End of the Texas Trail - Ogallala, Nebraska
Posted by: 
gparkes
N 41° 07.608 W 101° 43.163
14T E 271722 N 4556397
This series of markers called the "Historic Walk of Fame," are located throughout the city. A brochure that can be obtained at the visitors center on Spruce Street will give the visitor a nice tour of the markers and the town.
Waymark Code: WM856B
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 01/30/2010
Views: 8
Marker text states:
End of the Texas Trail
1875 – 1885
An etching of Ogallala appeared in an 1878 issue of American Agriculturalist magazine, depicting the town as the terminus of Texas cattle drives. It shows cattle being driven up the trail, across the South Platte River, and into Union Pacific cattle pens. Trains then carried the cattle to markets in the East, or ranches in the West. Some herds were also trailed north to provide beef for Indian reservations.
The cattle drives had amajor impact on Ogallala’s early history and growth. Their legacy is recalled by “Long Horns,” an art-deco style mural in the Ogallala post office. The painting, by artist Frank Mechau, was commissioned in 1938 by the U.S. Treasury’s Section of Painting and Sculpture, and funded by the Works Progress Administration. Although the painting depicts a Caucasian cowboy, two of every seven were African-American or Hispanic.