Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-03-22
PRAIRIE PATHS.
Routes Of Olden Days Which the Freight
ers and Cattlemen Followed.

$500 49, "iaut py hahuS applies
justly to the far Western trails said
the Western cattlemau, solaeing the
hardships Of his past year on the ranges
with few weeks Of Gotham's civilized
pleasures. Never line or "A level
laid TO them or stroke given with pick
or shovel, yet 0n most Of them one could
drive for hundreds Of miles ia a light
carriage at q trot. II at any place the
hard, dry prairie becomes quilted, nobody
thinks of intending the spot, for there il
nothing easier than for the teamstors 10
just turn out to left or right on The level
ground aud make n new road round the
spot
How were they startedg Why. they
naturally grew us the country de-
veloped. Somebody drove team over
the prairie TO begin with, guiding his
path by some mountain peak or range
of bluffs Oh, when some such landmark
was not in eight. by the sun or d com
pass. lie found the wnter holes and
streams and crossings by good luck, help
ed out by the stories Of scouts and fur
traders, or Of Indians may be, IL the
redskins CHANGED TO br playing good az
the time instead Of being out for devil.
ment Again, trail may have been
the path Of some hunter, who picked ont
this way to his favorite trapping grounds
and followed II back and forth for half
lifetime before ever wagon rolled
over Il.
''lhe Indian paths, MS narraw almost
as rabbits track, from Che Indians
habit Of riding single file were good 10
locate a horseback or packers route by;
| but the redskins were apt TO shorten
| their routes by making short cuts over
ridges. or to follow too closely along the
sides Of hlufrs to be depended On 10
| follow with a wagon train.
The buffalo were great Judges Of
good route, and by following The nnih
Of their merations north aud south. the
traveller, if his way lay their way. was
sure 10 find the hest routes, as well as
! the best grnss the most water and the
safest crossings. II was over the ranges
where the buffalo pastured that were
laid the cattle trails so famous In the
old days before railroads had girdroned
the plains from east To west aud the
| shipping stations from Texas to British
Columbia lay ut the terminal points Of
| tho Union Pacific, the Kansas Pacific
and tile Atchison. Topeka aud Santa Re
railroads, then slowly building westward.
'"1hese cattle trails were highways To-
cally as well known and Important IN
| those days as The railroads are today
| rode last summer loo miles along what
was perhaps tie best known Of all these
routes in the Southwest, the old Chisum
| trail. leading. In general way. from the
| Pecos Valley mp 10 Abilene, Kan. II
branches a good dead at both ends, for
the Pecos Valley covers long range IN
| Texas and New Mexico. and The trail
every year or two made new fork west
ward at the nortEern end TO connect
with tie new railroad towns which kept
| springing up as the roads grew, bringing
| the market neater the ranges. It's last
terminus. ! think. was Dodge City. which
/ continued until the railrold crossed the
/ Ratons. and tlen now trails were made
10 the New Mexico railroad towns. At
| these settlements on tie bare prairie,
| little shauty towns, made up Of the rail-
road station. cattle yards, one hig general
store, and fifty SALOONS and dance halls.
| the cattle were loaded into the cars and
shipped to Kansas City or Chicago.
| Nov the great trail Is employed mainly
| for frcighting TO and from the range.
and the driving of Young cattle from Texas
| and New Mexico northward TO stock the
Colorado and Wyoming ranches. But
| upon the face Of the country. where the
| c1ttle herds had marched IN struggling
column, was the narrow. hard beaten,
| winding wagon trail made by the cooks
| and freight wagons, with scores OF mar
row. parallel paths on either side, cut
by the sharp hoofs Of the cattle. Prn-
cipals among the cattlemen who ilonrished
IN the days Of This odd trail werc Johu
Hilton and John Ctisum. fer whom the
trail wis named. Both are now dead.
From their herds came largely the cows
and Young steers driven North In the
early days to stock the Colorado ranges.
and the beef cattle tint fed the lahorcrs
Who huili the Union Pacific railroad
'Jofn Chisnm, whose life WAS passed
as a cattleman. made ms orglnal heau-
nnarters al Paris. Tex, and used 70 drive
stock across the Indian Territory TO Kan
SAD CITY Aftcrward he took " vast
ranges In lincoln county. New Mexico.
ono Of the most favored regions for asri-
cni+ure and grazing IN the territory but
which then. outside the government mill
tary posts and It's little adobe county
fanfs save buffalo lunters NM a rev
ndventeroiis cnttlemen. With MS cow
bows he held his own against tue apache
ard Com1nehe 1ndians whose raids did
moi wholly cease until after the surrender
az Geronimo's Apache tribes IN ISL.
Worse still 20 for rs osprntlnn-
went. wore the white ''fusters;,, utrooiou,
hands systematically sole horses a,.i
.ottIe ~ enlisted as inerrenaries IN The
a,-are'' between factions fighting Tor 20
,ft;rai .natro or the Possession OF cattle
/ a,5 r,naas Bnt Chlsam's herds, guarded
ana gnfhoref by armed and reseluit
,nsn vaxad fat and numerous anu NJ
: a.tio ,eere driven by thousands 10 mar,
: 81, vanr,y lie lived in rough, feulnl
e,ate mi respected his ncighhorS, rights
nj mare than did The, meilaet4i p ',.n ~
peine the richest cattle owner y inr ". .,-
,5on he was naturally q marx ioI va'u.
ttieres. and between him aiin lh.n Y
80 oivo and take In the true spl"' "
! ~ "a moss trooper and eianslnen,
"a, ,.p s venr. they fought over ehule'
. 80 oad ranges 10 this fair south Wesi,
! an region. then 4 YertA'ie y a,i,' "
4 I,iaoay ground. the scene q c9hnh ..',
(, nmrSys transformations aud roppels VS. teye
+ - "a head ia the epgch " lo' 7,
Z , Lan, ~ the Lincolr county Wni' y
/, kneN,n h.;s neriod that the fsroc0ns ~
4 desperaSo, Billy the 40, .i s.il Biily.
y frout md figured ORA a.u sar'
4 lrSn' W. one W Chism's heneh ,h ~. M NJ.
Z ~; ~ this .ver." hsd . close gu -. ,hs
He ~ tbe time Of The night $3.50 h, AVN
Z is H. N NIcSvsynes hese y 1870. ~,
2 which ended in m i Feu. H Il ,he end.
> ! forces. with Massey y 40 dri.i by
.'yhen nt last he hoAss X. fete x
j, .ha sttaekirr force. decoink " c,,,i'~ ~
4 .hs e.S,ir ALLY who Saf ~ ! s,,.il.
r ~ nafeiy rm the sanle' &,
Z , md ioS safey u tie pr'sn y -