In 1874,
John T. Lytle left his ranch in
Medina County, Texas, with Tom M. McDaniel, according to Gary and Margaret Kraisinger, "to deliver 3,500 head of aged steers to the
Red Cloud Indian Agency in unpopulated western Nebraska. Lytle had a government contract with the newly established agency and needed to establish a new route. The route that Lytle blazed across Texas (via
Fort Griffin),
Indian Territory (via
Camp Supply), and by way of
Dodge City, Kansas was followed by other outfits and became known as the Western Trail." The 1875 Kansas quarantine law would eventually shut down eastern Kansas rail depots, which led to the development of Dodge City and
Ogallala, Nebraska as cattle towns. From 1875 until 1880, the Chisholm Trail, also referred to as the Eastern Trail, became a feeder route into the Western Trail. Western Trail feeder routes extended from
Brownsville, Texas, through
San Antonio,
Bandera, Texas, and the
Kerrville area. The
Red River was crossed at Doan's Crossing. In 1881, Doan noted that the trail reached its peak, with 301,000 head of cattle driven by. A western extension of the trail was used by the
XIT Ranch for trail drives connecting
Tascosa to
Dodge City until 1885. Afterwards, the northern portion of the trail connected Buffalo Springs to the XIT range on Cedar Creek, 60 miles north of
Miles City, Montana. The trail passed through
Lamar,
Kit Carson, and
Lusk. That trail was used from 1886 until 1897. Over a period of 3 months, some 10,000 to 12,500 steers were moved from the Yellow Houses, at the south end of the XIT Ranch, 1000 miles north to Cedar Creek. There they would graze for two years before being shipped to Chicago. Bugbee's sculpture is part of the 1931 Trail Drivers Monument at Doans. During the event, riders cross the river each year from Oklahoma and usually arrive just before noon. The adobe house, built in 1881, is the oldest in
Wilbarger County, and is open for tours during the picnic. In 2004, according to the Kraisingers, "
Rotary International started to mark the Western Cattle Trail in its full length from
Matamoras, Texas, area to
Val Marie, Canada." == See also ==