Chisholm Trail Historical Marker - Abilene, Kansas

Chisholm Trail Historical Marker - Abilene, Kansas

The rides were sometimes in the winter where the battle against cold, snow and rain was a constant companion.  Trying to find someplace dry to sleep was almost impossible for the cowboy.  They would often move the fire over after it had burned for awhile because the ground under would be warm and dry, at least for a little while.

The cowboys were often required to pay a "toll" to the Indians of the area to avoid problems on the drive.  They would cut out some cattle, give them to the Indians and then be allowed to go forward with no problems.  Then there were the Nesters (settlers that moved into the area) that didn’t want the drives to cross their lands because they were afraid the cattle would destroy the grass.  This caused the herds to be narrowed down to a smaller trail.  The Nesters were more of a problem, according to the stories told by those that drove the cattle, then the Indians.  The Nesters would group together, armed and not allow the herds to pass on their land.

 The stories that cowboys sang to the herd at night were true one cowboy said, "Yes, we sung, whistled, and hummed to the cattle so they would know where we were, also that the other guards might know our location. The constant sound prevented fright from any sudden sound, such as a horse stumbling, etc."

There was a legendary longhorn on the Chisholm Trail that led the cattle drive which was owned by Charles Goodnight, co-founder of the Goodnight-Loving Trail in west Texas, who had a favorite lead steer known as Old Blue. The steer reportedly led about 10,000 longhorns north along the trail over eight seasons, before finally retiring from the trail.

In the five years from 1867 to 1872, more than three million head of cattle were driven up the Chisholm Trail from Texas to Abilene.

By 1870 thousands of Texas longhorn cattle were being driven over the Chisholm Trail to the Union Pacific (later the Kansas Pacific) Railroad shipping center at Abilene. By 1871 as many as 5,000 cowboys were often paid off during a single day. Abilene became known as a rough town in the Old West.

The Chisholm Trail Historical Marker which marks the end of the Chisholm Trail is located in Abilene at: 3rd & N Buckeye, Abilene, KS   67410

Phone: (785) 263-2681 (the post office where the marker is located)

 

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