Volume 9 , Issue 40

OkieLegacy Centennial Moment

Our OkieLegacy Centennial Moment this week is history of the Chisholm Trail and its 140 year anniversary. "Head 'em up and move-em out."

From September 10th to October 5, 2007, the Chisholm Trail Cattle Drive, in commemoration of Oklahoma's Centennial and the 140th Anniversary of the Chisholm Trail, 450 head of longhorn cattle were driven up the historic Chisholm Trail from the Red River of Texas through Oklahoma to the end of the trail town of Caldwell, Kansas. During their trek across Oklahoma a few head of longhorns were left at towns along the route... from what others have told this NW Okie.

Wednesday of this week Medford, Oklahoma was just one of many towns across Oklahoma that got to catch a glimpse of the longhorns that made the trip up the old Chisholm trail along highway 81. This NW Okie missed the Medford siting, but heard from others that it was a sight to see. Did anyone out there get to witness this 140th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail through Oklahoma from Texas to Kansas?

We did some online research for Chisholm Trail history and put some links in the mailbag section below. If you multiply those 450 head of longhorns they started out with by 10 -- add a few cattle rustlers, restless indian tribes -- less highways & roads -- more prairies, you will get a realistic version of what the real drovers went through 140 years ago.

Here is a link to the Cattle Drive 2007 that was planned in conjunction with Oklahoma's Centennial Celebration

The cattle drive began September 10th and traveled the old trail to Fort Reno on September 22nd for a big Oklahoma Centennial Celebration. Then it was on to the rail head for a big end of the Trail Celebration on October 5th, Friday in Caldwell, Kansas for the celebration of the 140th Anniversary of the Chisholm Trail.

There was a branch off of the Old Chisholm Trail that headed northwest from around the Enid area towards Dodge City and ran near, through Waynoka, Fairvalley and Freedom area in northwest Oklahoma. I believe that branch was called the "Dodge City branch."

If I remember correctly, Darrell Eden once told me awhile back when I was working on the Fairvalley history and attending one of Fairvalley's reunions there in Freedom, Oklahoma, that as the story goes a balck chuck wagon cook had died and requested to be buried up on a hill so the cattle and wagons wouldn't run over where he had been buried. Can't remember the cause of the cook's death, but he was buried on the top of a hill just a mile or so East of the town of Fairvalley, Oklahoma on the south side of the road, I think.
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