The history of the Chisholm
Trail is more than the story of range-tough cowboys, stampeding
cattle, and rowdy cowtowns. It is also the story of a people successfully
adapting to the political, social and economic changes brought
on by our nation's most devastating conflict -- the Civil War.
The Beginning of
an Industry
At the close of the Civil
War in 1865, the greatest economic asset of Texas rested in vast
herds of half-wild longhorn cattle. Locally, a longhorn was worth
about $3 to $5, but in the cities of the North and East, the same
steer would sell for $35 to $40. Economic conditions were right,
but transportation was a problem. No railroads connected Texas
to the East, and steamships were unsuitable for shipping the half-wild
cattle.
In an effort to market the cattle, Texans began driving their
herds through the eastern parts of Indian Territory to shipping
points in Missouri and eastern Kansas. This route proved unsatisfactory
primarily because farmers along this passage, known as the Shawnee
Trail, feared the loss of their livestock to "Texas fever,"
a disease transmitted by ticks carried on the Texas cattle. In
an effort to stop Texas cattle from entering the area, strict
laws were passed to limit importation.
The Cowtown
Joseph McCoy, an Illinois
cattle dealer, realized that the problem of transportation could
be solved by establishing a cattle trading center west of the
line of settlement. In 1867 McCoy chose as the site of his venture
the small prairie town of Abilene, Kansas, located on the Kansas
Pacific Railroad. At Abilene McCoy constructed loading pens for
cattle and lodgings for the cattlemen. He then sent word that
he would purchase all the Texas cattle that could be driven north.
The Trail
The Texans chose as the shortest
and easiest route to Abilene a military trail first opened by
the Delaware scout, Black Beaver, in 1861. This trail was also
used as a trade route by the mixed-blood Cherokee trader, Jesse
Chisholm. Although not a cattleman, Chisholm became a well-known
figure on the trail and eventually the route north became known
as "Chisholm Trail." Roughly paralleling the later route
of U.S. Highway 81, the Chisholm Trail entered the Indian Territory
near the present-day town of Terral, Oklahoma. It then passed
through the future townsites of Duncan, Chickasha, El Reno, Kingfisher,
Hennessey, and Enid before entering Kansas near Medford. The trail
was not exact as the drovers often varied the route to avoid swollen
streams or take advantage of good grazing areas.
As word of the new trail spread among the Texas cattlemen its
use increased. In 1867, the first year the trail was used, McCoy
shipped 35,000 head of cattle from Abilene. The next year the
number increased to 75,000. By the late 1880s an estimated 3 million
cattle had been driven from Texas to the cowtowns of Kansas.
Decline of the Trail
Activity over the Chisholm
Trail peaked during the early 1870s but by 1874 many drovers were
moving their cattle over the Great Western Trail which passed
through the Indian Territory farther west. By 1889 the Chisholm
Trail was abandoned altogether, the victim of westward-moving
settlement.
By the 1890s railroads had been constructed north and south through
the Indian Territory, eliminating the need for the long drive.
It was along these railroads that communities such as Waurika
were built, signaling the end of the open range and the beginning
of agricultural pursuits.
The Museum
Through artifacts and photographs
the Chisholm Trail Historical Museum tells the story of the trail
and the people associated with it. In addition, the museum provides
a glimpse into the early days of the Waurika community.
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Thursday - Saturday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Sunday 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Closed First Sunday of Month & State Holidays |
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