The 1867 Settlement Historic District

The 1867 Settlement Historic District. Black Cowboys and the Chisholm Trail. During the American Civil War, the Confederacy relied heavily on slave labor to maintain daily functions while many of the white men were fulfilling duties as soldiers. Many of the men who founded the 1867 Settlement were slaves and because of the war, they were trained as cattle drivers to move cattle to feed Confederate troops. , After they were freed, the 1867 Settlement founders were then employed as cowboys at the nearby Butler Ranch. Although today the term cowboy is widely used, during Reconstruction it was actually a pejorative term for a black cowhand. Despite the persistence of racism, cattle driving was one of the few professions were black and white men were social equals. African Americans made up 25% of cattle drivers, and they were treated equally to whites in terms of responsibilities and pay. Black and white cowhands would even share sleeping quarters. However, racist roles would be resumed in towns and in front of women. , The men working at the Butler Ranch drove cattle along the Chisholm Trail. From 1867 to 1884 the Chisholm Trail was the major route for livestock from Texas to the Kansas railways. The cattle drives were a steady source of income that helped Texas recover after the Civil War. Expansion of the railroads, the invention of barbed wire, and the forced removal of Native Americans contributed to making the profession of cowboy obsolete, and by the turn of the century the cattle drives had ended. , The decreasing need for cowhands made for a rough transition for many African American cowboys, as it was much harder for them to purchase land. The land for the 1867 Settlement had been given to Galveston County by Judge William Jefferson Jones to be sold "solely to Freedmen". The Settlers who built their homes here farmed in addition to cattle-raising to be able to earn the money to buy the land over an extended period of time. The 1867 Settlement is unique because these cowboys were able to purchase land, and create a thriving African-American community. , Captions , Upper Right: Thomas Britton, one of the Settlement founders, dipping cattle at the Butler Ranch., Middle Right Large: Thomas Caldwell. Although he worked at the Butler Ranch with the Brittons and Calvin Bell, Thomas and his wife Sophie never officially lived in the 1867 Settlement. However, some of their children did., Middle Right Small: Thomas Britton., Lower Right: Calvin Bell's cattle brand. Calvin was the first freed slave in Galveston County to register his own brand.