The Chisholm Trail

Named for Cherokee trader, scout, and guide Jesse Chisholm, the Chisholm Trail was the first post-Civil War cattle trail. Although named for Jesse Chisholm, the trail was in fact started by Sucktumaquay, or Black Beaver, of the Delaware tribe. At the beginning of the American Civil War, Black Beaver guided US Army personnel from Forts Washita, Arbuckle, and Cobb to safety at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. After the war, Chisholm and Black Beaver rounded up cattle in Texas and herded them along this same trail to Kansas. Millions of longhorn cattle were driven by cowboys to railheads in Kansas for shipment to the beef-hungry populace in the rapidly growing eastern United States. US Highway 81 closely approximates the route of the original trail from Texas to Kansas.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · United States