Frisco in Collin County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Trail Driving Prior to 1845

Photographed by James Hulse, December 11, 2022

1. Trail Driving Prior to 1845 Marker

Inscription. Texas cattle trailing to Louisiana developed as a business in the Galveston/Houston area during the Spanish period (ending in 1821) and the Mexican period (1821-1836). The process continued under the Republic of Texas (1836-1845), when the "Texas Road" developed from Texas through Indian Territory (Oklahoma) to Missouri. The new, northerly overland trade increased in 1840 when the Republic of Texas established a military road on its entire western frontier, stretching from the Gulf coast to the Red River, the route approximates present-day I-35.

In 1841 the route developed a branch known as Preston Road. Running from Preston Bend on the Red River to near Waco, Preston Road quickly became the primary overland route for emigrants moving south into Texas and for cattle and other goods moving north out of Texas. By the end of the Republic era in 1845 this route moved thousands of cattle out of Texas to markets in Missouri. That Preston Road is the same thoroughfare that brings you to this site.

Trail Driving 1846-1860
After 1845, when Texas became a state, traffic along Preston Road significantly increased. An estimated

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

200,000 cattle traveled this route prior to the Civil War. During its heyday cattlemen seldom called it Preston Road. It was always the Trail, the Kansas Trail, or the Sedalia Trail. Finally, this most easterly of all the great cattle trails became known as the Shawnee Trail. How it got its name remains a mystery, but the name stuck.

By the mid-1850s cattle movement along the Shawnee Trail became increasingly difficult, as armed bands of Missourians began stopping herds and sending them back to Texas. The Texas Longhorns carried "Texas fever," fatal to Missouri livestock, but to which longhorns were immune. By 1859 resistance from farmers along the trail and legal opposition from the state government had slowed cattle movement to a trickle.

Trail Driving 1861-1866
Problems with Missouri farmers over Texas fever in the late 1850s slowed cattle movement over the Shawnee Trail. Then the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 closed all but essential traffic. With access to northern markets closed, no cattle were driven up the Shawnee Trail from 1861 through 1865.

While war raged in the East, a surplus of cattle accumulated. At

Trail Driving 1846-1860 Side Panel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, December 11, 2022

2. Trail Driving 1846-1860 Side Panel

war's end a tremendous demand for beef arose in the North, creating a booming market for Texas cattle. In 1866 an estimated 200,000 to 260,000 steers headed north up the Shawnee Trail. Irate Missouri farmers once again resorted to legal action and even violence to stop trail driving through their region. A few herds reached their destination, but most were turned back or forced to make long and expensive detours around settled areas. By the end of 1866 Texas cattlemen were experiencing serious difficulty in getting their livestock to market.

Trail Driving 1867-1890
Transportation problems to northern markets eased in 1867 when the Chisholm Trail was established. Along it, cattle moved from Texas to the newly built Kansas Pacific Railway town of Abilene, Kansas. Between 1867 and 1877 the legendary Chisholm Trail, running from South Texas northward through Fort Worth and across present day Oklahoma, delivered more than 2,000,000 head of cattle.

By 1875 a route called the Western Trail developed. It also began in South Texas but trended to the west, crossing the Red River at Doan's Store, some 150 miles west of the Chisholm. The

Trail Driving 1861-1866 Side Panel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, December 11, 2022

3. Trail Driving 1861-1866 Side Panel

Western ended at Dodge City. Many of those herds were driven on to ranges in the Dakotas and Montana. By the late 1880s more than 1,000,000 cattle had traveled the Western Trail.

The 1890s witnessed the end of long trail drives. Railroads like the MKT, which entered Texas along the general route of the old Shawnee Trail, provided a better method of transporting livestock out of the Lone Star State.

Erected by City of Frisco.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Railroads & Streetcars • Roads & Vehicles • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1840.

Location. 33° 6.39′ N, 96° 48.664′ W. Marker is in Frisco, Texas, in Collin County. It is on Preston Road 0.1 miles south of Warren Parkway, on the left when traveling north. The marker is located in the eastern section of the shopping center parking area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Plano TX 75024, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region

and in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area.

Globally, it is in North America,

Trail Driving 1867-1890 Side Panel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, December 11, 2022

4. Trail Driving 1867-1890 Side Panel

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Texas Longhorn (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Cow Camp (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Trail Crew (approx. 0.2 miles away); Origins: Cattle Country (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Trail Drive Company (approx. ¼ mile away); Site of Lebanon (approx. 0.3 miles away); American Bison (approx. 0.4 miles away); Military Survey of Preston Road (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Frisco.

The marker has four panels around it image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, December 11, 2022

5. The marker has four panels around it

The view of the Trail Driving Prior to 1845 Marker from the parking lot area image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, December 11, 2022

6. The view of the Trail Driving Prior to 1845 Marker from the parking lot area

The marker is located at the base of the large monument on the left side of the Longhorn cattle.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 25, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 667 times since then and 95 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 25, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.