Editing Chisholm Trail

{{Short description|Historic trail in the central United States used for cattle drives}}
{{Other uses|Chisholm Trail (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
[[File:1873 Map of Chisholm Trail with subsidiary trails in Texas.jpg|thumb|300px|right|1873 Map of Chisholm Trail with Subsidiary Trails in Texas (from [[Kansas Historical Society]])]]

The '''Chisholm Trail''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|ɪ|z|əm}} {{respell|CHIZ|əm}}) was a stock trail and wagon route used in the post-[[American Civil War|Civil War]] era to [[Cattle drive|drive cattle]] overland from ranches in southern [[Texas]], across the [[Red River of the South|Red River]] into [[Indian Territory]], and northward to rail stops in [[Kansas]]. The trail consisted of a pathway established by [[Black Beaver]] in 1861 and a wagon road established by [[Jesse Chisholm]] around 1864. "The Chisholm [[Wagon road|Wagon Road]] went from Chisholm's trading post on the south [[Canadian River]] (north of [[Fort  Arbuckle (Oklahoma)|Fort Arbuckle]]) to the [[Cimarron River (Arkansas River tributary)|Cimarron River]] crossing, to the [[Arkansas River]] at the future site of [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]] where Chisholm had another trading post and on north to [[Abilene, Kansas|Abilene]]," according to the Kraisingers. By 1869, the entire trail from Texas to Kansas became known as the Chisholm Trail.<ref name="gmk">{{cite book |last1=Kraisinger |first1=Gary |last2=Kraisinger |first2=Margaret |title=The Shawnee-Arbuckle Cattle Trail 1867-1870 |date=2016 |publisher=Mennonite Press |location=Newton, Kansas |isbn=9780975482827 |pages=54,86-88}}</ref><ref name="sh">{{cite book |last1=Hoig |first1=Stan |title=Jesse Chisholm, ambassador of the Plains |date=1991 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Norman |isbn=9780806136882 |pages=133-134,148-150}}</ref>

==Overview==
Texas ranchers using the Chisholm Trail had their cowboys start cattle drives from either the [[Rio Grande]] area or [[San Antonio]]. They joined the Chisholm Trail at the Red River, at the border between Texas and the [[Oklahoma Territory]]. They continued north to established railheads of the [[Kansas Pacific Railway]] in [[Abilene, Kansas]], where the cattle were sold and shipped eastward. The trail is named for Jesse Chisholm, a multiracial trader from Tennessee of [[Cherokee]] and [[Scottish people|Scottish]] descent. Together with scout Black Beaver, he developed the trail to transport his goods from one trading post to another. The two men were the first to drive cattle north along this route.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fch32|title=CHISHOLM, JESSE|first=RICHARDSON, T.|last=C.|date=12 June 2010|website=tshaonline.org|access-date=4 April 2018|archive-date=21 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021221017/https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fch32|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Business aspects==
By 1853, Texas cattle were being driven into [[Missouri]]. Local farmers began blocking the herds and turning them back because the [[Texas Longhorn]]s carried [[tick]]s that caused diseases in other species of cattle. Violence, [[Vigilantism|vigilante]] groups, and [[Cattle raiding|cattle rustling]] caused further problems for the [[Droving|drovers]]. By 1859, the driving of cattle was outlawed in many Missouri jurisdictions. By the end of the Civil War, most cattle were being moved up the western branch of the trail, being gathered at Red River Station in [[Montague County, Texas]].

In 1866, cattle in Texas were worth $4 per head, compared to over $40 per head in the [[Northern United States|North]] and [[Eastern United States|East]]. Lack of market access during the Civil War had produced an overstock of cattle in Texas.  In 1867, [[Joseph McCoy|Joseph G. McCoy]] built stockyards in Abilene, Kansas. He encouraged Texas cattlemen to drive their herds to his stockyards. O. W. Wheeler answered McCoy's call, and he along with partners used the Chisholm Trail to bring a herd of 2,400 head from Texas to Abilene. This herd was the first of an estimated 5,000,000 head of Texas cattle to reach Kansas via the Chisholm Trail.<ref>{{Handbook of Texas|id=ayc02|name="Chisholm Trail"|author=Worcester, Donald E.|retrieved=December 23, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author= Dortch, Steven D. |publisher= Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Oklahoma Historical Society |url= http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/C/CH045.html |title= Chisholm Trail |access-date= November 11, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121119063030/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/C/CH045.html |archive-date= November 19, 2012 |url-status= dead }}</ref> McCoy's stockyards shipped 35,000 head in 1867 and became the largest stockyards west of [[Kansas City, Kansas]].

The construction of the [[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific Railway]] through [[Nebraska]] eventually offered a cattle drive destination that was an attractive alternative to the [[Kansas Pacific Railway|Kansas Pacific Railroad]]. Between 1876 and 1884 some drives followed the [[Great Western Cattle Trail]] instead of the Chisholm Trail.<ref name="diggingin">{{Cite web|url=https://cdrhsites.unl.edu/diggingin/trailsummaries/di.sum.0004.html|title=The Texas Trail - Digging In|website=cdrhsites.unl.edu|access-date=2017-05-03|archive-date=2017-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218082637/http://cdrhsites.unl.edu/diggingin/trailsummaries/di.sum.0004.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Route==
[[File:Chisholmtrailduncan.JPG|thumb|right|Chisholm Trail crossing through modern-day [[Duncan, Oklahoma]]]]
[[File:Chisholm Trail Historical Marker Kingfisher.jpg|thumb|right|Chisholm Trail historical marker in [[Kingfisher, Oklahoma]]]]
In Texas, hundreds of feeder trails headed north and joined the main cattle trails. In the early 1840s, most cattle were driven up the [[Texas Road|Shawnee Trail]]. The Chisholm Trail was previously used by [[Native Americans in the United States|Indian]] hunting and raiding parties; the trail crossed into [[Indian Territory]] (present-day west-central [[Oklahoma]]) near Red River Station and entered Kansas near [[Caldwell, Kansas|Caldwell]]. Through Oklahoma, the route of [[U.S. Route 81|U.S. Highway 81]] follows the Chisholm Trail through present-day towns of [[El Reno, Oklahoma|El Reno]], [[Duncan, Oklahoma|Duncan]], Chickasha, and [[Enid, Oklahoma|Enid]].<ref>[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v014/images/v014p108map.jpg Oklahoma Map of Chisholm Trail] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516030053/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v014/images/v014p108map.jpg |date=2006-05-16 }} Oklahoma State University Digital Library Collections</ref>

Historians generally consider the starting point of the Chisholm Trail to be either [[Donna, Texas|Donna]] or San Antonio. From 1867 to 1871, the trail ended in Abilene, Kansas, but as railroads were incrementally built southward, the end of the trail moved to other cities. The end of the trail moved to [[Newton, Kansas|Newton]] and soon afterward to [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]. From 1883 to 1887, the end of the trail was at [[Caldwell, Kansas|Caldwell]].

==Challenges==
{{See also|Cattle drives in the United States}}
On the long trips—up to two months—cattlemen faced many difficulties. They had to cross major rivers such as the [[Arkansas River|Arkansas]] and the [[Red River of the South|Red]] and innumerable smaller creeks, as well as handle the topographic challenges of [[canyon]]s, [[badlands]], desolate plains, and low mountain ranges. Major drives typically started in the spring after the rains stimulated the growth of green grasses which the cattle would graze along the way. The spring drives, with those rains and higher water levels with the runoff, always meant more danger at the river crossings, which had few or no bridges suitable for large herds of cattle to cross. The half-wild Texas Longhorn cattle were contrary and prone to [[stampede]] with little provocation.

The days of longest sunlight, near mid-June, were also an important consideration in the timing of drives. In addition to natural dangers, the cowboys and drovers encountered rustlers and occasional conflicts with Native Americans. The cattle drives disrupted hunting and the cultivation of crops in the Indian Territory. Tribal members demanded that the trail bosses pay a [[tariff|toll]] of 10 cents per head to local tribes for the right to cross Indian lands (Oklahoma at that time was Indian Territory, governed from [[Fort Smith, Arkansas]]).

The only woman known to run her own cattle drive traveled from Texas to Wichita using the Chisholm Trail. [[Margaret Borland]] took her family, hired hands, and 2,500 Longhorns on the trail in 1873 in search of profit for her cattle, which were worth triple in Kansas over Texas prices. She died from what was called trail fever just after arriving in Wichita, after an otherwise successful journey.

==Representation in media==
The cattle drives have been a popular topic among [[Western (genre)|Western genre]] movies. At least 27 movies have portrayed fictional accounts of the first drive along the Chisholm Trail, including ''[[The Texans]]'' (1938), directed by [[James P. Hogan (director)|James P. Hogan]] and starring [[Randolph Scott]] and [[Joan Bennett]]; and ''[[Red River (1948 film)|Red River]]'' (1948), directed by [[Howard Hawks]] and starring [[John Wayne]] and [[Montgomery Clift]]. [[Walter Brennan]] co-starred in both films.

The trail is the subject of at least two [[Pop music|pop]] songs: "[[The Last Cowboy Song]]," written and recorded by [[Ed Bruce]], also performed by [[The Highwaymen (country supergroup)|The Highwaymen]]; and the song "[[The Old Chisholm Trail]]." Among those who have covered the song are [[Gene Autry]], [[Girls of the Golden West (country music duo)|Girls of the Golden West]], [[Woody Guthrie]], [[Michael Martin Murphey]], [[Tex Ritter]], and [[Roy Rogers]]. [[Lead Belly]] (Huddie Ledbetter) also covered this song, although his version was titled "When I Was A Cowboy". Nova Scotia-born [[Wilf Carter (musician)|Wilf Carter]] recorded a version of the song, titled, "Come A Ty-ya Yippie Yi Yo".

==Legacy==
Many schools in this region have been named after the Chisholm Trail, including:
*[[Chisholm Trail High School]] in [[Fort Worth, Texas]]
*[[Olathe USD 233|Chisholm Trail Middle School]] in [[Olathe, Kansas]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olatheschools.org/chisholmtrail/|title=Chisholm Trail Middle School|website=schools.olathe.k12.ks.us|access-date=4 April 2018}}</ref> 
*[[Round Rock Independent School District|Chisholm Trail Middle School]] in [[Round Rock, Texas]]
*Chisholm Trail Middle School in [[Rhome, Texas]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nisdtx.org/|title=Home - Northwest Independent School District|website=www.nisdtx.org|access-date=4 April 2018|archive-date=5 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405045505/http://nisdtx.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*Chisholm Trail Elementary School in [[Park City, Kansas]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chisholmtrail.usd259.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=157627|title=Chisholm Trail Elementary / Homepage|website=chisholmtrail.usd259.org|access-date=4 April 2018|archive-date=18 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718195731/http://chisholmtrail.usd259.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=157627|url-status=live}}</ref>
*Chisholm Middle School in [[Newton, Kansas]]
*Chisholm High School in Enid, Oklahoma
*Chisholm Elementary School in [[Edmond, Oklahoma]]
*Chisholm Trail Elementary School in  [[Sanger, Texas]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cte.sangerisd.net/|title=Chisholm Trail Elementary|website=cte.sangerisd.net}}</ref>
*Chisholm Trail Elementary School in [[Belton, Texas|Belton. Texas]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chisholm Trail Elementary / Homepage |url=https://www.bisd.net/chisholmtrail |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=www.bisd.net |language=en}}</ref>

The Chisholm Trail is roughly traced by U.S. Route 81 through Oklahoma, and that state has multiple museums and sites paying respect to the trail.<ref name=World/>  The [[Chisholm Trail Heritage Center]] in [[Duncan, Oklahoma]] has educational and interactive exhibits, a large monument depicting a scene from a Chisholm Trail cattle drive, and a trail walkway.<ref name=World/><ref>[http://www.onthechisholmtrail.com/ Chisholm Trail Heritage Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005020128/http://www.onthechisholmtrail.com/ |date=2007-10-05 }} Chisholm Trail art, culture, and history - Duncan, Oklahoma</ref> Trail Ruts at Monument Hill just outside of Duncan has visible traces of cattle hoofs and wagons actually left on the trail.<ref name=World/>  [[Kingfisher, Oklahoma]], has a life-size statue of Jesse Chisholm in the middle of downtown, as well as the [[Chisholm Trail Museum (Kingfisher, Oklahoma)|Chisholm Trail Museum and Governor Seay Mansion]] which gives a clear timeline of the trail.<ref name=World/>  [[Yukon, Oklahoma]], has the Chisholm Trail Watering Hole and historic marker, while Jesse Chisholm's gravesite is a bit further north outside [[Geary, Oklahoma]].<ref name=World/>  A mural in Enid, Oklahoma depicting the trail is located in the downtown area.<ref name=World>{{cite web|url=https://tulsaworld.com/travel/chisholm-trail-left-its-mark-on-oklahoma/article_d92cc828-0d73-11eb-b510-6f0502a149d2.html|title=Chisholm Trail left its mark on Oklahoma|date=16 November 2020|publisher=Dino Lalli, Tulsa World, November 16, 2020|access-date=November 16, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115194300/https://tulsaworld.com/travel/chisholm-trail-left-its-mark-on-oklahoma/article_d92cc828-0d73-11eb-b510-6f0502a149d2.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Lockhart, Texas]], in [[Caldwell County, Texas|Caldwell County]], holds a four-day festival on the second weekend of June, to celebrate its place on the Chisholm Trail. [[Newton, Kansas]] holds a three- to four-day [https://web.archive.org/web/20101122000900/http://chisholmtrailfestival.com/ Chisholm Trail Festival], combining it with the annual Fourth of July celebration.

In 2014, the [[North Texas Tollway Authority]] constructed a 26-mile-long toll road named after the trail, the [[Chisholm Trail Parkway]]. It connects downtown [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]] to the nearby city of [[Cleburne, Texas|Cleburne]] in [[Johnson County, Texas|Johnson County]]. In 2017, the [[Texas Historical Commission]] released ''The Chisholm Trail: Exploring the Folklore and Legacy'', an online tour and mobile app.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://texastimetravel.oncell.com/en/the-chisholm-trail-exploring-the-folklore-and-legacy-134179.html|title=The Chisholm Trail: Exploring the Folklore and Legacy|website=Texas Travel|access-date=4 April 2018|archive-date=18 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818215020/https://texastimetravel.oncell.com/en/the-chisholm-trail-exploring-the-folklore-and-legacy-134179.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The tour includes audio tracks and short videos that retell the history of communities and local heritage in towns and cities that line the route of the former Chisholm Trail.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Gard, Wayne. ''The Chisholm Trail'' (1969) a standard scholarly history   [https://archive.org/details/chisholmtrail0000unse/page/n5/mode/2up online]
* Ridings, Sam P. ''The Chisholm Trail: a history of the world's greatest cattle trail: together with a description of the persons, a narrative of the events, and reminiscences associated with the same'' (Skyhorse Publishing, 2014)
* Sanford, William R. ''The Chisholm Trail in American history'' (2000) [https://archive.org/details/chisholmtrailina00sanf online]

{{Library resources box
  |onlinebooks=yes
  |lcheading=Chisholm Trail
  |label=Chisholm Trail}}
* ''Guide Map of the Best and Shortest Cattle Trail to the Kansas Pacific Railway''; Kansas Pacific Railway Company; 1875. <small>[http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101074863513;view=1up;seq=1 (Read Online)][http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/214328 (Map)]</small>
* ''Morality and Money: A Look at how the Respectable Community Battled the Sporting Community over Prostitution in Kansas Cowtowns, 1867-1885''; Jessica Smith; Kansas State University; 2013. <small>[http://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/15686/JessicaSmith2013.pdf Read Online]</small>

==External links==
{{Commons category|Chisholm Trail}}
* [https://texastimetravel.oncell.com/en/the-chisholm-trail-exploring-the-folklore-and-legacy-134179.html The Texas Historical Commission Chisholm Trail mobile tour]
* [http://www.vlib.us/old_west/trails/cthist.html History on the trail from the "Kansas Heritage Group"]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090625133143/http://www.williamson-county-historical-commission.org/Chisholm_Trail_cattle_drives/chisholm_trail_cattle_drive_in_williamson_county.htm Up the Chisholm Trail by the Williamson County Historical Commission]
* [http://www.thechisholmtrail.com/ Along the Chisholm Trail] Web site with maps, history, monuments, and guides for visiting.
* [http://www.chisholmtrailmuseum.org/ The Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum] Texas cowboy and Longhorn cattle drive history - Cuero, Texas
* [http://www.onthechisholmtrail.com/ On the Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum] Chisholm Trail history and settlement of the Southern Great Plains of the US. - Duncan, Oklahoma
;Maps
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080603022744/http://hennessey.lib.ok.us/map3.htm Simplified map of the trail]
* [http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/208627 1873 map of the main trail and subsidiary trails]
* [http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/208626 Detailed map of the trail through Oklahoma]
* [http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/208628 Detailed map of the trail through Kansas]

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[[Category:Chisholm Trail| ]]
[[Category:Historic trails and roads in Kansas]]
[[Category:Historic trails and roads in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Historic trails and roads in Texas]]
[[Category:Trails and roads in the American Old West]]