The American West (c1835-c1895): John Illif

John Illif was one of the first ranchers to keep cattle on the Great Plains. After failing to get lucky in the Gold Rush, he bought a cheap herd of cattle for just $500. The cattle he had purchased were exhausted from a long drive and had grown weak and thin. Illif realised that cattle could survive winter on the Great Plains, and he began to fatten up his herd on the Plains grasslands.

Illif went on to make a fortune selling cattle to railroad workers, gold miners in Denver City (Colorado), and to the US government to supply Plains Indians in reservations. He expanded his original herd to over 35,000 cattle by purchasing livestock from Charles Goodnight.

What is most significant about John Illif is that he raised his herd on the Great Plains, instead of raising them in Texas and then driving them to the northern markets. This eliminated the need for the long drive, in which cattle lost weight and thus value. It marked the start of ranching on the open range. This was a new phase of the cattle industry.