Chisholm Trail Crossing - El Reno, Oklahoma - Wagon Roads and Trails on Waymarking.com

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Chisholm Trail Crossing - El Reno, Oklahoma

in Wagon Roads and Trails

Posted by:  Outspoken1

Assisted by:  blakelylaw580

14S E 593909 N 3932111

The western portion of the Chisholm Trail ran through El Reno, Oklahoma. This is one of many markers marking its path.

This marker is found at the NW corner of Legion Park in El Reno, OK. It commerates part of the Chisholm Trail that is now incorporated into El Reno.

Interesting facts about the Chisholm Trail:

1. It was actually known as Jesse Chisholm's Trail during his life and did not get its modern moniker till after his death.

2. Jesse Chisholm never took part in a cattle drive along the trail named after him! Jesse Chisholm was a store owner near modern-day Duncan, Oklahoma. The trail was named after him because it followed the route his supply wagons took.

3. In central Oklahoma, the trail had an eastern and western section. The eastern part was followed by cattle and went through Yukon. The western part took an easier Canadian River crossing and went through El Reno. It was typically followed by wagons.

4. Although many, notably Texans, try to trace the trail in Texas, it never truly existed down there. The Texas portion consisted of a number of short feeder trails which all came together at the Red River crossing into Oklahoma. It was on the Oklahoma side of the river that the official trail existed.

5. To follow the trail, drive along US 81. If you find and follow the older portions of the road instead of the modern ones, you can easily imagine the landscape seen by the longhorn and cowboys. This waymark is located in a much more urban setting, on the northwest corner of W. Pine and S. Keith Ave. in El Reno.

To learn more, one of the best sites is "Along the Chisholm Trail:" (visit link)

Road of Trail Name: Chisholm Trail State: Oklahoma County: Canadian Historical Significance: Movement of cattle to the railroad yard in Kansas to fetch higher prices than ranchers would get in the west. Goods traveled back to the ranching areas in Texas and Oklahoma along the return trip. It is estimated that 5,000,000 head of Texas cattle to reach Kansas over the Chisholm Trail. The trail was in use from 1867 to roughly 1887. Years in use: 20 How you discovered it: This was an uncategorized Waymark, but does honor an old cattle trail. Being from Colorado, cattle trails loom large in western US history. Book on Wagon Road or Trial: "The Chisholm Trail" by Wayne Gard (http://www.amazon.com/The-Chisholm-Trail-Wayne-Gard/dp/080611536X ) Website Explination: http://www.thechisholmtrail.com/; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chisholm_Trail Why?: "By 1853, Texas cattle were being driven into Missouri, where local farmers began blocking herds and turning them back because the Texas longhorns carried ticks that caused diseases in other types of cattle. Violence, vigilante groups, and cattle rustling caused further problems for the drivers. By 1859, the driving of cattle was outlawed in many Missouri jurisdictions. By the end of the Civil War, most cattle were being moved up the western branch of trail at Red River Station in Montague County, Texas. In 1866, cattle in Texas were worth only $4 per head, compared to over $40 per head in the North and East, because lack of market access during the American Civil War had led to increasing number of cattle in Texas. In 1867, Joseph G. McCoy built stockyards in Abilene, Kansas. He encouraged Texas cattlemen to drive their herds to his stockyards. The stockyards shipped 35,000 head that year and became the largest stockyards west of Kansas City, Kansas. That same year, O. W. Wheeler answered McCoy's call, and he along with partners used the Chisholm Trail to bring a herd of 2,400 steers from Texas to Abilene. This herd was the first of an estimated 5,000,000 head of Texas cattle to reach Kansas over the Chisholm Trail." (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chisholm_Trail ) Directions: Intersection of W. Pine Street and S. Keith Ave. at the NW corner of Legion Park in El Reno, OK, USA.

Visit Instructions:
To post a log for this Waymark the poster must have a picture of either themselves, GPSr, or mascot. People in the picture with information about the waymark are preferred. If the waymarker can not be in the picture a picture of their GPSr or mascot will qualify. There are no exceptions to this rule.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/08/2015 hamquilter visited it 05/25/2013 blakelylaw580 wrote comment for it 10/16/2012 Max and 99 visited it 10/16/2012 Max and 99 wrote comment for it 05/26/2012 blakelylaw580 visited it

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