[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 26, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H6974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CHISHOLM TRAIL ROUND-UP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas, Mr. Pete Geren is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PETE GEREN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, over 100 years ago, the last 
great herd of longhorns made its way from the grasslands of South Texas 
to the railhead in Abilene, Kansas, along the Chisholm Trail. The 
settlements dotting the trail grew into towns, and a few, like Forth 
Worth, became great cities. For 20 years, Fort Worth has set aside 3 
days to remember and recognize the heritage of the Chisholm Trail. From 
June 21 to 23, the Chisholm Trail Round-Up was celebrated in Fort 
Worth's historic Stockyards District, benefitting western heritage 
organizations and keeping alive the knowledge of the way our ancestors 
lived their day-to-day lives.
  The festival is a combination of fund, food, and friendly 
competition, and a time to reflect on an era that is part of the 
heritage of our Nation, who we are, no matter where we call home.
  An estimated 25,000 to 35,000 men trailed 6 to 10 million head of 
cattle and a million horses between the end of the Civil War and the 
turn of the century along the Chisholm Trail. Many of the cattle were 
destined for shipment to the beef packing houses and butcher stalls of 
the industrial midwest and northeast; other herds supplied Indian 
reservations and military outposts.
  Contrary to the moviemaker's image of the romantic cowboy, riding 
under the stars and singing around the campfire, the Chisholm Trail 
promised danger, drudgery, loneliness, and hardship. Years later, 
memories of raging rivers, stampedes and sudden violence would stir the 
blood of the older and wiser former cowboys when they clustered 
together at old settlers' days and country fairs, recounting days that 
would never pass again.
  They came from all over the United States, and even from Germany, 
Poland, and France. These cowboys weren't paid much: $30-40 per month 
if times were good, which wasn't often. Most of them were young. C.K. 
Ackerman, who hailed from the Texas plains, remembered his first drive 
to Kansas, which was in 1873. The oldest man in the crew was 25, while 
the rest ranged between 18 and 22. Some didn't even wait that long to 
hit the trail. A.D. McGeenhee drove from Belton to Abilene in 1868 at 
the ripe old age of 11.
  One-third of the men who went up the trail were black or Hispanic. 
Even about 20 women took the trail--and 1, Sallie M. Redus, took her 
baby along.
  The Chisholm Trail did not offer riches to the cowboys, but many went 
on the fame and fortune after their cowboy days came to an end. Several 
transferred their skills and experience to the Fort Worth Stockyards, 
where they became commission merchants and livestock shipping agents 
for the railroads. E.L. Brouson quit the trail in the 1880's, acquired 
a small herd of his own and got rich and went broke so many times that 
eventually he lost count. J.B. Pumphrey and George Hindes became 
financiers. S.H. Woods served as Duval County judge from 1896 to 1915. 
Others went on to hold public offices like district attorney, county 
commissioner, sheriff, marshal, postmaster, city councilman, and even 
Texas Rangers.
  No matter what their later fate, the cowboys who went up the Chisholm 
Trail left an indelible imprint on our history. A journalist at the end 
of the era wrote, ``The cowboy was generous, brave, and ever ready to 
alleviate personal suffering, sharing his last crust, his blanket, and 
often more important, his canteen. He spent his wages freely and not 
always wisely, and many became easy prey to gambling and other low 
resorts. But some among them became leading men in law, art, and 
scient--even in theology, proving again that it is not in the vocation 
but in the man that causes him to blossom and bring a fruitage of 
goodness, honor and godly living.''
  The Chisholm Trail Round-Up is a heart-felt celebration of this 
spirit, and a tribute to the men and women who together forged a new 
way of life on the American frontier.

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