USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Chicago won that title during the Civil War. It was able to do so because most Midwestern farmers also raised livestock, and railroads tied Chicago to its Midwestern hinterland and to the large urban markets on the East Coast.

Detailed explanation-2: -In the 1880s, the widespread use of refrigerated railroad cars by Chicago meatpackers made it possible to ship fresh meat, especially beef, not only to large urban areas but also to small towns across the nation including towns in Wyoming. Gustavus Swift led the industry in shipping fresh beef.

Detailed explanation-3: -Farmers also prospered, having a market for their livestock. Prosperity declined during the late 1800s and the early 1900s, as the meatpacking industry moved westward. By the late 1800s, Chicago, Illinois, had emerged as the United States’ meatpacking leader.

Detailed explanation-4: -Chicago played the role of the slaughterhouse, meatpacker, and distributor in the beef industry. Since Chicago was connected to so many regions of farmland and ranches by the railroad, farmers would pay for their cattle to be shipping to Chicago.

Detailed explanation-5: -They were blood shops, and not only for animal slaughter. The industry operated with low wages, long hours, brutal treatment, and sometimes deadly exploitation of mostly immigrant workers. Meatpacking companies had equal contempt for public health.