DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the cattle drives out of South Texas. Now settle in, because this story starts with a problem — and ends with four million head of cattle and a continent reshaped. By 1840, tens of thousands of wild longhorns roamed the vast stretch of South Texas between the Rio Grande and the Gulf of Mexico.
Tens of thousands. Just out there, free as the wind, and worth almost nothing to the Texans who looked out at them every morning. That right there is a fortune hiding in plain sight, and the question was simply: how do you get it somewhere that wants it?
Well, in 1842, somebody decided to find out. Small herds started movin' — first to New Orleans, then up to Missouri. Then Edward Piper, in 1846, took a thousand head all the way to Ohio.
Ohio. Think about that drive for a moment, because the marker doesn't tell you how it went, only that it happened — and that alone says something about Edward Piper's particular brand of determination. By 1850, they were pushing herds west to California.
By 1856, a herd had reached Chicago. During that same stretch, cattle were being loaded onto boats bound for New Orleans and Havana, Cuba — though the marker is careful to note those voyages returned little or no profit. The sea, it turns out, was not the answer.
But here's the thing that ought to stop you cold. All that drivin', all those cattle leaving South Texas in every direction — and the herd kept growin'. Over three and a half million head were present in 1860.
The land was practically manufacturin' longhorns. Several thousand cattle were delivered to the Confederacy during the early years of the Civil War, and yet it was not until that conflict ended that cattle drives finally, genuinely became profitable. And when they did, everything changed.
Industrialization and urbanization in the northern United States had built up a hunger — a real, massive, market-sized hunger — for beef. And the railroads were pushin' west, giving that beef a road to ride. Right here, in this vicinity, several feeder trails ran north from South Texas, connecting to the Chisholm Trail and the Dodge City Trail, threading up toward the Kansas railheads where the money was waiting.
The trails out of this country weren't the end of the journey. They were the beginning of it. And by 1880, four million head had been driven to market, and Texas cattle had spread throughout the west.
Four million head. Started with longhorns nobody wanted, worth almost nothing — and ended up stocking a continent.
What the marker says
By 1840, tens of thousands of wild cattle roamed this vast south Texas region between the Rio Grande and the Gulf of Mexico. The longhorns were almost worthless to Texans, so in 1842, extended cattle drives began with small herds driven to New Orleans and Missouri. Edward Piper, in 1846, drove 1,000 head to Ohio. By 1850 drives began to California and in 1856, a herd was driven to Chicago. During the same period, bovines were shipped by boat to New Orleans and Havana, Cuba, but with little or no profit. The number of cattle driven out of south Texas did not diminish the growing cattle population, as over 3.5 million head were present in 1860. Several thousand cattle were delivered to the Confederacy during the early years of the Civil War, but not until the conflict ended did cattle drives become profitable. Industrialization and urbanization of the northern U.S. created a huge market, and the westward expansion of railroads provided the means of transportation. In this vicinity, several "feeder" trails led north to connect with the Chisholm and Dodge City trails to the Kansas railheads. By 1880, four million head had been driven to market, and Texas cattle had spread throughout the west. (1973)