The Texas Longhorn was fashioned entirely by nature in North America. Stemming from ancestors that were the first cattle to set foot on American soil almost 500 years ago, it became the sound end product of “survival of the fittest”. Shaped by a combination of natural selection and adaptation to the environment, the Texas Longhorn is the only cattle breed in America which – without aid from man – is truly adapted to America.

With the destruction of the buffalo following the Civil War, the Longhorns were rushed in to occupy the Great Plains, a vast empire of grass vacated by the buffalo. Cattlemen brought their breeding herds north to run on the rich grazing lands of western Nebraska, Wyoming, the Dakotas, and Montana. Thus, the Great Plains became stocked largely with these “bovine citizens” from the Southwest.

And, the Texas Longhorns adapted well to their expanding world. They had reached their historical heyday, dominating the beef scene of North America like no other cattle breed has done since. However, the romantic Longhorn era came to an end when their range was fenced in and plowed under and imported cattle with quick maturing characteristics were brought in to “improve” beef qualities.

Intensive crossbreeding had nearly erased the true typical Longhorn by 1900.

Fortunately, beginning in 1927, the Texas Longhorn was preserved by the United States Government on wildlife refuges in Oklahoma and Nebraska. Also, a few southwestern cattlemen, convinced of the Longhorn’s value as a genetic link and concerned for their preservation, maintained small herds through the years.

The Texas Longhorn has been perpetuated further by members of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America, which was formed in 1964. Thus, the Texas Longhorn was rescued from extinction. It was unfortunate for today’s beef industry, however, that most of the continuing interest in the Texas Longhorn was in its historic and academic aspects. The Longhorn’s genetic prospects and economic potential were almost completely overlooked for many years.

The longhorn now appears headed along another important new trail. Lean, natural meat, offering more nutrition per calorie, is in demand, and the longhorn fills the bill.

The above information was citied from http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/texaslonghorn/index.html