DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Shawnee Cattle Trail, out in Ellis County, Texas. Now settle in, because this is a story about the trail that started it all. Before the Chisholm, before the Great Western, before the Goodnight-Loving — there was the Shawnee.
The first north-south cattle trail out of Texas, and the one that reached farthest east of the four great cattle-driving trails. In use from approximately 1850 to 1873, the Shawnee Trail was the original road north, and it ran right through the heart of Ellis County on its way to the markets of Missouri. It crossed the Brazos River at Waco, the Trinity River at Dallas, and the Red River up at Preston.
That's a lot of crossings, a lot of miles, and a lot of longhorns. Now why did the trail come this way? Well, Ellis County sits inside the Blackland Prairie.
Out in the central corridor, the terrain shifted from gently rolling to just about flat — and if you've ever tried to push a herd of stubborn cattle over rough ground, you understand exactly why drovers loved that. In the 19th century, the prairie offered an abundance of forage and water, which meant the animals stayed fed and watered, and the drives kept moving. Waxahachie, the Ellis County seat, was created in 1850, and it served as a supply stop right along the trail.
Drovers rolled through, stocked up, and pushed on. Sounds like a smooth operation, doesn't it? Here's where the trail gets complicated.
By 1855, something was moving up the trail alongside those cattle. An epidemic — Texas fever, also called tick fever — began to pass from unaffected Texas cattle to the northern herds. It ravaged cattle and enraged local stockmen something fierce.
And yet, the drives continued. Then came the Civil War. Between 1861 and 1865, the cattle drives were all but discontinued — shut down by the conflict itself and by laws that regulated infected Texas cattle.
For nearly five years, the trail went quiet. But trails have a way of coming back. When the drives resumed, a famed cattle baron by the name of Joseph Geiting McCoy first used the Chisholm Trail in 1867.
That trail followed the Shawnee through Waco, then swung west through Fort Worth — a different path, a different destiny. The Chisholm eventually became the major route for Texas cattle, the name that history would remember loudest. But here's the thing: drives up the Shawnee Trail continued all the way through 1873.
The trail that started it all didn't go quietly. It just let the others take the glory.
What the marker says
In use from approximately 1850 to 1873, the Shawnee Cattle Trail was the first north-south cattle trail and reached the farthest east of the four great cattle-driving Trails from Texas to the northern markets. These included the Shawnee, Chisholm, Great Western and Goodnight-Loving trails. The Shawnee Trail passed through western Ellis County crossing the Brazos River at Waco, the Trinity River at Dallas and the Red River at Preston en route to Missouri. The trail was well-suited for cattle drives as Ellis County is situated within the Blackland Prairie. The prairie transitioned from gently rolling terrain to level ground in the central corridor, which provided an easy pathway for cattle transport. In the 19th century, the prairie provided an abundance of forage and water, which ensured safe passage for their journey north. Waxahachie, the Ellis County seat, was created in 1850 and was a supply stop on the trail. However, by 1855, an epidemic of Texas fever, also called tick fever, began to pass from unaffected Texas cattle to northern cattle. The fever ravaged cattle and enraged local stockmen, but the drives continued. Between 1861 and 1865, the cattle drives were all but discontinued due to the outbreak of the Civil War and laws that regulated infected Texas cattle. Famed cattle baron Joseph Geiting McCoy first used the Chisholm Trail in 1867, which followed the Shawnee Trail through Waco but then travelled west through Fort Worth. Although the Chisholm trail eventually became the major route for Texas cattle, drives up the Shawnee trail continued through 1873.