What does Chisholm Trail do?
The Chisholm Trail was the major route out of Texas for livestock. Although it was used only from 1867 to 1884, the longhorn cattle driven north along it provided a steady source of income that helped the impoverished state recover from the Civil War.
What was the Chisolm Trail?
The Chisholm Trail 100 Club provides on-duty and off-duty accidental death and dismemberment coverage and benefits to the 1,985 first responders in Johnson, Somervell and Hood counties, as well as to those who serve the city of Mansfield. The benefits/coverage is provided at no cost to the first responders and their families.
What is the old Chisholm Trail?
“The Old Chisholm Trail” is a cowboy song first published in 1910 by John Lomax in his book Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads. The song dates back to the 1870s, when it was among the most popular songs sung by cowboys during that era.
Where did the Chisholm Trail start and end?
Chisholm Trail, 19th-century cattle drovers’ trail in the western United States. Although its exact route is uncertain, it originated south of San Antonio, Texas, ran north across Oklahoma, and ended at Abilene, Kansas. Little is known of its early history. It was probably named for Jesse Chisholm, a 19th-century trader.
How did Chisholm Trail get its name?
Named for Jesse Chisholm, an Indian trader, the Chisholm Trail was so named because a portion of it followed Chisholm's trade routes. Chisholm built a number of trading posts in Oklahoma Territory and became known as a trader, guide, and interpreter, but not a cattle drover.
Why was the Chisholm Trail so important?
These 19th-century cattle drives along the Chisholm Trail only lasted twenty years, but had tremendous impact across the country: it lifted Texas out of post-Civil War poverty, provided much-needed affordable beef to the Northeast, and gave birth to the classic American cowboy legend.
What is a Chisholm?
Scottish: habitational name from Chisholme near Hawick in southern Scotland, which derives its name from Old English c¯se, cese 'cheese' (Latin caseus) + holm 'piece of dry land in a fen' and refers to a waterside meadow good for dairy farming and hence for producing cheeses.
What ended the Chisholm Trail?
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.
Which states does the Chisholm Trail go through?
Chisholm Trail, 19th-century cattle drovers' trail in the western United States. Although its exact route is uncertain, it originated south of San Antonio, Texas, ran north across Oklahoma, and ended at Abilene, Kansas.
Why was the Chisholm Trail created?
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 trail was established by Black Beaver, a Lenape guide and rancher, and his friend Jesse Chisholm, a Cherokee merchant.
Where is Chisholm clan from?
ScotlandClan Chisholm is blessed with ancestral lands that include some of the most beautiful glens in Scotland. Clan members roamed over territory that included Glen Cannich and the stunning Glen Affric. The Chisholms were originally a Norman family who probably came over to Britain with William the Conqueror.
How many cattle went up the Chisholm Trail?
Over the years, an estimated five million head of Texas cattle reached Kansas over the Chisholm Trail. The first herd to follow Jesse Chisholm's wagon trail to Abilene was O. W.
Why was the Chisholm Trail established?
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 trail was established by Black Beaver, a Lenape guide and rancher, and his friend Jesse Chisholm, a Cherokee merchant.
How many cattle went up the Chisholm Trail?
Over the years, an estimated five million head of Texas cattle reached Kansas over the Chisholm Trail. The first herd to follow Jesse Chisholm's wagon trail to Abilene was O. W.
What was the Chisholm Trail quizlet?
The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the late 19th century 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.
How long did it take to drive cattle on the Chisholm Trail?
Movement of cattle On average, a herd could maintain a healthy weight moving about 15 miles (24 km) per day. Such a pace meant that it would take as long as two months to travel from a home ranch to a railhead. The Chisholm Trail, for example, was 1,000 miles (1,600 km) long.
What was the purpose of the 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 trail was established by Black Beaver, a Lenape guide and rancher, and his friend Jesse Chisholm, a merchant.
Where did the Chisholm Trail start?
Historians consider the Chisholm Trail to have started either at Donna or San Antonio. 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.
What did the tribes demand from the Chisholm Trail?
Tribal members demanded that the trail bosses pay a toll of 10 cents per head to local tribes for the right to cross Indian lands (Oklahoma at that time was Indian Territory, governed from Fort Smith, Arkansas ). The only woman known to run her own cattle drive traveled from Texas to Wichita using the Chisholm Trail.
How long is the Chisholm Trail?
In 2014, the North Texas Tollway Authority constructed a 26-mile-long toll road named after the trail, the Chisholm Trail Parkway. It connects downtown Fort Worth to the nearby city of Cleburne in Johnson County. In 2017, the Texas Historical Commission released The Chisholm Trail: Exploring the Folklore and Legacy, an online tour and mobile app. The tour includes audio tracks and short videos that retell the history of communities and local heritage in towns and cities that line the route of the former Chisholm Trail.
How many movies have been made on the Chisholm Trail?
At least 27 movies have portrayed fictional accounts of the first drive along the Chisholm Trail, including The Texans (1938), directed by James P. Hogan and starring Randolph Scott and Joan Bennett; and Red River (1948), directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne and Montgomery Clift. Walter Brennan co-starred in both films.
Where was the Northern terminus?
The northern terminus was a trading post near Kansas City, Kansas. Chisholm owned both of these posts. In the years of the cattle drives, cowboys would drive large herds from ranches across Texas to the Red River Station and then north to Kansas City.
Where was the southern terminus of the Red River?
The southern terminus was Red River Station, a trading post near the Red River along the northern border of Texas. The northern terminus was a trading post near Kansas City, Kansas.
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.
Summary
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 trail was established by Black Beaver, a Lenape guide and rancher, and his friend Jesse Chisholm, a Cherokee merchant. They collected and drove numerous cattle along the trail to Kansas, where they could be shipped east to achieve higher prices. The southern termi…
Overview
Texas ranchers using the Chisholm Trail had their cowboys start cattle drives from either the Rio Grande area or San Antonio. They joined the Chisholm Trail at the Red River, at the border between Texas and Oklahoma Territory. They continued north to the rail head of the Kansas Pacific Railway in Abilene, Kansas, where the cattle would be sold and shipped eastward. The trail is named for Jesse Chisholm, a multiracial trader from Tennessee of half Cherokee descent. Together with sc…
Business aspects
By 1853, Texas cattle were being driven into Missouri. Local farmers began blocking the herds and turning them back because the Texas Longhorns carried ticks that caused diseases in other species of cattle. Violence, vigilante groups, and cattle rustling caused further problems for the drovers. By 1859, the driving of cattle was outlawed in many Missouri jurisdictions. By the end of the Civil War, most cattle were being moved up the western branch of trail, being gathered at Red River Statio…
Route
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. The Chisholm Trail was previously used by Indian hunting and raiding parties; the trail crossed into Indian Territory (present-day west-central Oklahoma) near Red River Station and entered Kansas near Caldwell. Through Oklahoma, the route of U.S. Highw…
Challenges
On the long trips—up to two months—the cattlemen faced many difficulties. They had to cross major rivers such as the Arkansas and the Red and innumerable smaller creeks, as well as handle the topographic challenges of canyons, badlands and low mountain ranges. The major drives typically needed to start in the spring after the rains stimulated the growth of green grasses for the grazing cattle. The spring drives, with those rains and higher water levels with the runoff, alw…
Representation in media
The cattle drives have been a popular topic among Western genre movies. At least 27 movies have portrayed fictional accounts of the first drive along the Chisholm Trail, including The Texans (1938), directed by James P. Hogan and starring Randolph Scott and Joan Bennett; and Red River (1948), directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne and Montgomery Clift. Walter Brennan co-starred in both films.
Legacy
In 1964, Texas rancher Charles Schreiner III founded the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America. The next year, he conducted a cattle drive from San Antonio to Dodge City with a stop at the LBJ Ranch in Gillespie County, home of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. The drive was promoted as a centennial commemoration of the original Chisholm Trail drives.
Many schools in this region have been named after the Chisholm Trail, including:
External links
• The Texas Historical Commission Chisholm Trail mobile tour
• History on the trail from the "Kansas Heritage Group"
• Up the Chisholm Trail by the Williamson County Historical Commission
• Along the Chisholm Trail Web site with maps, history, monuments, and guides for visiting.