Sweet Public Lands: the Open-Range Sheep Industry of Nevada and its Legal Dimension in the Late Nineteenth Century

Abstract

The present article traces the late nineteenth-century development of the open-range sheep industry in the state of Nevada. In particularly, it explores how free access to the public-domain lands combined with favourable environmental conditions fostered the expansion of sheep grazing to the detriment of cattle ranching during the late nineteenth century. With the expansion of the livestock industry on the public-domain lands, the United States Federal Government, as the owner of such vast lands, pursued a laissez-faire policy toward grazing rather than imposing range rules. This article demonstrates how its inaction strongly benefited the growth of the sheep industry.