| Part of the range wars | |
 Sheep Raid in Colorado, by Harper's Weekly. | |
| Date | c. 1870–1920 |
|---|---|
| Location | Western United States |
| Deaths | ~54 |
The sheep wars,[1][2] or the sheep and cattle wars,[3][4] were a series of armed conflicts in the Western United States fought between sheepmen and cattlemen over grazing rights. Sheep wars occurred in many western states, though they were most common in Texas, Arizona, and the border region of Wyoming and Colorado. Generally, the cattlemen saw the sheepherders as invaders who destroyed the public grazing lands, which they had to share on a first-come, first-served basis. Between 1870 and 1920, approximately 120 engagements occurred in eight states or territories. At least 54 men were killed and some 50,000 to over 100,000 sheep were slaughtered.[1][3][5][6]
- ^ a b "SHEEP WARS | The Handbook of Texas Online| Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)". Tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
- ^ "Sheep Wars: Information from". Answers.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
- ^ a b "Conflict on the Range". Truewestmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-15. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
- ^ Dhyzen Webdesigns. "Crook County History - Time Capsule Stories". Bowman Museum. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
- ^ "Wyoming's Spring Creek Raid". Travel-to-wyoming.com. Archived from the original on 2002-04-25. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
- ^ "Feuds & Range Wars - Sheepmen vs. Cattlemen". Jcs-group.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-10.