Know Your History!

The cattle that were driven up the
trail served several purposes,
and not all purposes were
benevolent. They meant profit and
opportunity, but also geared up
the movement to rid the West of
the buffalo and therefore drive the
Indian to extinction.
A Range Recipe
Sourdough biscuits were
staples of the chuck wagon. So
if you want to try to make your
own the way the cowboys did,
feel free to try this recipe.

You'll need to make your own
yeast first. This is called the
"starter."
1. Boil 2 medium potatoes, cut
up, in 3 cups of water until
tender - or boil the skins of 4
medium potatoes.
2. Take out the potatoes and
drain off about a cup of water.
3. In a mason jar, mix the
remaining potato water with 2
cups of flour and 2
tablespoons of sugar. Cover
the jar with a lid or cloth, then
keep in a warm place.
4. Ferment for about 2 days,
stirring daily and praying for
bubbles in the mixture (that'll
tell you that the yeast is living)
5. Keep the jar for as long as
you want, but once a week add
2 cups of flour and 2 cups of
water, otherwise the yeast will
die. Also, always keep a cup of
mixture in the jar, or you won't
have any yeast left.

To make the biscuits:
1. Combine half a cup of starter
with 1 cup of milk in a glass
bowl, then let it sit overnight.
2. Add 1 tsp of baking powder,
3/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of baking
soda, ½ cup of flour. Stir it
lightly, then knead it. Don't
knead it too much, or the
biscuits will be tough. Just
enough to make a sturdy lump.
3. Pinch some dough off or roll
it (not too thin) and cut out
rounds with a jelly glass.
Grease a pan and put the
biscuits close together in a 350
degree oven until they become
a light golden brown.
4. They should be flaky and
light, or you did something
wrong. Just don't blame the
recipe!
End of the Trail marker in Abilene, Kansas
Retracing the Trail
The Chisholm Trail can be retraced on US Highway 81. The original trail runs a mile or five west of
the road, and large swaths of land, cut by the hooves of the longhorn, can still be seen in several
parts of Oklahoma. We'll start in Fort Worth, where the feeder trails merged to form one big push
into Indian Territory. The longest feeder trail extended into Brownsville at the delta of the Rio Grande.

Texas Sites
FORT WORTH: Fort Worth is truly a showplace for southwestern culture, yet it still proudly holds onto
its cow town reputation. The Stockyards, north of downtown, holds daily cattle drives complete with
official longhorns and cowboys. Although used during the Chisholm Trail days as a hold over for the
cattle before the journey northward, the Stockyards are now a remnant of a later past, when the
Armour and Swift processing plants were in high gear. The holding pens, some converted into
shops, are still in good condition; the excursion train Tarantula takes tourists to Grapevine for a
stroll; and a cool museum is housed in the Exchange Building. The area is pretty touristy, and many
foreign visitors
come to get an authentic feel for the Wild West.  The stockyards also host the Chisholm Trail
Roundup in June. In downtown, make sure to visit Sundance Square, with its grand mural of the
Chisholm Trail - this was once known as Hell's Half Acre, where the cowboys would let loose one
last time before heading north. For more information, visit fortworth.com or call the Convention and
Visitor's Bureau at 800-433-5747.

DECATUR: A charming city where patron and rancher
Waggoner left his indelible mark. The Baptist College
building (oldest junior college in the nation) is now the
Wise County Heritage Museum. A very interesting Tourist
Camp dating from the 1920s lies on Business 81. Call the
Chamber of Commerce at 940-627-3107 or visit
decaturtx.org for more information.

RED RIVER STATION: This is where the cattle crossed the
Red River into Indian Territory. There used to be a saloon
and a blacksmith shop - now there's nothing save for a
historical marker. The crossing is located on private land,
but is accessible from Red River Station Road off of FM 2849.
The river isn't visible from the site anymore, thanks to shifting
sandbanks - but when it was there, thousands of cattle
crossed at one time, allowing a (fearless) cowboy to walk
on the backs of the cattle and never get his feet wet.


SPANISH FORT: On FM 103, north of US 82. A few miles to the east from Red River Station, Spanish
Fort, now a ghost town, was once a bustling place where cowboys could rest up, buy supplies, and
even have their boots mended by H.J. Justin.

Oklahoma Sites
FLEETWOOD: About 5 miles down Main Street in Terral on US 8. This town was established a few
years after the first crossing, where a trading post was set up. It was the first place of reference in
Indian Territory before the long, isolated walk ahead. The old store has been replaced by a newer
structure, which is now abandoned.

WAURIKA: Right off US 81 and US 70 you'll find the Chisholm Trail Museum, an interpretive museum
with some original artifacts. It's opened only on weekends from 10a-4p, and is closed the first
Sunday of the month and on any holiday that falls on a weekend. Call the Chamber of Commerce at
580-228-2081 to find out more.

ADDINGTON: Check out the mural on the side of a downtown building. On Eva Road (north of
downtown, turn east), Monument Hill beckons. This is the largest hill for miles around, and served as
a camp site and look out for cowboys on the trail. The monument, carved from beautiful red granite,
tells the history of the trail on the four sides of its base. The grave of trail driver Tom Latimore (died
1944) lies in the southeast corner. Standing on this hill, overlooking the vast Plains on all sides, one
can truly visualize the immense undertaking of the Chisholm Trail.

DUNCAN: This city is very proud of its Chisholm Trail heritage. In April - May it hosts Chisholm Trail
Days and Rodeo, and the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center (1000 N 29th Street), a state-of-the-art
interpretive center, is open daily. It is also home to the On the Chisholm Trail Association and a world
class statue by Paul Moore showing a cattle drive. Also visit Stephens County Museum on US 81.
Downtown commemorates several of its great citizens, including actor/ director Ron Howard (Opie!)
Contact the Duncan Convention and Tourism Bureau at 800-782-7167 or duncanok.org.

EL RENO: On US 81 and historic US 66, northwest of Oklahoma City. Visit the Canadian County
Museum in the train depot. This is also close to the site where Jesse Chisholm is buried. His grave is
located near the northern county line by Greenfield and Geary (take I 40 west to US 270/281 north).
His tombstone reads, "No one left his home cold or hungry." The Chamber of Commerce can tell you
more. Call 405-262-1188.

KINGFISHER: This town is very proud of its Chisholm Trail heritage. The Chisholm Trail Museum is
located directly on the trail and displays many everyday cowboy artifacts. Visit the open-air
museum, a tribute to homesteading, and also see the Seay Mansion, home of the 2nd territorial
governor. Call Chamber of Commerce at 405-375-4445.

DOVER: Little Dover used to be the Red Fort Station, a shipping point for cattle on the trail.

ENID: Enid was voted one of the best cities in America to live. It definitely is one of Oklahoma's most
history-minded towns. The Humphrey Heritage Village depicts life during the land rush. In nearby
Aline (US 60/412 west to OK 8/58 south) the only sod house left in the Southwest is on display. The
Cherokee Strip Museum focuses on the land rush. The Chamber of Commerce can direct you at
either enidchamber.com or 580-237-2494.

JEFFERSON: Visit the Medford Homesteader Monument by the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River.

Kansas Sites
CALDWELL: You'll see silouhettes of cowboys and
longhorn as soon as you enter into Kansas - check them
out as you read the historical marker. This small town
was called the "Border Queen" and was the first piece
of American civilization that the cowboys encountered
in the early years. Later, Caldwell was a rail stop. The
city hosts a Chisholm Trail Festival in early May. Call
the Chamber of Commerce at (620) 845-6666 or
visit caldwellkansas.com.

WICHITA: Apart from Fort Worth, Wichita's the biggest
city on the trail and has tons to offer for its visitors.
The city has collected its Chisholm Trail memories
in the Old Cowtown Museum, an open air museum depicting life during the cattle drives. Call the
Tourist Bureau at 800-288-9424 or go to visitwichita.com for more information.

ABILENE:  Abilene is the "final destination" for the cows on the Chisholm Trail. There's a Chisholm
Trail Festival and the Old Abilene Town and Museum, complete with entertaining gun fights.
President Eisenhower and his family are buried on the grounds of his house, which is open for tours.
Call the Visitor's Bureau at 800-569-5915 or go to abileneks.com.  
Suggested Reading
I waded through tons of
reading material to bring you
the most accurate information
possible about the Chisholm
Trail.

I found discrepancies
regarding the actual time span
of the Chisholm Trail, the
number of cattle that crossed
the Red River (anywhere from
260,00 to one million have been
estimated), and the authentic
towns on the route.

You'll notice that many of the
original sites are now only
ghost towns, and some don't
even have enough artifacts left
to be called ghost towns. A lot
of the trail is paved over,
plowed over, planted with trees
- but in certain spots the deep
grooves left by the cattle are
still visible, and seeing them
can give chills to a history nut.   
Here are the books that I've
read and recommend:

The Chisholm Trail by Wayne
Gard. This is the most
authoritative book about the
trail, with historical anecdotes
and written in a very easy style.

Jesse Chisholm: Trail Blazer,
Sam Houston's
Trouble-Shooter Friend, Kin to
the Cherokee by Ralph B.
Cushman. This biography
focuses on Chisholm's career
as a peacemaker between the
Comanche and the US.

Storm & Stampede on the
Chisholm Trail by Hubert E.
Collins; Warpath & Cattle Trail
by Hubert E. Collins, William W.
Savage, and James H. Lazalier
(newer edition of Storm &
Stampede). This book is a
collection of memories by the
author about ranching days in
Oklahoma.

Chisholm Trail and Other
Routes by T.U. Taylor.
Published in 1936, this is one
of the earliest accounts of the
trail.

The Chisholm Trail: High Road
of the Cattle Kingdom by Don
Worcester. A good essay
published for the Fort Worth
Historical Society.

A Bride on the Old Chisholm
Trail in 1886 by Mary Taylor
Bunton. Memories of a Wild
West pioneer, published in
1939.
The trail today by Addington, Oklahoma
Be sure to pick up my
comprehensive travel guide to the
famous trail,
Traveling History: Driving Up the
Cattle Trails, coming soon!
Grave of trail driver at Addington Monument
A Chisholm Trail drive. From the Library of Congress.
Retracing the Chisholm Trail
Trees planted as a shelter belt near Red River
Station, Texas.