Between 1874 and 1893, millions of cattle and horses traveled the Great Western Trail from Texas through nine U.S. states into Canada. Longer, more enduring, and carrying more cattle than any other cattle trail in the United States, it significantly shaped the western economy by helping establish the ranching and livestock industry. Longhorns were gathered around Matamoras, Mexico, and south Texas, then driven north through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and into Canada. The first trail herd to reach North Dakota left Texas in 1884, when cowboys drove a huge herd from the Rio Grande to the Little Missouri River. Until the trail declined in the 1890s, millions more cattle and horses continued along it, thriving on the rich prairie grasses of the Plains. Cowboys from Texas and elsewhere also came with the herds, established ranches, and helped grow North Dakota's western heritage, which remained strong and prosperous.