The Great Western Cattle Trail was first blazed by a herd in 1874, and the last herd made the trip in 1894. Most historians agree that it started at Bandera, Texas, though some state otherwise. Also known as the Western Trail, the Dodge City Trail, and the Old Texas Trail, it was not as well known as the Chisholm Trail, but more cattle and horses were driven along it, and it was much longer. It was the main cattle trail to Dodge City, Kansas, and eventually extended to Ogallala, Nebraska, with branches reaching Canada and all of the northwestern states. The trail gave birth to the ranching industry across the entire West, because seed stock driven up from Texas along this route was used to start the ranches. An estimated approximately 7,000,000 head of longhorn cattle and thousands of horses were driven up the Great Western Cattle Trail.

Photo: James Hulse

Photo: James Hulse

Photo: James Hulse

Photo: James Hulse

Bandera, Texas · USA