The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-07-18

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BY ELMO SCOTT WATSON
AENEEw HE Old Chisholm Trail What a
wealth of romance is contained in
E# those four wOrdS-what pictures they
"@k bring up of era in American his
/eE# \ tory that is gone forever! Speak OF
| ~ the Santa Fee Trail and you see a
\EA * ! pack train setting out with it's stock
EN/ of goods for trade in the old Span
hx1slkX ish capital; you see Kit Carson and
VV#WR Uncle Dick Wooton and Old Bill
~@% Williams and a host of other old
time hunters and trappers; you see
Kearneys Dragons marching to the conquest of
Mexico you see Bent's Fort and Maxweis haci.
enda and other places where the whole kaleido
scopc life of the Great Southwest passed in col
Orful review. Speak of the Oregon Trail and you
see caravan of covered wagons podding up the
valley of the Platte or tong painfully through
some mountain pass in the Rockies.
But speak of the Old Chisholm Trail and you
see an epic migration of an entirely different sort
thousands upon thousands of onghorn CATTLE
driven north from the wide plains of the Lone
Star state to the roaring towns Of Kansas
by as bold, reckless, brave crew of dare
devils as the world has ever known-the old-time
cowboys.
But now the Old Chisholm Trail is to have
renaissance. From the state capital of Texas
comes word that in its new form 1t is to be
broad n1Vpd highway extending from south Texas
to Abilene. Kan Many sections of the road
already have been constructed, the unfinished links
will be connected rapidly as possible and then
automobiles will speed over it. covering as many
miles in few hours as it took trail herd to
cover in the same number of days. Recently Frank
DObie, former cowboy, now professor Of Eng
fish at the University of Texas and recognized
authority the early history of the Southwest,
appeared before the state highway commission
with plea for the proper marking of the Old
Chisholm Trail highway. AS a result of Dobies
plea and the support of the Old Trail Drivers
association Of Texas. the commission has agreed
to place appropriate markers on the road through
Texas and these markers will be the painted head
of long-horn steer.
Before considering where that trail ran as estab-
nshed by the best authorities, 1t is necessary to
introduce Jesse Chisholm and tell how it was that
his name was given to this famous highway. He
was born in the old Cherokee Indian country In
Chisholm, the son of John D. Chisholm. the last
hereditary chief of the Cherokees, was of Scotch
descent His mother member Of the noted
Rogers family of the Cherokee nation and an older
sister of Tiana Rogers, the Cherokee wife of
Gen. Sam Houston.
Some time after 1850 Chisholm established a
trading post not far from where the old Cali
fOrnia Trail crossed the South Canadian river.
Later on he had another trading post at Council
Grove on the North Canadian few miles west of
the present Oklahoma City. BY this time he had
deserted his own people entirely and was an
adopted member of the Wichita tribe with whom
he went north into Kansas at the outbreak of the
Civil war. For more than six years the Wchitas
camped at the mouth Of the Little Arkansas
where the city which bears their name is now
located They visited there by James r.
Mead, trader. who, in the spring of 1865, was
invited by Chisholm to join him in trading eXpe-
dition to the valley of the Washita Tin what is
Oklahoma) in the vicinity of Fort Cobb and
the former Wichita Agency
Mead accepted the invitation, they loaded their
wagons and drove to the crossing of the North
Canadian where short side-trip to Chishom's
trading post at Council Grove was made Then
they continued to the Washita. AS matter of
fact, this was not the first time that this route
had been traversed. At the outbreak of the Civil
war the federal garrison at Fort Smith. Ark.
Sta located in the present Johnston county, Okla
homa They next evacuated Fort Washita and
under the command of Lieut.. Col. w. Fl. Emory.
who was guided by Black Beaver, noted Della