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During the latter half of the 19th century, Texas cattlemen were confronted with a formidable task. As their herds grew and settlements advanced westward, they were compelled to constantly seek new paths to guide their cattle to northern markets. The Shawnee Trail, the first to become impassable, was succeeded by the Chisholm Trail. In 1874, John T. Lytle, a true pioneer, forged a new route beyond the western frontier, spanning from the grazing ranges of Texas to Fort Robinson, Nebraska. When the U.S. Army effectively ended the Red River War in early 1875, driving the Comanche and Kiowa onto a reservation, Lytle's trail became the most popular route to the railheads in Kansas and Nebraska. It remained the most utilized until the cattle trailing industry ceased in the 1890s.
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The Western Trail, a pivotal component of the cattle-driving industry, was also known as the Dodge City Trail or the Texas Trail. It originated in the hill country of Texas near present-day Kerrville, where numerous minor trails converged. During the 1880s, the drives frequently passed by Dodge City, heading to Ogallala, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Some herds even journeyed to Canada. The Western Trail was paramount in transporting over nine million longhorns, of which 75,000 head of cattle were shipped out of Dodge City annually from 1875 through 1885. These significant events underscored the trail’s monumental historical significance, leaving a profound mark on the American West.
Once a bustling thoroughfare, the Western Trail witnessed significant traffic until 1891, when it experienced a dramatic downturn. The last recorded herd to use the trail was in 1897, originating from the XIT ranch, the largest ranch in the world under the fence, in the Texas Panhandle. This was a poignant moment, symbolizing the end of an era. By the turn of the 20th century, the cattle-driving industry had ground to a halt, and with it, the Western Trail faded into the pages of history.
Once a bustling thoroughfare, the Western Trail witnessed significant traffic until 1891, when it experienced a dramatic downturn. The last recorded herd to use the trail was in 1897, originating from the XIT ranch, the largest ranch in the world under the fence, in the Texas Panhandle. This was a poignant moment, symbolizing the end of an era. By the turn of the 20th century, the cattle-driving industry had ground to a halt, and with it, the Western Trail faded into the pages of history.
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Western Cattle Trail Association Membership Information
You can now apply for WCTA membership online by clicking on the membership application below or print a membership mail-in form by selecting the membership mailing button below. As a member of the WCTA, you open the door to a world of exciting opportunities. Your contribution will help safeguard our heritage for future generations, allowing our children and grandchildren to enjoy the rich history of the WCTA. Each membership is an essential voice for the preservation and education of the Trail. As a member, you will receive periodic newsletters about upcoming events, notifications on new postings on the WCTA Website, historical articles on the Western Cattle Trail, and minutes to the WCTA meetings, keeping you at the forefront of our activities.
The Western Cattle Trail Association deeply appreciates the ongoing support of its members, like you. Your decision to apply for a membership or to renew is a testament to your commitment to our cause. Thank you for being a part of our journey.
The Western Cattle Trail Association deeply appreciates the ongoing support of its members, like you. Your decision to apply for a membership or to renew is a testament to your commitment to our cause. Thank you for being a part of our journey.
Western Cattle Trail Dodge City Chapter Minutes
Kansas House Approves Resolution Honoring Western Trail Anniversary
On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, the Kansas House unanimously approved the resolution commemorating the Western Trail.
Message from the President of the Western Cattle Trail Association:
The Western Cattle Trail Association was established in the fall of 2016 in response to concerns about erroneous information being fed to National Park Service officials about the historic Western Cattle Trail. A group of citizens from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Nebraska came together to forge the Western Cattle Trail Association so as to ensure the legacy of this national heritage trail was remembered and interpreted accurately and to protect and preserve its stories across the nine United States the historic trail traversed. Moreover, the WCTA adamantly promotes historical truth based on research of historic sources over fiction, myth, and political correctness. The WCTA feels strongly that only by upholding true stories will visitors to the trail worldwide connect, collaborate, and engage with all parts of the Western Cattle Trail's history.
Michael Grauer
Michael Grauer
Letter to: Senator Moran
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Dear Senator Moran et al:
Thank you for your work on the legislation to designate the Chisholm and Western Cattle Trails as National Historic Trails. We also appreciate your attention to ameliorating the concerns of landowners facing property usurpation in regions where the trails pass. We understand that there are parties who feel the Western Cattle Trail should have the ahistorical adjective "great" attached to its National Heritage Trails designation. The Western Cattle Trail Association's mission is to protect and preserve the Western Cattle Trail and to accurately promote awareness of its historical legacy* across the nine states the history trail traversed. To that end, the WCTA relies on the extensive and unparalleled research and publications on the Western Trail by Margaret and Gary Kraisinger, whose two large volumes on the Western Trail set the standard for cattle trail research worldwide. Their decades of research reveal that not only was the adjective "great "never used by drovers or cattlemen during the trail driving period (1866-1890), it was never called "great" during the Wester Trail's primary use period (1874-1884). Moreover, only the Kraisingers have pinpointed the single instance where the adjective "great" was used by a scholar: A master's thesis submitted to Texas Technological College by Jimmy Skaggs in 1965, "The Great Western Cattle Trail to Dodge City, Kansas." Dr. Skaggs later taught economies and chaired the American Studies department at Wichita State. He never again used the adjective "great" in his numerous publications on the Western Cattle Trail and trail driving, including his seminal 1973 study The Cattle-Trailing Industry: Between Supply and Demand, 1856-1890, published by the University Press of Kansas. Clearly, to use the adjective "great" in the designation of the historic Western Cattle Trail would be to promote an error and a myth. The National Park Service has done its due diligence in separating the wheat (truth and fact) from the chaff (hyperbole and fiction). The Western Cattle Trail Association appreciates your support of the National Park Service study, which recommends using the names Chisholm and Western Trail. |
The two major cattle trails used after the Civil War were the Eastern/Chisholm and the Western. For years cowboys, historians, and the general public have confused the two trails' location and names. Trail drivers on the Eastern/Chisholm Trail crossed the Red River at Red River Station and went to the eastern Kansas railheads and sometimes on north to the Platte River in Nebraska (1867 to 1876). Trail drivers following the Western Cattle Trail crossed at Doan's Crossing on the Red River and trailed to Dodge City, Kansas and beyond as far north as the Canadian Border.
It lasted approximately twelve seasons (1874 to 1886). (Map Created By Gary Kraisinger)
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Respectfully,
Michael R. Grauer, President, Wester Cattle Trail Association, Dodge City, Kansas Board Member, Chisholm Trail Association, Abilene, Kansas Board Member, National Drovers Hall of Fame, Ellsworth, Kansas Board Member, Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame, Dodge City, Kansas Executive Committee, Westerners International Home Ranch, Canyon, Texas McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
Michael R. Grauer, President, Wester Cattle Trail Association, Dodge City, Kansas Board Member, Chisholm Trail Association, Abilene, Kansas Board Member, National Drovers Hall of Fame, Ellsworth, Kansas Board Member, Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame, Dodge City, Kansas Executive Committee, Westerners International Home Ranch, Canyon, Texas McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
Board of DirectorsMichael Grauer: National President
Joel Herndon: President Dodge City Chapter Keith Wondera: Vice President Dodge City Chapter Mary Hendrix: Secretary Dodge City Chapter Joel Herndon: Treasurer Dodge City Chapter Ron Wilson: Legislative Representative Gary and Margaret Kraisinger: Historians |
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