Too far north and west for cattle coming up from Texas.
Originally the Texas cattle drives would end in Kansas rail road towns. Places like Dodge City boomed due to the trade. Kansas City grew and became famous for processing beef and then shipping it east. They even created the "Kansas City strip" steak which chef's in NY City would rename to "NY strips".
Long before there was the Kansas City Royals, was the Negro league Kansas City Monarchs too. You would think that it would be a nice tip of the cap to one of the most successful and best stories about the saddest part of US history.
But nah - strictly what was surely an unwelcome coincidence.
Abilene, KS was a major stop but barely thriving in comparison today. Dodge is still a major beef hub but Kansas City is modernized. Omaha was another major packing hub. Funny how the green rush hit Denver just like the gold rush, though 😅
Fun fact, while KC strips and NY strips are essentially the same cut, NY strips are thinner sliced while KC strips are cut thick enough to leave some pink in the middle.
The Goodnight-Loving trail comes straight up from Texas to Cheyenne. It may have been KC earlier before rail that far west but Texas cattle were absolutely sent onto rail in Cheyenne.
It was too far north to be a hub for cattle coming up from Texas. Denver and the Front Range cities were certainly cattle centers, they just weren't dealing with Texas cattle.
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u/WeimSean 26d ago
Too far north and west for cattle coming up from Texas.
Originally the Texas cattle drives would end in Kansas rail road towns. Places like Dodge City boomed due to the trade. Kansas City grew and became famous for processing beef and then shipping it east. They even created the "Kansas City strip" steak which chef's in NY City would rename to "NY strips".