It was named after the Spanish explorer Juan Chichén Itzá, who led the first expedition to the Rio Grande Valley in 1846. In the years that followed, it became one of the most popular horse trails in Texas, and it is still used today by thousands of horseback riders every year. How many cattle were driven up the Chisholm Trail?
What is the Chisholm Trail in Texas?
Chisholm Trail. The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the post- Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas railheads. The portion of the trail marked by Jesse Chisholm went from his southern trading post near the Red River to his northern trading post near Kansas City, Kansas .
What replaced the Chisholm Trail?
The Texas Trail emerged as an alternative to the Chisholm Trail. Between 1876 and 1884 some drives went along the Texas Trail instead of the Chisholm Trail. In Texas, hundreds of feeder trails headed north to one of the main cattle trails. In the early 1840s, most cattle were driven up the Shawnee Trail.
How did the Chisholm Trail affect cattle drives?
Chisholm Trail. These diseases along with the development of barbed wire which prevented the mass drives and pasturing of cattle on the open prairies ended the cattle drives to Kansas. By this time, railway lines had reached Texas so the movement of beef to the east continued.
How many days does the Chisholm Trail Festival last?
Newton, Kansas holds a three- to four-day Chisholm Trail Festival, combining it with the annual Fourth of July celebration. On September 26, 2009, a historical marker on the Chisholm Trail was unveiled at the site of Red River Station in Montague County.
What happened to the Chisholm Trail?
From 1867 to 1871, the trail ended in Abilene, Kansas, but as railroads incrementally built southward, the end of the trail moved to other cities. The end of the trail moved to Newton and soon afterward to Wichita. From 1883 to 1887, the end of the trail was at Caldwell.
Where did the Chisholm Trail begin and end?
Although its exact route is uncertain, it originated south of San Antonio, Texas, ran north across Oklahoma, and ended at Abilene, Kansas.
How many cattle went up the Chisholm Trail?
During its heyday, between 1867 and 1884, some five million cattle and an equal number of mustangs were moved along the trail – the most significant livestock migration in history.
Where did most drives on the Chisholm Trail end?
Eventually the Chisholm Trail would stretch eight hundred miles from South Texas to Fort Worth and on through Oklahoma to Kansas. The drives headed for Abilene from 1867 to 1871; later Newton and Wichita, Kansas became the end of the trail.
Do cowboys still drive cattle?
Many cattle drives today, like at the Bitterroot Ranch, are conducted much as they were a century and more ago and are still part of the local economies. There are several reasons for a legitimate cattle drive.
How many cowboys were on a cattle drive?
It took between eight and 12 cowboys to move 3,000 head of cattle along cattle drives.
What was the largest cattle drive ever?
As a result, the 1871 drive to Midwestern markets was the largest ever: 700,000 Texas cattle were driven to Kansas alone.
Why did they drive cattle from Texas to Kansas?
Cattle drives from Texas started as early as 1836 with some ranchers using this method to get their cattle to railheads so they could sell them for beef, hides and tallow. During the Civil War, the demand for beef didn't lessen but there was no way to get the cattle to the east coast.
Why did cowboys drive cattle north from Texas?
The great Texas cattle drives started in the 1860's because we had lots of longhorn and the rest of the country wanted beef. (We get beef from cattle.) From about 1865 to the mid-1890's, our vaqueros and cowboys herded about 5 million cattle to markets up north while also becoming famous legends that made Texas proud.
How many miles a day did cattle drives go?
Most drives lasted 3-5 months depending on the distance they needed to travel and delays they experienced along the way. A typical drive could cover 15-25 miles per day. Although it was important to arrive at their destination on time, the cattle needed time to rest and graze.
When was the last big cattle drive?
The last major cattle drive up the trail ended in Deadwood, South Dakota, in 1893. By that time an estimated six to seven million cattle and one million horses had traversed the trail.
How many black cowboys were there along the cattle trails?
All those cattle trails needed cowboys who would help herd the cattle along the trails. Historians estimate that 35,000 cowboys were on the trails in the second half of the 19thcentury. About 9,000 of them were black cowboys. After the slaves were freed, many moved out west to work on Texas ranches.
What towns were along the Chisholm Trail?
Newton and Wichita (both on the Chisholm Trail) eventually became well-known cowtowns. Caldwell, Hunnewell, and Dodge City were also well-known cowtowns. The Western Cattle Trail that led to Dodge City became the most utilized of all the trails.
Where did the Great Western Cattle Trail start and end?
The trail began at Bandera, Texas and ended, most often, in Dodge City, Kansas. The entire trail extended from southern Texas to the Canadian border. Between 10 and 12 million cattle were driven north from Texas into Dodge City.
Where did the Goodnight-Loving Trail start and end?
Goodnight-Loving Trail, sometimes called Goodnight Trail, historic cattle trail that originated in Young county, western Texas, U.S. The trail ran southwest to connect with the Pecos River and thence up the river valley to Fort Sumner, New Mexico, and north to the railhead at Denver, Colorado.
Where did the Goodnight-Loving Trail end?
Ultimately the trail ran from Young County, Texas, southwest to Horsehead Crossing on the Pecos River, then northwards to Fort Sumner, through Colorado, ending in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Goodnight, a former Texas Ranger and Indian Scout met pioneer cowboy Oliver Loving sometime after the Civil War.
Why is the Chisholm Trail so famous?
The Chisholm Trail was not the longest cattle trail but probably became the most famous because of the song “The Old Chisholm Trail”:
What were the cow towns in the Chisholm Trail?
Ellsworth, which was not on the Chisholm Trail, became the next important shipping point. Newton and Wichita (both on the Chisholm Trail) eventually became well-known cowtowns. Caldwell, Hunnewell, and Dodge City were also well-known cowtowns. The Western Cattle Trail that led to Dodge City became the most utilized of all the trails.
What prevented the mass drives and pasturing of cattle on the open prairies?
These diseases along with the development of barbed wire which prevented the mass drives and pasturing of cattle on the open prairies ended the cattle drives to Kansas. By this time, railway lines had reached Texas so the movement of beef to the east continued. Entry: Chisholm Trail. Author: Kansas Historical Society.
What happened in 1872 in Kansas?
Finally in 1872, the town notified drovers that their herds could no longer be driven to Abilene. This did not mark the end of cattle drives to Kansas. Throughout this time the railroad had continued to move west. Ellsworth, which was not on the Chisholm Trail, became the next important shipping point.
Where did the Longhorns move from?
As the longhorns slowly moved from pasture lands near San Antonio, Texas to the railhead in Abilene cowhands passed time by singing songs such as ”The Old Chisholm Trail”. The drive was slow, allowing the steers to graze along the way. With plenty of time to sing, each cowboy must have added to the song because experts today have found as many as 1,000 verses.
When was the first cattle drive?
The first cattle drive reached Abilene in August 1867. On September 5, 1867, the first load of cattle were shipped via rail from Kansas. The trail would eventually be called the Chisholm Trail. Named for Jesse Chisholm, an Indian trader, the Chisholm Trail was so named because a portion of it followed Chisholm's trade routes.
When did Kansas ban longhorns?
This led to the banning of the Texas longhorns from Missouri. In 1861 Kansas also had prohibited the driving of cattle from Texas, however, by 1867 the legislature repealed portions of that law to allow cattle to be driven into the state west of the sixth principal meridian.
What was the purpose of the Chisholm Trail?
As a route for driving cattle north from Texas to Kansas, the Chisholm trail became a crucial part of the commerce, trade, and development of the American West in the late 19th century. In use since 1864 — although not for cattle driving purposes until 1867 — the trail began in the southwest region of Texas and stretched northward through Oklahoma to Kansas. In its time, the route was used for many purposes by a variety of travelers, from traders and cattle herders to Native Americans and the U.S. Army.
What Was the Chisholm Trail’s Purpose?
If they could transport their cattle safely to the regions that needed them, they could continue to supply the demand for beef outside of Texas while helping their own state recover from its post-war depression.
Who was the first person to mark the trail?
Although he was unaware of the impact it would come to have on the American cattle industry and the legacy of the West, the first person to officially mark and “start” this historic trail was its namesake, Jesse Chisholm.
How long has the Chisholm Trail been followed?
With the passing of the range cattle industry necessarily came the passing of the Chisholm trail. This trail was followed continuously for more than twenty years, and since it has been estimated that between five and six million head of cattle were driven north from Texas, we can see the volume of business that passed over it. [39]
What is the Chisholm Trail?
THE Chisholm trail is one of the most important but least known trails in American history. Its story has never been completely told, which accounts, to a large degree, for the many misconceptions which are held concerning it.
What is the purpose of the Chisholm Trail monograph?
The object of this monograph is to make a critical analysis of available source material concerning the origin and location of the Chisholm trail. It will emphasize material brought out by maps of the period located in the Library of Congress, and bring to light the hitherto unpublished accounts of James R. Mead, an associate of Jesse Chisholm in the early-day trading business. Brief comment concerning the volume of trade that passed over the trail and its end will be in the conclusion.
What was the name of the trail that led the traders to the North?
He knew the land well, and guided the traders over the best possible routes to the North. The trail immediately became known as "Chisholm's trail" (1865) but not "The Chisholm Trail.".
Where did the Chisholm Trail get its name?
But some of the pioneer cattlemen insist that the Chisholm trail received its name from John Chisum (sometimes incorrectly spelled Chisholm), a large cattle owner of New Mexico. [30] . This Chisum was a frontier stockman who was said to have been one of the first to drive cattle over the trail.
Where did the trail go after passing the mountains?
After passing the mountains, they join, swing out into the central part of the Indian territory and extend about half-way. If the trail had extended in the same general direction, it would have entered the Kansas territory at about where Caldwell is now located. Two very significant facts are noted in this map.
Who followed the Indian Trails?
We conclude that Jesse Chisholm simply followed the best paths over the territory, paths that had been used many years earlier by the Indians and by military authorities. This does not in any way detract from the honor due Chisholm. He knew the land well, and guided the traders over the best possible routes to the North.
