Established about 1874, this trail was used by the freighting firm of Ed Jones and Joe Plummer to haul tons of buffalo hides from their general store in Lipscomb County to Dodge City, Kansas. In its early days, it also carried crucial supplies to Generals Nelson Miles and Philip Sheridan during the 1874 Indian campaign, and materials for building Fort Elliott at Mobeetie came over the trail. The fort then became the southern terminus for the route, with Dodge City as the northern terminus. In its later years, until 1885, it became a cattle trail.