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Uncovering the Western Cattle Trail: From Hidden Kansas Ruts to Nebraska's Frontier Expansion with Gary and Margaret Kraisinger
How did mysterious ruts on a Kansas ranch lead to an expansive journey uncovering the Western Cattle Trail? Join us as we welcome Gary and Margaret Kraisinger, distinguished researchers with a deep passion for American West history. Starting with a curious find in 1967, the Kraisingers embarked on a relentless quest, piecing together the trail’s forgotten paths and extending its known reach all the way to Oglala, Nebraska. Their groundbreaking work has shed new light on the often-overlooked intricacies of cattle driving and its impact on the American frontier.
We'll explore the post-Civil War evolution of cattle trails and their critical role in shaping the settlement and economic landscape of Kansas and beyond. Learn about the Texas drovers, the strategic significance of Doan’s Crossing, and the bustling trading posts that became lifelines for cattle drivers. Discover how the rise of towns along the railroads transformed the cattle industry and hear about the challenges, legislative changes, and disease outbreaks that ultimately led to the trail's decline. This episode celebrates the dedication and historical contributions of the Kraisingers while offering a rich narrative on one of the most vital chapters in the development of the western United States.
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In March 1874, john T Lytle undertook a challenging journey with 3,500 Texas cattle from Medina County, texas, to the Red Cloud Agency, now known as Fort Robinson in Nebraska. This journey led to the establishment of the Western Trail, a route that quickly became more significant than the Chisholm Trail, revolutionizing the cattle industry From 1874 to 1884,. The Western Trail played a crucial role in expanding and developing the cattle industry, impressively facilitating the transportation of many cattle across four states and into Canada after 1874. Today, we are delighted to welcome Gary and Margaret Kreisinger. In 1967, gary and Margaret Kreisinger embarked on a mission to uncover the historical significance of the Western Cattle Trail, an important route in the history of the American West, of the Western Cattle Trail, an important route in the history of the American West. Through extensive research and detailed mapping. They authored two books documenting the locations and history of the cattle trail system, which operated from 1874 to 1897. Their second book, the Western Cattle Trail 1874-1897, its Rise, collapse and Revival, published in 2015, received recognition with the National Cowboy Hall of Fame's Wrangler Award for Best Nonfiction in 2016 and the Six Shooters Award from the Wild West History Association for Best Book in 2016. Gary and Margaret Kreisinger are alumni of Fort Hayes State University and Emporia State University, with academic backgrounds in history, cartography, english and business. We're thrilled to welcome you to our show.
Speaker 1:The Western Cattle Trail Association has dedicated months to curating an exceptional lineup of presenters for the 150th anniversary of the Western Cattle Trail Conference. Your presentation, the Kreisinger Journey to Researching the Western Cattle Trail, is slated as an engaging and informal discussion that promises to be a highlight of the event. Gary, I'd like to start with you first. What inspired you to do extensive research and detailed mapping documenting the locations and history of the cattle trail system? The story goes that Margaret and you were teaching in Dighton when a rancher approached you to investigate some ruts on his land. Can you share some information about the story and what motivated you from that time to begin your journey of researching and mapping out the cattle trails?
Speaker 2:Well, I was looking for a subject to talk about or to do research on or write a paper and sort of let it around town. And when you're in a small county like Lane County and there's only 1,700 people in the whole county, everybody at the wall is all looking for something. Well, this rancher called me one day and said I've got something I want you to see. So Morgan and I drove out to his ranch it was on the Ness County, lane County line and he said get in my pickup. So we got in there and drove south of his house down to Pasture, and all of a sudden he turned to the left and when he did it shook the whole vehicle, just literally shook it. And then he stopped and said what do you think? I said well, what do you think? He said those ruts are in here. They don't run to my barn, they don't run to my water tank. They were here before I came along and he said I would like to know what they are. I said what do you think they are? He said I think they're like cattle trails. So I don't know.
Speaker 2:I took it kind of, put it in the back of my head, thought about it for a couple days, checked out the Lane County history, checked out the Gold County history, started reading it and found out that there was some mention in there about a cattle trail that came through that part of the country during the early period of those counties, and we started from there and started asking questions. There was very few people who knew anything about it. I got all the information I could out of a local historical book and then we drove down to Dodge because the Kansas City Historical Society had an office down there and we drove down there and talked to him and they said oh no, no, no, no, no. The cattle came up from Texas, stopped here in Dodge. I said well, if that's the case, then how come there's a rut 35 miles northwest of here, going north and south? Well, we weren't very satisfied with the answer. So we drove to the Kansas State Historical Society in Kifita and asked them and they said we're aware that there was a trail out there. We have no idea where its destination was, particularly after dodd city. So he said if you you'll do the research, we'll help you.
Speaker 2:And with that we went back and started asking questions and investigating and I went along the trail trying to figure out where it was. It was very difficult. You I'll explain in a minute. Finally, I got a whole bunch of little notes and things out of magazines and town history and stuff like that. You got to remember there were no cell phones in no internet. I literally had to walk it out. I had to go to ranches, knock on doors and things, went home and was very discouraged.
Speaker 2:But I got a big board and I got some pins and I put all the locations that I'd found where there was either ruts or stories about where this trail might have been. And after I put it on a map and started looking at it I thought, wow, that thing moved. Started looking at it, I thought, wow, that thing moved. And over a course of time we finally figured out it had moved five different times and that was exciting. So our research kind of went along there for a while. I met a state senator in Nebraska. He knew quite a bit about the trail up there and we communicated with each other and finally got enough dots on my map to go to Oglala. And that's where it kind of started and I got excited about it. My grandparents came from Europe. They were hog farmers so I knew nothing about cattle, but it was exciting to me and I took off from there.
Speaker 1:That does sound like quite a bit of legwork. I was thinking that too. This is before drones and satellite imagery and Google Earth. That's quite a bit of work. It was fun. Had you been interested in cattle trails specifically before this, or did that just spark your interest?
Speaker 2:no, I did not. I was not into cattle trails. Most of the history I've taken in college was in in the russian front, in europe and, uh, in early american history and in european history. No, I had had nothing about cattle.
Speaker 1:Sounds like life had a different plan for you. We're glad it did.
Speaker 2:Well, the cattle trail was right under my feet, so I did take interest in it. It was something I was looking for. I wanted a local item where I could stay, where we were teaching and do work and research, and it worked out fine for us.
Speaker 3:Gary started out with the plans of mapping that trail across Lane County. That's what his original plans were. He had a degree in cartography and he wanted to map that trail across Lane County. And then, after several months of work, we thought, well, why don't we just do the state of Kansas? So we started thinking about I'll map that trail across the state of Kansas. Today Gary has mapped that trail from South Texas all the way to Canada and with all of its feeder routes and splinter routes.
Speaker 1:In March 1874, john T Lytle blazed the Western Cattle Trail, expanding into a sprawling network of routes spanning nine states, from Texas to North Dakota and even reaching, as you mentioned, into Canada and northern Mexico. This growth established iconic locations like Doane's Crossing, mexico. This growth established iconic locations like Doane's Crossing, dodge City and Fort McLeod, leaving an indelible mark on the western frontier. Margaret, back to you In this question, we want to learn more about the trail's expansion over time. Were any significant political or legal factors that helped the trail system grow? Also, how did the Western Cattle Trails expansion affect the settlement of the Western Frontier?
Speaker 3:Well, legally, the main factor was the quarantine lines that the state imposed onto the cattlemen. The first cattle quarantine was actually issued by Kansas Territory in 1859. And the reason that the state did this was because they wanted to always keep those Texas longhorns out in front of the advancing settlement. The Texas cattle had a disease that they called the Spanish fever or the Texas fever. Spanish fever or the Texas fever, and when they would leave an area, usually the local cattle would die within just a few months, within just a few days. So, consequently, homesteaders just did not want the cattle in their vicinity and they were always going to legislature trying to get them to move what they call the deadline or the zone line further west. That was a very significant legal factor in that. If it hadn't have been for that, if the Texas drovers would have been able to drive their cattle over the same route year after year after year to get to specific railheads, then they would not have had to constantly adapt different routes. State would come along about every two years and push that line west and push that line west. Eventually, after 1875, the drovers went out to Dodge City and they thought, oh, we're 100 miles further west. It's going to be a long time before it ever gets out here. Oh, we're 100 miles further west. It's going to be a long time before it ever gets out here. Well, within a year that deadline was at their back door, and so that just shows how fast the settlement of Kansas was developing, how fast the homesteaders were coming across by the thousands. Actually that is what affected the settlement of Kansas in a lot of ways was that constant change of having to move those trails farther west.
Speaker 3:Now, politically, the government also wanted Department of Missouri also wanted to have beef to feed the Indians and to feed the soldiers.
Speaker 3:At that early time there were still the forts and the soldiers wanted beef and of course the government had promised the Indians on Indian reservations that they would be fed. So they would put out proposals to anyone to supply beef on the hoof for those purposes and those proposals were usually out of Fort Leavenworth and the grovers or trail boss would go into Fort Leavenworth and place his proposal down, hoping that he would win a government contract. A government contract was very lucrative. Naturally they wanted to have the honor of having a government contract. Many times those contracts would require that the drovers would deliver those cattle to the reservations Indian reservations, most of them up into the Sioux Reservation in the Dakotas or they're locally around here in Kansas or they would want them to deliver beef to the actual fort. And so those are the two things that created a growth in the Western Cattle Trail, in that the trail grew physically across the state of Kansas and Nebraska because of the quarantine line and politically because of the government always needing beef, just like everybody else wanted beef.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Margaret. Those government contracts are not really a part of the cattle drives that often get talked about. That's a wonderful addition.
Speaker 3:That's right. And just to give you an example of there were towns here in Kansas being a Kansas and I can speak to this that were created or founded because of the cattle dry. You know, the railroad would come along the Kansas Pacific and they'd put a stake down and they'd say, okay, the railroad's going to go by here. Or the AT&SF would go and they'd stake out Sand Creek, you know, and say we're going to go through here to Sand Creek. Well, sand Creek became Newton and towns literally were built overnight in order because they knew that railroad was coming to that spot and they knew that it was going to become a cattle terminal. On the Kansas Pacific we have Abilene and Brookville as examples, grew out of nothing. And on the Atchison, topeka and Santa Fe we had Florence, newton and Raymond, which were nothing until the cattlemen came and the railroad put their stake down.
Speaker 1:I was going to ask you for some examples, thank you. Thank you for those, gary. Do you have anything to add?
Speaker 2:Well, one thing is you know one of the things we run into with the people thinking that the trail ended in Dodge City. They didn't know about all the markets and things north of there. To be honest with you, dodge City was a cow town and we see cattle, but there would have not been any cow towns north of there if they'd all been shipped from Dodge. So a great percentage of the cattle that came up went around Dodge and on north, particularly to Ogallala Ogallala I have to do some research on them and their market up there was split. About a third of it went back east to Omaha, chicago, for butchered beef. A third of the cattle went to forts and Indian reservations and a third of it went to new ranchers who were developing the plains, because by that time the buffalo were pretty well gone. So that gives you kind of an idea of where the cattle were going. That went on around Docks.
Speaker 1:Following the cessation of the Civil War in 1865, the cattle industry played a pivotal role in shaping the economy of Texas.
Speaker 1:As the demand for beef surged nationwide, ranchers undertook extensive cattle drives, herding large numbers of cattle northward through the Indian Territory known today as Oklahoma, to access the railroads in Kansas. Initially, the renowned Chisholm Trail served as the primary route for these cattle drives, but in the mid-1870s the route shifted to the Western Trail. A significant landmark along the cattle drive route was the Red River Crossing, approximately 10 miles north of Vernon, texas. In 1878, jonathan Doan established a trading post in this vicinity, and later that year his nephew, corwin Doan, joined him in managing the post. The trading post, positioned roughly one mile southwest of the river crossing, soon gained prominence as Doan's Crossing, playing a pivotal role in the cattle driving industry of that area. Gary, what impact did the establishment of Doan's Crossing have on the cattle driving industry of that area, gary, what impact did the establishment of Doan's Crossing have on the cattle driving industry in the late 19th century, and what historical significance does Doan's Crossing hold in the context of westward expansion and the cattle industry in Texas?
Speaker 2:Once the quarantine lines moved west and the trail or the method of getting cattle north over a trail, the title established was the next big cattle trailing market and it went across at Doane's Crossing. Doane's Crossing was used for about two or three years before Doane's built a trading post there and the area north of Doane's Crossing most people don't know, but the Texans considered that part of Texas, greer County. So when they left and went across the Red River they were really going from Texas to Texas. But this route proved out and was more than likely an Indian Trail, an established point on the Red River that had a hard bottom and they went on north up to Camp Supply, which is now in Oklahoma, west of Woodward, oklahoma, and on up to Dodge. It was in the further west you move.
Speaker 2:Water became an issue. It wasn't grain, cattle have to have water. They can do without feed for a while on good grass but they can't do without water. So most of these crossings at the river were hard bottom and once they got to Dodge City, of course they resupplied and either sold the cattle there, they went around Dodge and headed on north to Ogallala and points north of there. Did it get significant importance? Well, texas was hurt badly during the Civil War. When the soldiers came home all they had was Confederate money, but what they had a lot of was cattle, and these cattle represented a new breath of life into their ranches in South Texas. If they could get to Martha with those cattle then they could bring home money to restore their ranch and start building their herds again.
Speaker 3:Dones. Crouching was, I would think, a social spot as well. After Donathan Dones started a post there in 1878, Jonathan Doan started a post there in 1878. They would have all kinds of services for the grovers they could have their horses reshoed, they could brand cattle that didn't have a brand. They even had inspectors there to inspect the cattle. They had refreshments spots and later on it became a known spot for where the girlfriends and the wives would go and say goodbye to their sweethearts before they would start the journey across the Indian lands north and knowing that they wouldn't see their loved one for several months.
Speaker 1:Sounds like a significant spot, indeed for several months. Sounds like a significant spot indeed. The trail's significance cannot be understated, particularly in the context of the Red River War of 1874 and 75 on the southern plains. From a historian's perspective, the Western Cattle Trail played a critical role during the Red River War of 1874 and 1875 on the southern plains. By providing a peaceful route for cattle drives, it also contributed to the opening up of the Western Frontier. For our listeners, some very important questions are generated to establish the importance of the Western Cattle Trail during the Red River War. Margaret, how did the Western Cattle Trail influence the cultural and social dynamics of the Southern Plains region between 1874?
Speaker 3:and 1875? Answer for me because in that time period in that location there was just forts, soldiers and Indians and very few settlers. I mean it was an area that had not been settled because of the Indian uprising. Soldiers went across that ground. They were after the Indians, they wanted to clear out the Indians so that the white settlements could come into the area, and it was a war zone. And when John Lytle went through there he knew that he was risking his life by going through there, and so Western Kansas in particular was not even settled until 1878. In particular was not even settled until 1878. And so I'm saying that the cultural and social dynamics during that time were limited. Maybe Gary has a different point.
Speaker 2:No, there was very little after, particularly settlers in the beginning. That soon changed the railroads that build across the plain. You're going from the south, north of these cattle. The thing that they were looking for was water, and there were several large rivers that they would go to the Red River, the Arkansas River. You get up into Nebraska, the Platte River. The water was an issue that they looked forward to. This was prior to the windmill, so they had to have these water sources in order to move the cattle. But moving the cattle is a real big thing, particularly for Texas. The biggest boon of all was the Texans. This was a way of getting money back into their economy back for Texas, the biggest boon of all was the Texans. This was a way of getting money back into their economy back in Texas.
Speaker 1:So from our research, a Kansas law passed by the legislature in 1884 significantly influenced the waning of the Western Cattle Trail. This law moved the cattle quarantine line west of Dodge City, making the entire state of Kansas inaccessible to Texas cattle from November to March of the following year. Furthermore, in 1884, a Texas fever outbreak led to a significant cattle loss in western Nebraska, Gary. In what ways did the western cattle trails downsizing affect the cattle industry in the late 19th century, and how did the dwindling of travel along the trail impact the settlements and development of the western United States?
Speaker 2:Well, there was a couple of things in play. First of all, what made the trail move were the settlers. Settlers started coming into the area. Why did the settlers come in? Because of the railroads. The railroads would promote in the United States and Europe not free land but very cheap land to prospective farmers. As the farmers moved in, the first thing that they would go for was the water sources. So there was competition over the water and that's what they went for, and that forced the cattle further west to stay away from the settlers.
Speaker 2:And in March of 85, when it was officially made known that there would be no more cattle going through Kansas, it didn't just stop. Trading didn't stop. They found a new route. They went out to an area north of Texas, between Texas and Indian Territory fell no man's land. They went through no man's land to its ends in the corner of Kansas, turned north and went along the Kansas line in Colorado and further north the trading continued.
Speaker 2:If you look at the numbers of cattle that went north through all those years, there was a drop, a slight drop for the number of cattle that were going through dogs, but there was still a large number of cattle going through for another three or four years, once you get to 88, 89, then you see a very steady decline into the northern plains.
Speaker 2:But in the beginning you've got to remember there were no cattle up there. They were taking cattle up there to restock the plains because the buffalo were gone. Another thing that happened at the time the ports would say well, we want cattle, we want 100 head this Saturday, we want 200 head next Saturday. The cowboys didn't want to stay up there and meter out cattle to the ports, so local ranchers took over and they would buy their cattle and complete the contracts. But they would also raise their own cattle and complete the contracts, but they would also raise their own cattle. So cattle became more a fabric of its own growth in the northern plains and cattle were not coming so much from south Texas anymore, they were coming from the panhandle of Texas. So as they, but as it grew over further time, the ranches north raised their own cattle and that had a lot to do with the thing coming to an end. But it didn't just stop after the final quarantine in Kansas in March of 85.
Speaker 3:I think a very good movie that portrays the decline that you're talking about and that is Monty Walsh, Monty Walsh, Monty Walsh supposedly takes place in about the turn of the century, 1900, and it shows the decline of the cattle driving at that period. And the new century is bringing on more railroads, the introduction of the automobile, Homesteaders have upgraded their properties to fenced estates and ranches and the West was never the same. And basically at that point, 1900, with all the new innovations coming in and the modernization of that period, the old West was over with and cattle drives were gone.
Speaker 1:I agree with you, margaret. That is a great movie, both of them actually the original with Lee Marvin and then Tom Selleck's remake. It really does a great job of showing the spirit there of what you're talking about. Job of showing the spirit there of what you're talking about. Before we close, are there any additional statements you'd like to make about the upcoming Western Cattle Trail Association 150th anniversary conference and why an individual would want to attend, margaret? How about you?
Speaker 3:With just being able to walk the streets of Dodge City and knowing the history of the Western Cattle Trail and the cattle industry, to me would be monumental. You know to say that you were actually in the footsteps of these cowboys to go to the museum, which does a very good job of portraying the Old West, and going out and looking at Point of Rocks, which was the landmark around which the drovers drove their cattle around in order to go on north and see the large feedlots out there. Those large feedlots and and the beef-producing industry is because of the cattle-driving industry. Kansas today is number one in beef-producing and it was because of this history. But to go to the conference, you will learn more about the Western Cattle Trail itself. You will get to meet some outstanding speakers and learn why Dodge City is famous and why this cattle trail is so monumental.
Speaker 1:Those are fantastic reasons, and thank you for mentioning Point of Rocks. Actually, that is a great, great landmark. Gary, do you have any other closing thoughts?
Speaker 2:You know, I think it's important that we protect our history. You know, I don't think a country can exist without having a history, and this is a very important part of our history the Old West and in some ways you can still see remnants of it today.
Speaker 1:Nowhere else in the world like it. Thank you very much, guys.
Speaker 1:Guys really appreciate you coming on thank you the 150th anniversary of the western cattle trail association conference will feature a presentation titled journey to researching the western cattle trail Trail by Gary and Margaret Kreisinger on November 2nd 2024 at 10 am. During the presentation, attendees will gain insights into how the Western Trail revolutionized the cattle industry, surpassing the Chisholm Trail system and leaving a lasting impact on cattle transportation. The Kreisingers will discuss the trail's significance from 1874 to 1897 and its pivotal role in shaping the cattle industry's evolution. This presentation is not to be missed for those interested in the history of the cattle industry. On Thursday, october 31st at 7.30 pm, the Western Cattle Trail Association is excited to introduce a new Upland Ranch Fireside Stories event. This event offers participants arriving early for the conference an opportunity to enjoy an unforgettable evening of cowboy fire stories with historian Brad Smalley at the prestigious Upland Ranch on the edge of the Western Cattle Trail. Brad will regale attendees with unique stories of the Old West, including tales from Dodge City, cattle trail stories and insights into life on the frontier. This promises to be an event you will want to attend. That's it for now.
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