The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-16
OF THE COWBOY.
Tho Great Trails That Once Knew
Will Know Him Again
No More.
Old Trunk Highways Of Darly
Days Are Rapidly Hrassing
Over.
whore They Were Locatad and the Cat
Ito Thu Travelled Over Them-Tho
Wicksdest Cities.

Wicksdest Cities.
An Abilene, Kan., correspondent OF the
81. Louis Globs-Dsmocrat says: With tho
clearing of of the Cherokee strip and the
fencing Of Oklahoma lands there has been
ended the usefulness of tho Texas cattle
trails. which were q few years ago the great
highway from the feeding grounds of the
Lone Star state to the shipping points In
Kansas. Gradually, vita the opening of
railroads, there have boon Tower and fewer
herds driven over the long journey, and
now the last one has reached its destina-
tion and the cowboy of the west Is q thing
OF the past. He will flourish on the bur-
lesquo stage and will figure In the fash
literature of tho news stands, hut in real
life he will be known no more. No drives
will take place this fall.
The old cattle-trails which were the trunk
railways Of early days are grassing over.
Once they were beaten hard and bare by
tens Of thousands Of hoofs. Long choco-
late-colored paths they were, stretching ont
over hill and through vale, crossing rivers
and climbing steep bluffs, bordersd here
and there by the bleaching bones of some
weary member Of the herd who had found
the trip too much for his strength. From
interior Texas to central Kansas they led,
first reaching to Abilene; then, after the
building Of the Atchison. Topeka d Santa
Fe railroad, to Dodge City, whore for many
years were performed the orgies to which
the cowboys were prone to give way at the
end of the drive.
The first cattle trail was located by Mr..
Joseph G. Mccoy, now Of Wichita, KAN.
and recently superintendent of the live
stock bureau OF the United States census.
He was q pioneer stockman, and was tho
first to realize the possible profits
in driving tho Texas cattle part
OF the WAY to market and
shipping them the remainder. Nj. Mccoy
conceived the idea of opening up an outlet
for Texas cattle. Being impressed With a
knowledge of the number OF cattle in Texas,
and the difficulties of getting them to mar
ket BY routes and means then in use, and
realizing tho great disparity betwsen Texas
values and northern prices of cattle. he set
to work to e~aualize tho extremes.
accessible point to which the Texas drover
could bring his stock and find a buyer, or
failing in that could ship to any city in the
country. After repeated Conversation and
consultations with leading stockuaen it was
decided to select some point on the old
division Of the Union Pacific. The road
was then Tin 1867 completed 200 miles
west of Kansas City, and Abb
lenc was decided upo as the
meeting point where Northern buyers and
Southern sellers would meet: The
town consisted Of two log huts and a saloon;
the surrounding country was sparsely set
tied and we'll watered, with plenty of grass.
Land for yards was purchased and o man
we'll versed in the geography Of the country
and used to the prairie was sent out into
Southern Kansas and the Indian Territory
TO hunt up all struggling herds Of cattle
and send them to Abilene. Mounting bis
pony he set out for q lonely AO-mile ride
southwestorly, crossing the Arkansas at tho
site of the present city of Wichita and send
ing every herd he met northward with
promises of quick sales and big profits. The
long and expensive drive through the Ozark
Mountain region was gladly evaded, and
$4,000 cattle came to the new station the
Esat year.
There we're the Texas and Kansas cattle
trails established. Two or three principal
highways were at once laid out and for
many years they were kept we'll worn by
the passing hoofs. or these the best known
was the "Chisholm trail" SO called after a
partly civilized Indian who first followed it.
Then there was the Shawnee trail" which
was later followed almost exclusively by the
herds from western Texas. Leaving the
Red river, it ran eastward, crossing the
Arkansas near Fort Gibson. Thence it fol-
lowed the banks of the Arkansas, taking
advantage of the level reaches of the valley
until it came into Kansas. when 1t was
necessary to cross the divide OF eighty miles
between the valley of the Smoky Hill and
the Arkansas. There were side trails and
cut-offs along the line, intended to evade
some precipitous country or to avoid some
stream with swollen waters.
Fording the rivers was the chief danger,
men had to fear. The Arkansas and CHM
arron rivers, particularly, with their wide
sandy river beds, were in time of high water
very trsaoherous. 1t was a sight never to
be forgotten to see a herd of 5000 or more
cattle crossing a stream. A long line OF
horned heads, bodies submerged, and the
cowboys on their swimming horses by the
sides were striking features of the drive.
Several cattle were usually drowned in
crossing a stream. aN
After the thorough establishment Of the
trails began the u of cattle. In 1869
there were 5000 head shipped from the lit.
tie tow which became . pandemonium OF
cowboys, and was known far and wide AZ
the "wiokedest own in the west" 9 title
taken up later On by Dodge City, Deadwood
and Leadville-the quartet being the only
ones generally considered as entitled
10 tue HOt very CTouitdUA0 p hpPoAAA-
tion. There was nothing that was
not possible in Abilene. and fatal en-
counters were almost as numerous. az the
days. In 1870 nearly 800, 900 head of Texas
cattle were shipped, and the following year
saw an influx that surprised the most san
guine. II seemed that every Texas ranch
sent out its herds until it was estimated
that Mt least GOO, 900 head of cattle roamed
over the plains of western Kansas awaiting
shipment. One could 90 upon any hill and
SEQ 10000 to 5000 head grazing over the
plains like the ~'cattle on u Thousand hills, "
in ancient times. But the railroads had
formed a pool, rates were raised, prices fell
off and sales could not be made. Several
hundred thousand cattle we're wintered on
the Kan sas %prniries, and in the absence OF
sufficient grain paved s%ustsnance out of
the sleet that covered the plain, eating the
buffalo grass that lay beneath. There was
an immense loss, and the next year showed
a great falling of in the number that were
brought up from the Texas plains.
Ellsworth. Kan, was next chosen ns a
shipping roint, and then Dodge City, after
the building Of the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Ee railroad. 1t was aIcommon re-
mark that there was mo Sunday west Of
Dodge City and no God westSsof Pneblo.''
The remark was held as good until last
year, when the trails began to lose their
rtestire by reason of tho northsAnd south
Snnta Fe and Rock Island roads from Kan
sns TO Texas, and now with the entire dis
use of them will never again apply.
y Vha auuarktnl fnatt,ea - tIr no%AIr Awn n