DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Great Western Cattle Trail in Kerr County. Now settle in, because this one covers some ground — more than two thousand miles of it, in fact. In 1874, a rancher by the name of John T.
Lytle founded what would become the Great Western Cattle Trail. You might know it by one of its other names — the Western Trail, the Dodge City Trail, the Fort Griffin Trail — but whatever you called it, it was the primary route through which cattle moved to northern U.S. markets. Two thousand miles, stretching all the way from Texas up to Canada.
And every year it was in operation, hundreds of thousands of heads of cattle walked that ground. Hundreds of thousands. Every year.
Now you start to get a sense of the scale of the thing. The trail entered Kerr County at Bandera Pass, then followed what was the old road — running right along what is now State Highway 173 — through Camp Verde and Verde Pass, until it crossed the Guadalupe River at Kerrville. Kerrville wasn't just a waypoint, either.
It became a center for trail outfitters and contractors. The hub of that activity was the Charles A. Schreiner Mercantile, and cattle pens operated near McFarland Street above Town Creek.
After Kerrville, the trail followed Town Creek north along what is now Harper Road, then climbed out of the county heading north over the Peril Divide. That same year Lytle founded the trail — 1874 — Charles A. Schreiner of Kerrville and a man named John W.
Light joined Lytle's cattle business. The firm operated out of two locations: Lytle, down in Atascosa County, and right here in Kerrville. Then in 1887, Schreiner bought full control of the firm.
Now Schreiner was no ordinary businessman. He was politically and financially instrumental to Kerrville — investing in local banking and mercantile ventures and serving as a philanthropist in the community. The man left his mark on this place in ways that outlasted the trail itself.
And that trail did end. By 1886, it was no longer used as a cattle trail. Overgrazing had worn down the grasslands.
Railroads had extended their reach. The open range was being fenced in. And there was simply an oversupply of cattle.
Those were among the factors that led to the demise of the cattle drives — and with them, the Great Western Trail. But here's the thing about a trail that stretched two thousand miles and moved hundreds of thousands of cattle a year: it doesn't just disappear from memory because the drives stopped. The Great Western Trail shaped the culture and history of Kerr County, of Texas, and of the nation at large.
Two thousand miles of hoofbeats — you don't just forget that.
What the marker says
In 1874, rancher John T. Lytle founded the Great Western Cattle Trail, which became the primary route through which cattle came to northern U.S. markets. The route, also known as the Western Trail, the Dodge City Trail and the Fort Griffin Trail, was over 2,000 miles long, extending from Texas to Canada. During its existence, hundreds of thousands of heads of cattle passed over the trail each year. It entered Kerr County at Bandera Pass, followed the old road (now State Highway 173) through Camp Verde and Verde Pass, crossing the Guadalupe River at Kerrville. Kerrville became a center for trail outfitters and contractors, mostly at the Charles A. Schreiner Mercantile, while cattle pens operated near McFarland Street above Town Creek. The trail then followed Town Creek north along what is now Harper Road and departed the county north over the Peril Divide. In 1874, Charles A. Schreiner of Kerrville and John W. Light joined Lytle's cattle business; they operated their firm out of Lytle (Atascosa Co.) and Kerrville. In 1887, Schreiner bought full control of the firm. Schreiner was politically and financially instrumental to Kerrville; he invested in local banking and mercantile ventures, and was a philanthropist in the community. By 1886, the route was no longer used as a cattle trail. The overgrazing of grasslands, extension of railroads, fencing in of the open range and oversupply of cattle were among the factors that led to the demise of cattle drives. However, the Great Western Trail continues to be remembered as a significant development that shaped the culture and history of Kerr County, and of Texas and the nation at large. (2009)