The Great Western Cattle Trail began at Bandera, TX. As demand for beef increased in the east, returning Civil War soldiers drove wild longhorn cattle from south Texas and Mexico north to the railhead at Dodge City, KS. In 1874, Capt. John T. Lytle drove the first herd of 3000 head north up the trail. They crossed the Red River into Indian Territory at Doan’s Crossing about 22 miles S.E. of present-day Altus, OK. Grazing the rich grassland, they continued north to Soldier Springs, located 9 miles south and 1 mile west of present-day Canute, OK. Passing about 2 miles east of Canute, they turned north to Dodge City, KS, eventually arriving in Nebraska at the Red Cloud Indian Agency. Herds averaged 3,000 head and required 10 men to handle them. Each cowboy, most in their teens or early twenties, required 7 horses, adding 70 to 100 head per cattle drive. About 100 herds crossed Oklahoma each year, usually from March to September. The trail could be from 6 to 20 miles wide depending on how many came at once. More than 7 million cattle moved up the trail during its 20-year existence.