Chisholm Trail - wikipedia Chisholm Trail For other uses, see Chisholm Trail ( disambiguation ). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2015 ) 1873 Map of Chisholm Trail with Subsidiary Trails in Texas ( from Kansas Historical Society ) 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. Contents 1 Overview 2 Business aspects 3 Route 3.1 Northern end of trail 3.2 Southern start of trail 4 Challenges 5 Legacy 6 Further reading 7 References 8 External links Overview Texas ranchers using the Chisholm Trail started on the route from either the Rio Grande or San Antonio, joined the Chisholm Trail at the Red River of the South at the border between Texas and Oklahoma, and continued to the railhead 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 half - Cherokee trader from Tennessee, who originally created the trail as a means to transport his goods from one trading post to another. Business aspects By 1853, Texas cattle were being driven into Missouri, where local farmers began blocking herds and turning them back because the Texas Longhorns carried ticks that caused diseases in other types 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 at Red River Station in Montague County, Texas. In 1866, cattle in Texas were worth only $4 per head, compared to over $40 per head in the North and East, because lack of market access during the American Civil War had led to over stock of cattle in Texas. In 1867, Joseph G. McCoy built stockyards in Abilene, Kansas. He encouraged Texas cattlemen to drive their herds to his stockyards. The stockyards shipped 35,000 head that year and became the largest stockyards west of Kansas City, Kansas. That same year, O.W. Wheeler answered McCoy 's call, and he along with partners used the Chisholm Trail to bring a herd of 2,400 steers from Texas to Abilene. This herd was the first of an estimated 5,000,000 head of Texas cattle to reach Kansas over the Chisholm Trail. The construction of the Union Pacific Railway through Nebraska eventually offered a cattle drive destination which was an attractive alternative to the Kansas Pacific Railroad, and the Texas Trail emerged as an alternative to the Chisholm Trail. Some cattle drives in 1876 and up to 1884 went along the Texas Trail instead of the Chisholm Trail. Route Chisholm Trail crossing through modern - day Duncan, Oklahoma Chisholm Trail historical marker in Kingfisher, Oklahoma Marker of the end of the Chisholm Trail in Donna, Texas 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 ( in present - day Montague County, Texas ) and entered Kansas near Caldwell. Through Oklahoma, the Chisholm Trail generally follows the route of US Highway 81 through present - day towns of El Reno, Duncan, Chickasha, and Enid. Northern end of 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, Kansas then soon afterward moved to Wichita, Kansas. From 1883 to 1887, the end of the trail was Caldwell, Kansas. Ellsworth, Kansas, is also considered a major influence of the trail. Southern start of Trail Historians consider the Chisholm Trail to have started either at Donna, Texas or San Antonio, Texas. In 1931, George W. Saunders, then president of the Old Trail Drivers Association and an authority on Texas livestock history wrote : `` The famed Chisholm Trail, about which more has been written than any other Southwestern Trail, can not be traced in Texas for the reason that it never existed in this State. '' It was always understood by pioneer cattlemen that they would strike the Chisholm Trail at Red River Station, at the mouth of Salt Creek in Montague County, where they left Texas and crossed into the Indian Territory. Challenges See also : Cattle drives in the United States On the long trips -- up to two months -- the cattlemen faced many difficulties. They had to cross major rivers such as the Arkansas River and the Red River, and innumerable smaller creeks, plus the topographic challenges of canyons, badlands and low mountain ranges. The weather was less than ideal. In addition to these natural dangers, rustlers and occasional conflicts with Native Americans erupted. The latter demanded that drovers, the trail bosses, pay a toll of 10 cents a head to local tribes for the right to cross Indian lands ( Oklahoma at that time was Indian Territory, governed from Fort Smith, Arkansas ). The half - wild Texas Longhorn cattle were contrary and prone to stampede with little provocation. Legacy At least 27 movies have depicted a fictional account 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 in his usual grizzled - old - coot role. The trail is the subject of at least two pop songs : `` The Last Cowboy Song '' written and recorded by Ed Bruce, also performed by The Highwaymen, and the song `` The Old Chisholm Trail. '' Among those who have covered the song are Gene Autry, Girls of the Golden West, Woody Guthrie, Michael Martin Murphey, Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, and Lead Belly ( Huddie Ledbetter ), although his version was titled `` When I Was A Cowboy ''. 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 then U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. The drive was promoted as a centennial commemoration of the original Chisholm Trail drives. Many schools have been named after the Chisholm Trail, including : Chisholm Trail High School in Fort Worth, Texas Chisholm Trail Middle School in Olathe, Kansas Chisholm Trail Middle School in Round Rock, Texas Chisholm Trail Middle School in Rhome, Texas Chisholm Trail Elementary School in Park City, Kansas Chisholm Middle School in Newton, Kansas Chisholm Trail intermediate school in Keller, Texas Chisholm High School in Enid, Oklahoma Chisholm Elementary School in Edmond, Oklahoma Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, located in Duncan, Oklahoma, is an interactive museum dedicated to the history of the trail. It has a large monument depicting a scene from the Chisholm Trail cattle drive, as well as a trail walkway. On the second weekend of June, Lockhart in Caldwell County holds a four - day festival to celebrate its place on the Chisholm Trail. Newton, Kansas also 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. The 5.5 - foot concrete marker is the last of 12 erected in Montague County as part of a joint project of the Texas Lakes and Trails and the Montague County Historical Commission to outline the Chisholm Trail ( as said in Wichita Falls Times Record News ). In 2014, the North Texas Tollway Authority constructed a 26 - mile - long toll road named after the trail, the Chisholm Trail Parkway connecting 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. Further reading Library resources about Chisholm Trail Online books Resources in your library Resources in other libraries Guide Map of the Best and Shortest Cattle Trail to the Kansas Pacific Railway ; Kansas Pacific Railway Company ; 1875. ( Read Online ) ( Map ) Morality and Money : A Look at how the Respectable Community Battled the Sporting Community over Prostitution in Kansas Cowtowns, 1867 - 1885 ; Jessica Smith ; Kansas State University ; 2013. Read Online References Jump up ^ C., RICHARDSON, T. ( 12 June 2010 ). `` CHISHOLM, JESSE ''. tshaonline.org. Retrieved 4 April 2018. Jump up ^ Worcester, Donald E. : `` Chisholm Trail '' from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved December 23, 2008. Jump up ^ Dortch, Steven D. `` Chisholm Trail ''. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved November 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Texas Trail ''. Jump up ^ Oklahoma Map of Chisholm Trail Oklahoma State University Digital Library Collections Jump up ^ Douglas Martin ( April 29, 2001 ). `` Charles Schreiner III, 74, Dies ; Colorful Texas Rancher Fought to Save Longhorn ''. New York Times. Retrieved October 16, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Chisholm Trail Middle School ''. schools.olathe.k12.ks.us. Retrieved 4 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Home - Northwest Independent School District ''. www.nisdtx.org. Retrieved 4 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Chisholm Trail Elementary / Homepage ''. chisholmtrail.usd259.org. Retrieved 4 April 2018. Jump up ^ Chisholm Trail Heritage Center Chisholm Trail art, culture, and history - Duncan, Oklahoma Jump up ^ `` The Chisholm Trail : Exploring the Folklore and Legacy ''. Texas Travel. Retrieved 4 April 2018. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chisholm Trail. 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. The Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum Texas cowboy and Longhorn cattle drive history - Cuero, Texas On the Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum Chisholm Trail history and settlement of the Southern Great Plains of the US. - Duncan, Oklahoma Maps Simplified map of the trail 1873 map of the main trail and subsidiary trails Detailed map of the trail through Oklahoma Detailed map of the trail through Kansas American Old West Notable people Explorers and pioneers John Bozeman Jim Bridger William Clark Davy Crockett John C. Frémont Liver - Eating Johnson Meriwether Lewis Joe Mayer William John Murphy John Wesley Powell Levi Ruggles Jedediah Smith Jack Swilling Trinidad Swilling Ora Rush Weed Henry Wickenburg Brigham Young Native Americans Black Hawk Black Kettle Bloody Knife Chief Joseph Cochise Crazy Horse Geronimo Irataba Mangas Coloradas Manuelito Massai Quanah Parker Red Cloud Sacagawea Sitting Bull Ten Bears Touch the Clouds Tuvi Victorio Lawmen Elfego Baca Charlie Bassett Roy Bean Morgan Earp Virgil Earp Wyatt Earp Henry Garfias Pat Garrett Jack Helm `` Wild Bill '' Hickok Bat Masterson `` Mysterious Dave '' Mather Bass Reeves George Scarborough John Selman John Horton Slaughter William `` Bill '' Tilghman James Timberlake Harry C. Wheeler Outlaws Billy the Kid Black Bart `` Curly Bill '' Brocius Butch Cassidy Billy Clanton Ike Clanton Bill Dalton Bill Doolin John Wesley Hardin Johnny Ringo Jesse James Tom Ketchum Frank McLaury Tom McLaury Joaquin Murrieta Cochise County Cowboys Belle Starr Soapy Smith Sundance Kid Cole Younger Soldiers and scouts Frederick Russell Burnham Kit Carson `` Buffalo Bill '' Cody Texas Jack Omohundro James C. Cooney George Crook George Armstrong Custer Samuel P. Heintzelman Tom Horn Calamity Jane Luther Kelly Ranald S. Mackenzie Charley Reynolds Philip Sheridan Al Sieber Others John Jacob Astor William H. Boring Jonathan R. Davis George Flavel C.S. Fly John Joel Glanton George E. Goodfellow Doc Holliday Seth Kinman Nat Love Sylvester Mowry Emperor Norton Annie Oakley Thomas William Sweeny Jack Swilling Native Americans Apache Arapaho Arikara Assiniboine ( Nakota ) Blackfoot Cahuilla Cayuse Cheyenne Chinook Chippewa ( Ojibwe ) Caddo Cocopah Comanche Crow Dakota Five Civilized Tribes Hidatsa Hopi Hualapai Kickapoo Kiowa Ktunaxa Kumeyaay Lakota Mandan Maricopa Modoc Mohave Navajo Nez Perce Northern Paiute Nootka ( Nuu - chah - nulth ) Pawnee Pend d'Oreilles Pima Pueblo Shoshone Sioux Southern Paiute Tohono O'odham Tonkawa Umpqua Ute Washoe Yaqui Yavapai Yuma ( Quechan ) Frontier culture American bison Barbed wire Boot Hill Cattle drive Cowboy poetry Cattle rustling Cow town Fast draw Ghost town Gunfights Homesteading Land rush Manifest destiny Moonshine One - room schoolhouse Rodeo Stagecoach Train robbery Vigilante justice Western saloon Tack piano Westward expansion Wild West shows Transport and trails Barlow Road Bozeman Trail Butterfield Trail California Trail Chisholm Trail Great Platte River Road Great Western Cattle Trail Lolo Pass Meek Cutoff Mormon Trail Oregon Trail Pony Express Santa Fe Trail Southern Emigrant Trail Tanner Trail First Transcontinental Railroad Folklore Dead man 's hand Dime novel John Henry Johnny Kaw Lone Ranger Long Tom 's treasure Lost Dutchman 's Gold Mine Lost Ship of the Desert Montezuma 's treasure Paul Bunyan Pecos Bill Seven Cities of Gold Gold rushes Black Hills Gold Rush California Gold Rush Confederate Gulch and Diamond City Klondike Gold Rush Pike 's Peak Gold Rush Gunfights Battle of Coffeyville Battle of Lincoln Frisco shootout Gunfight at the O.K. Corral Long Branch Saloon gunfight Variety Hall shootout Military conflicts Battle of the Alamo Battle of Glorieta Pass Battle of the Little Bighorn Battle of San Jacinto Battle of Washita River First Battle of Adobe Walls Indian Wars Sand Creek massacre Wounded Knee Massacre Range wars and feuds Earp - Clanton feud Johnson County War Lincoln County War Mason County War Pleasant Valley War Sheep Wars Sutton -- Taylor feud Lists Arizona Rangers Cowboys and cowgirls Gangs Gunfights Lawmen Mountain men Outlaws Timeline of the American Old West Influence Western genre Western lifestyle Places Alaska Anchorage Iditarod Nome Seward Skagway Arizona Territory Canyon Diablo Fort Grant Prescott Phoenix Tombstone Tucson Yuma California Bakersfield Fresno Jamestown Los Angeles Sacramento San Diego San Francisco Colorado Creede Denver Telluride Trinidad Dakota Territory Bismarck Deadwood Fargo Pine Ridge Rapid City Yankton Idaho Territory Fort Boise Fort Hall Illinois Fort Dearborn Kansas Abilene Dodge City Ellsworth Hays Leavenworth Wichita Missouri Independence Kansas City St. Louis Montana Territory Billings Bozeman Deer Lodge Fort Benton Fort Peck Helena Livingston Missoula Virginia City Nebraska Chadron Fort Atkinson Fort Robinson Nebraska City Ogallala Omaha Valentine Nevada Carson City Virginia City Reno New Mexico Territory Alamogordo Albuquerque Cimarron Fort Sumner Gallup Las Vegas Lincoln Mesilla Mogollon Roswell Santa Fe Tucumcari Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory Broken Arrow Fort Sill Oklahoma City Oregon Territory Astoria The Dalles La Grande McMinnville Oregon City Portland Salem Vale Texas Austin Abilene El Paso Fort Worth Gonzales Lubbock San Antonio Utah Territory Salt Lake City Washington Territory Everett Port Townsend Seattle Vancouver Wyoming Territory Fort Bridger Fort Laramie History of Texas By period French Texas Spanish Texas Mexican Texas Republic of Texas Texas annexation Civil War era Reconstruction State of Texas By topic Annexation Border disputes Forests Indian Wars Jewish history Oil boom Revolution Slavery Texas Rangers Vice By city Amarillo Austin Brownsville Corpus Christi Dallas El Paso Fort Worth Galveston Houston Laredo Lubbock San Antonio Timelines of cities in Texas Government agency Foreign relations of the Republic of Texas Congress of the Republic of Texas Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas Texas Historical Commission Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chisholm_Trail&oldid=834252478 '' Categories : Historic trails and roads in Kansas Historic trails and roads in Oklahoma Historic trails and roads in Texas Trails and roads in the American Old West Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from November 2015 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2014 Articles with unsourced statements from October 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Français Italiano Norsk Edit links This page was last edited on 4 April 2018, at 18 : 44. 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Question: where does the chisholm trail start and end
Answer: Red River of the South at the border between Texas and Oklahoma, and continued to the railhead of the Kansas Pacific Railway in Abilene, Kansas