Prior to the Civil War the ranchers had little reason to round up their cattle.The prices of the beef were very low and moving the cattle from the west to the east was not very effect. However when Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act in 1862, this changed. This act allowed the construction of a transcontinental railroad by the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroad companies. These railroads would connect the west and the east coast. Simultaneously, the prices of beef rose up; thus, making it worthwhile to round up the cattle and send them to the eastern markets.As a result, the ranchers began using the railroads to transport their cattle to the east and make profits. This attracted many others into coming and settling in the