Open range

**History and Practice**:
– The Western open-range tradition originated from unregulated livestock grazing in the US, Canada, the Caribbean, and some Eastern US states.
– Open-range laws were challenged as Western lands developed, leading to conflicts and legislation outlawing illegal fencing of public lands in 1885.
– Barbed wire invention in the 1870s helped confine cattle to designated areas.

**Modern Times**:
– Open range laws exist in some western states, requiring animals to be fenced in.
– Livestock owners are liable for damages if animals breach legal fences.
– Recent law changes increased rancher liability in cow-vehicle collisions.
– Laws on open range vary by state, with some states limiting or eliminating it.

**Challenges and End of Era**:
– Overgrazing and harsh winters contributed to the end of the open range era.
– Cowboys branding calves in South Dakota in 1888.
– Illustration of cowboys waiting for a Chinook.
– A cowboy holding a lasso.
– Images depict key aspects of the open range history and practices.

**Related Concepts**:
– Roundup in the United States
– Range wars
– Sheep Wars
– Enclosure in England
– Tragedy of the commons

**Resources and Further Reading**:
– Matthews, Mychel (2014). Herd Districts Protect Drivers in an Open Range State.
– Gordon Morris Bakken (ed.), Law in the western United States, 2000.
– MacLachlan, Ian (2006). The Historical Development of Cattle Production in Canada.
– Potter, Amy E.; Sluyter, Andrew (2010). Renegotiating Barbudas Commons: Recent Changes in Barbudan Open-Range Cattle Herding.
– Five Strands: A Landowners Guide to Fence Law in Texas.