Date: 1996-06-26
Speaker: PETE GEREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. over 100 years ago. the last great herd of longhorns made its way from the grasslands of South Texas to the railhead in Abilene. Kansas. along the Chisholm Trail. The settlements dotting the trail grewinto towns. and a few. like Forth Worth. became great cities. For 20 years. Fort Worth has set aside 3 days to remember and recognize the heritage of the Chisholm Trail. From June 21 to 23. the Chisholm Trail RoundUp was celebrated in Fort Worths historic Stockyards District. benefitting western heritage organizations and keeping alive the knowledge of the way our ancestors lived their daytoday lives. The festival is a combination of fund. food. and friendly competition. and a time to reflect on an era that is part of the heritage of our Nation. who rwe are. no matter where we call home. An estimated 25.000 to 35.000 men trailed 6 to 10 million head of cattle and a million horses between the end of the Civil War and the turn of the century along the Chisholm Trail. Many of the cattle were destined for shipment to the beef packing houses and butcher stalls of the industrial midwest and northeast. other herds supplied Indian reservations and military outposts. Contrary to the moviemakers image of the romantic cowboy. riding under the stars and singing around the campfire. the Chisholm Trail promised danger. drudgery. loneliness. and hardship. Years later. memories of raging rivers. stampedes and sudden violence would stir the blood of the older and wiser former cowboys when they clustered together at old settlers days and country fairs. recounting days that would never pass again. They came from all over the United States. and even from Germany. Poland. and France. These cowboys werent paid much: $3040 per month if times were good. which wasnt often. Most of them were young. C.K. Ackerman. who hailed from the Texas plains. remembered his first drive to Kansas. which was in 1873. The oldest man in the crew was 25. while the rest ranged between 18 and 22. Some didnt even wait that long to hit the trail. A.D. McGeenhee drove from Belton to Abilene in 1868 at the ripe old age of 11. Onethird of the men who went up the trail were black or Hispanic. Even about 20 women took the trail--and 1. Sallie M. Redus. took her baby along. The Chisholm Trail did not offer riches to the cowboys. but many went on the fame and fortune after their cowboy days came to an end. Several transferred their skills and experience to the Fort Worth -Stockyards..where they became commission merchants and livestock shipping agents for the railroads. E.L Brouson quit the trail in the 1880s. acquired a small herd of his own and got rich and went broke so many times that eventually he lost count. J.B. Pumphrey and George Hindes became financiers. S.H. Woods served as Duval County judge from 1896 to 1915. Others went on to hold public offices like district attorney. county commissioner. sheriff. marshal. postmaster. city councilman. and even Texas Rangers. NO matter what their later fate. the cowboys who went up the Chisholm Trail left an indelible imprint on our history. A journalist at the end of the era wrote. "The cowboy was generous. brave. and ever ready to alleviate personal suffering. sharing his last crust. his blanket. and often more important. his canteen. He spent his wages freely and not always wisely. and many became easy prey to gambling. and other low resorts. But some among them became leading men in law. art. and scienteven in theology. proving again that it is not in the vocation but in the man that causes him to blossom and bring a fruitage of goodness. honor and godly living." The Chisholm Trail RoundUp is a heartfelt celebration of this spirit. and a tribute to the men and women who together forged a new way of life on the American frontier.