Joseph "Cowboy" McCoy (December 21, 1837 – October 19, 1915) was a 19th-century entrepreneur known for promoting the transport of Longhorn cattle from Texas to the eastern United States.

[2] The earnings from the Kentucky sale allowed McCoy to expand both the diversity and the national reach of his livestock dealings.

[3] McCoy himself said of the disease: In 1868 a great number of cattle arrived in Kansas and the mid-west from Texas; appx.

[4]McCoy expected that the railroads companies were interested in expanding their freight operations and he saw this as a good business opportunity.

McCoy's plan was for cattle to be driven to Abilene from Texas and taken from there by rail to bigger cities in The Midwest and the East.

[5] Due to their long legs and hard hoofs, Longhorns were ideal trail cattle, even gaining weight on their way to market.