How this group came about. In 1998, I heard Trails being discussed. Started reading and found out there were(and are) conflicting views on what the first N/S cattle Trail name was in Texas. Some said Chisholm, others Eastern or Shawnee. Some PR types didnt think the name Eastern was appealing. Said it sounded like a Yankee thing. * Graduate Students of History at UT Arl. under the leadership of a Phd. undertook the job of settling the issue. Although Ive never seen the results of this study, I have been told that the group could not find any proof that Trail in Texas was called Chisholm during its existence. Ive found evidence that the first debate over Trails name started in 1911. The issue became even more clouded when an Okie by the name of P.P. Ackley appointed Himself Father of The Chisholm Trail . He had enough money to go around the country telling everyone who would listen that the Chisholm Trail ran from South America to Canada. He financed and placed markers from Donna Tx. to Nebraska via his hometown of Elk City Okla. He threw a party for 15,000 of his close friends to help him celebrate the Junction of Chisholm Trail and Route 66 in his hometown. In 1931, at the Old Trail Drivers Assoc. Annual Meeting in 1931 at San Antonio, the group voted that they were not on the Chisholm till they crossed the Red River. The earliest written description of the Route of the Chisholm that Im aware of is found in History of Kansas by Wm. Cutler published in 1882. It confirms what the Old Cowboys stated. In 1838, the Govt. ordered a trail to be made from Austin to the Red River. This was done by 1840. Overall, this Trail was known by some as the Shawnee Trail . A segment of this trail from Dallas to Red River was known as Preston Trail where it then again became known as Shawnee Trail. This trail ran from St. Louis to Galveston. In the mid 1840s , Longhorns started being driven North to market up this trail. One group was trailed all the way to New York. This Trail stayed in continuous use as Settlers migrating to Texas used this route . Some referred to South bound Route as the Texas Road. History shows as many as 100,000 wagons per year entering Texas via this route. Cattle continued being driven North until the Civil War stopped virtually All movement on this trail. In 1866, Cattle trailing started in earnest with 260,000 head heading north up the Shawnee. One of these herds crossed I.T. and went to Bozeman Montana under the watch of Nelson Story .Factors necessitated Northern portion of Trail to move West. Southern portion of trail from San Antonio to Red River remained the same. By 1868, some drovers were using a portion of Chisholms trade route in I.T. Other crossings were used at Red River and a new Trail from lower Hill Country around Bandera to Doans Crossing came into use. I find evidence that these Trails were Both still in use in 1873. The Shawnee even had a Branch named the Western Shawnee . The National Park Service was handed the Task of marking the Chisholm and Great Western Trails as National Historic Trails. They have completely bypassed the role of the Shawnee by renaming the Trail from San Antonio to Waco as being the Chisholm instead of the Shawnee. They show that the trail split west at Waco and went through Fort Worth. They are claiming that the Trail from Waco to San Antonio as being the Chisholm. I am siding with the old Cowboys and I say they are full of beans. It was, is, and always will be the Shawnee. BTW, The Shawnees were using this trail long before Manifest Destiny made all things Native American 2nd class. I have evidence that the Brazos Valley between Waco and Fort Worth was settled by Native Americans 13,000 years ago. ( See Bosque Man). And that is why I say History needs no revision to be interesting. All of the above is my opinion. Im nothing but a Cowboy who likes to read but Ill eat my Hat if anyone can disprove the Above. SAVE OUR SHAWNEE!
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 03:22:27 +0000
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