The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-09-23

realized upon. Here's why During the war the
old men, small boys and negroes had taken care
of the stock the range but the range was
overstocked and there was no market for it.
The western railroads had just begun to push
west into Kansas and many hundred miles sep
arated the Texas herds from the railroad towns
in Kansas from which the cattle could be shipped
east to the markets which wanted the cattle
In 1866 one or two small herds had ventured
north over a trail which later became famous as
the Chisholm trail Gt was named for Jesse Chis
holm. Cherokee cattle trader who had supplied
the frontier posts before and during the war;
and despite many hardships had proved that such
a linking of demand and supply were possible
But the real impetus to the trade came about as
the result Of a conference in Junction City, Kan.
in 1867 between Col. ]. J. Meyers, former men-
Der of the Fremont expedition and Texas cattle
hunter and Joseph HI. Mccoy business man OF
Illinois The arrangement was for Meyers to
gather cattle in Texas drive them overland to
Abilene Kan, where Mccoy was to take charge
and arrange for the shipment east. The news or
the success of these two men spread like Wild
fire among the Texas cattlenen and each sue
cessiye year saw the mighty army of cattle men
and horses marching north And this continued
for more than quarter of a century
one of the points in Emerson Hough's North
Of 36o to which the critic took exception was
Hough's having herd of $500 go over the trail.
Yet the fact remains that herds of that size or
even larger 5000 and 5000 in later years. did go
north over the Old Chisholm trail. For they dealt
In big numbers in those days. In this book is the
description of trail herd strung out for ~ miles
from "point' (the leaders) to drag (the rear).
one old-timer tells of the joining of three herds
Tins: "When the two other herds came up with
rs we threw all three together and had about
1000 in the bunch. Four thousand head Of picked
cattle were to be selected from this main herd and
we started cutting early in the afternoon By
ouitting time we had 500 head cut and the boss
and his men took this bunch to hold for the night.
"At shutdown, when we bedded down the cattle,
there were eleven trail herds in sight. Along in
the night a terrible storm cane up. 1t was the
worst for wind, rain and lightning ever expert
eneed The cattle in all the herds broke and the
next morning they were scattered over the plains
as far as the eye could see in every direction. All
fine eleven trail herds were mixed up together.
There were about 100 cowboys in the combined
outfts and when we had made the general round
nm we had about $4,000 head in one bunch. We
worked for ten days before could get the cattle
separated and in shape to get under way"
ona old-timer tells of swimming herds across
tha Red river when it was half mile wide and
doing IT 10 times in one day. Another tells of
riding three days and nights on one horse with
ont sleep and with very little to eat There is
tha story, too of one outfit which arrived In
Kansas with it's cowboys actually on foot-they
lost their horses but they brought the herd
through
No wonder Texas is proud Of these men-of
tbat first trail driver who set forth In 1867 and,
CoInmbus-like dared the unknown to drive his
cattle over the trackless waste to the north and
az the hundreds who followed in his footsteps
and endured all manner Of hardship and danger
and wishes to pay her need Of honor to them
while some of them still live