Cattle drives ended roughly around the 1800's, the reason being that they were no longer efficient: No longer the fastest and easiest way to get a herd of cattle from one place to another.
Cattle drives were usually used to lead cattle away from pastures where they are grazing, and towards somewhere warm for winter, or the slaughter house!
However, when train tracks started being built along much of the US West Coast, cattle ranchers realised it was much easier to use rail power to transport cattle long distances in a short period of time.
And so the end of the long cattle drives was born!
