Kansas hosts Chisholm trail cattle drive

Head’em up and move-em out. From September 10 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 cattle will be driven up the Historic Chisholm Trail from the Red River of Texas through Oklahoma to the end of the trail town of Caldwell, Kansas.

It was in 1867 that the first herd of Texas longhorn cattle was driven up the trail that was to be known as Chisholm’s Trail. Millions of longhorn cattle, thousands of horses driven by Texas cowboys and their chuck wagons, traveled that trail until about 1885. It’s American heritage, the birth of the American icon, the cowboy, and the start of the cattle industry, as we know it today.

Following in the footsteps of the cowboys in 1867, a hand full of drovers will bring the herd up the trail with the chuck wagon in the lead, headed for the rail head of Kansas. They will round‘em up and leave the Red River on September 10th traveling the trail to Fort Reno on September 22nd for a big Oklahoma Centennial Celebration. They will then head to the railhead for a big end of the Trail Celebration on October 5th in Caldwell, KS celebrating the 140th Anniversary of the Chisholm Trail.

The drive has been broken down into weekly sections. The cattle will be driven for a period of five days and then rest on the weekends. The drive will cover approximately twelve miles each day, sticking to the original Chisholm Trail as much as possible, Twenty-five drovers, two cooks and six wagon drivers will be on the drive arriving in Caldwell October 5th.

For more information on the Chisholm Trail Cattle Drive visit Cattledrive2007.com.

For more information on the Oklahoma Centennial Celebrations visit Oklahomacentennial.com.