quotes are adapted from Wu Jianrong's master's thesis, An Exploration of Charles A. Beard's Economic Historiography, Wuhan University History Department, 1990, p. 40). We do not agree with this relativistic historical view that denies the truth. While the personal thoughts and emotions of historians and their immediate environment may limit their correct understanding of historical reality and its laws, it does not mean that the interpretations of serious historians lose all value as circumstances change. History has its objective reality and development patterns, which can be understood. However, the factors constituting historical reality are complex and diverse. Historians must undergo long-term, arduous, and in-depth research to fully grasp these factors and distinguish their primary and secondary roles. The objective laws of historical development are embedded within the growth process of historical reality. Without long-term, arduous, and in-depth exploration and research into the complex internal relationships among the factors that shape historical reality, it is difficult for historians to uncover these laws. Therefore, the foundation of a historian's research and exploration of historical reality and its laws determines how closely their interpretations align with actual historical events. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for a historian to make their interpretations perfectly match historical reality. However, through their efforts, historians can bring their interpretations closer to the truth. If a historian can, based on previous research, bring their interpretations even closer to historical reality, they have made a contribution to the field. After reading The Rise and Fall of the Livestock Kingdom, I believe Professor Zhou Gang has made such a contribution. Why? Although we are not fully aware of the global research on the history of the American "livestock kingdom," it is certain that even the Soviet Union, which had extensive achievements in American history research, had not published a monograph on this topic. It is safe to say that Americans have been at the forefront of studying their own "livestock kingdom" history. Professor Zhou Gang, through years of research and exploration, has a profound understanding of the 100 years of American "livestock kingdom" historiography since the 1870s. Not only does he enumerate the major achievements of American "livestock kingdom" historiography in the preface to his book but also, through the extensive footnotes, we learn that he has referenced approximately 230 American books and 66 papers on the "livestock kingdom," as well as several Chinese translations of American works. Thus, we can say that The Rise and Fall of the Livestock Kingdom incorporates the fundamental and major achievements of American "livestock kingdom" historiography. Moreover, he has identified its shortcomings and addressed them in his work. For example, Zhou argues that "few comprehensive studies exist on the American Western cattle industry, and there is a lack of research on the entire Western livestock industry (including sheep and horse farming)." He also points out that "negative impacts on Western livestock development have been insufficiently addressed. While some scholars have explored the decline of open-range ranching, they primarily attribute it to natural disasters like blizzards, without paying enough attention to human-induced exploitative development." Additionally, he notes a tendency to "promote cowboys while downplaying shepherds," and that "authentic cowboy history is far less numerous than fictional works about cowboys and cowboy culture." At the same time, Zhou believes that future American historians should not only describe the process of livestock development but also study the interconnections within this process, i.e., its objective laws. (All the above quotes are from the preface of The Rise and Fall of the Livestock Kingdom). Due to space constraints, we cannot list all the specific ways Zhou addresses these shortcomings in his book, but readers can find them there. In conclusion, we can say that Americans have been at the forefront of studying the "livestock kingdom" in American history, with the most solid foundation and closest understanding of its reality. By addressing the shortcomings of American "livestock kingdom" historiography, Zhou's research brings him even closer to the actual history, making a contribution to the field.
3. Providing some reference for China's Western development. Professor Zhou Gang's research on the history of the American "livestock kingdom" initially focused on "writing a serious history of Western American livestock," rather than on "insights for China's Western livestock development." However, the author is a thoughtful researcher. In addition to reviewing materials on China's Western pastoral regions, he conducted a survey in the Hulunbuir pastoral region of Inner Mongolia during the summer of 2003. There, he visited farms and ranches, talked with some pastoral families, and observed several grazing areas, gaining practical insights. As a result, he was able to offer preliminary and reference-based suggestions for the development of livestock in China's Western development efforts, drawing lessons from the experiences and mistakes of the American open-range livestock industry.
First, the preferential land policies of the U.S. federal government facilitated the operation of large livestock companies and ranches in the West, enabling them to continuously introduce high-quality cattle and sheep breeds for scientific breeding. Gradually, mechanization was achieved in meat and livestock product processing and transportation, leading the Western livestock industry toward modernization—replacing the crude, primitive nomadic methods with capitalized, scientifically advanced, and mechanized production. Zhou argues that while China's land resources differ greatly from those of the U.S., the principle of using land policies to stimulate producer enthusiasm can still be learned. Based on this, he believes that China's policy of allocating grasslands to pastoral households is commendable and that it will further motivate pastoralists and promote the modernization of Western livestock.
Second, one of the key reasons for the rapid development of Western American livestock after the Civil War was the influx of capital from the East and abroad. Zhou argues that to modernize China's Western livestock industry, capital is a critical issue. Attracting investment from China's developed eastern regions and foreign countries into Western livestock is an urgent priority. However, care must be taken to avoid the blindness and fanaticism that characterized the American Western livestock industry. In other words, when attracting investment to China's Western pastoral regions, it is essential to be both proactive and cautious, maintaining a scientific approach.
Third, the prosperity of the American "livestock kingdom" was deeply rooted in the convenient transportation provided by transcontinental railways and their branches. Zhou argues that improving the transportation conditions of China's Western pastoral regions is an urgent matter. While waiting for national investment in railway trunk lines, China's Western regions should also strengthen highway construction to form a road network, thereby fundamentally improving transportation conditions.
Fourth, one of the main reasons for the rapid rise of the American "livestock kingdom" was the economic acumen and strong market awareness of its operators. From the outset, the "livestock kingdom" integrated the pastoral regions with the U.S. capitalist market economy, placing cattle and sheep farming on the track of American modernization. Zhou argues that the current situation in China's Western pastoral regions, where small-scale farming accounts for a significant portion and large-scale, socially organized farms are still secondary, hinders the modernization of China's livestock industry. To ensure that China's livestock industry modernizes quickly and develops stably, healthily, and sustainably, it must shift from small-scale household farming to a socialist market economy, from small-scale "household rearing" to large-scale, socially organized production, establishing modern ranches and livestock companies.
Fifth, the decline of the American "livestock kingdom" was not primarily due to natural disasters or foreign competition but rather to the exploitative development of Western pastoral regions by U.S. monopolistic capital, which, under the free-market policies of the government at the time, used a "grazing to exhaustion" approach to extract excessive profits. This led to a rapid increase in livestock populations, resulting in overgrazing and grassland desertification. Zhou argues that China's Western pastoral regions should adopt modern scientific management methods, implement rotational grazing and separate cattle and sheep farming to maintain ecological balance, prevent grassland desertification, and avoid the passive "rely-on-nature" pastoralism that led to the 1930s' devastating dust storms across the U.S. He believes that China's livestock industry must be integrated into a virtuous cycle.
Sixth, one of the painful lessons from the decline of the American "livestock kingdom" was that, from the Civil War to the end of the 19th century, despite frequent severe natural disasters like droughts, fires, locust plagues, dust storms, and blizzards in the West, the "cattle kings" pursued excessive profits without investing in basic disaster prevention and mitigation infrastructure. They relied solely on the grasslands, practicing "rely-on-nature" pastoralism, and were often helpless in the face of disasters, suffering catastrophic losses. Zhou argues that China's Western pastoral regions, currently in a "rely-on-nature" state where production is severely affected by disasters, urgently need investment in basic infrastructure to improve living conditions for humans and livestock, enhance weather forecasting, protect pastoral vegetation, prohibit indiscriminate logging, plant high-quality forage crops, and store more winter feed. By replacing traditional, primitive pastoral methods with modern scientific production, China's pastoral regions can fundamentally enhance their ability to adapt to disasters. Blindly pursuing profits while neglecting basic infrastructure is unacceptable.
While these are preliminary suggestions, I believe that as a historian, Professor Zhou Gang's commitment to making historical research relevant to current realities is commendable.