Texas Trails: Pathways of History

At the end of the Civil War, Texas was poised to enter the golden age of cattle trailing. With an abundance of cattle populating the state and demand rising across the country, cattle ranchers were eager to avoid depressed prices at home and earn much more outside of the state. Before long, a network of trails was established to transport cattle through Texas and across state lines. These trails remained the primary transport routes until the late nineteenth century, when railroad companies took over the transport of cattle.

Follow the journeys of the cattle drivers in Texas Trails: Pathways of History, TSHA's latest free eBook. In this eBook, you can learn more about:

• Some of the major trail routes used by Texas cattle drivers, such as the Chisholm Trail, the Shawnee Trail, and the Western Trail
• Background information about the cattle transported on these trails and how the scourge of Texas Fever impacted the trade
• Minority groups who developed the cattle trailing and ranching industry, such as African American cowboys and the vaqueros
• Some of the prominent cattlemen and women of Texas, including Oliver Loving, Margaret Borland, and Daniel Waggoner