SamInTheFrontRightCorner
Cattle Driven To Slaughter
These Cattle were filmed in Chicago's Stockyards in July 1897. Filming was done by Thomas Edison's Movie Company for their series on the Erie Railroad company. The stockyards were built in 1865 and were a massive industrial project. Rail lines from across the Western states transported cattle, hogs and sheep to Chicago, where they were slaughtered, packed, and shipped all over the country. The stockyards could slaughter 280 cows in an hour. They encompassed 500 acres along the Chicago river and an outlet which became known as "Bubbly creek" for the methane bubbles rising from the decomposing flesh thrown into it.
The Stockyards developed industrial assembly line methods well before Henry Ford. Most workers were given one simple task, making it easy to give the jobs to unskilled immigrant laborers, who desperately wanted the jobs despite the horrid working conditions.
By the time this film was made in 1897, the Chicago Stockyards were producing 82% of the nations meat, shipping it throughout the country via newly-invented refrigerated shipping cars.
Video Source: Library of Congress Archives
Caption Source:
Chicago History Files www.chicagohs.org/history/stockyard/stock1.html
Cattle Driven To Slaughter
These Cattle were filmed in Chicago's Stockyards in July 1897. Filming was done by Thomas Edison's Movie Company for their series on the Erie Railroad company. The stockyards were built in 1865 and were a massive industrial project. Rail lines from across the Western states transported cattle, hogs and sheep to Chicago, where they were slaughtered, packed, and shipped all over the country. The stockyards could slaughter 280 cows in an hour. They encompassed 500 acres along the Chicago river and an outlet which became known as "Bubbly creek" for the methane bubbles rising from the decomposing flesh thrown into it.
The Stockyards developed industrial assembly line methods well before Henry Ford. Most workers were given one simple task, making it easy to give the jobs to unskilled immigrant laborers, who desperately wanted the jobs despite the horrid working conditions.
By the time this film was made in 1897, the Chicago Stockyards were producing 82% of the nations meat, shipping it throughout the country via newly-invented refrigerated shipping cars.
Video Source: Library of Congress Archives
Caption Source:
Chicago History Files www.chicagohs.org/history/stockyard/stock1.html