Near Vici in Dewey County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)
Great Western Trail
Photographed by Jason Armstrong, May 7, 2023
1. Great Western Trail Marker
In 1874, the cattle ranchers of the San Antonio Texas area began blazing a trail with their large herds of Longhorn Cattle through Western Indian Territory to the railhead at Dodge City, Kansas and to markets beyond into Canada and the Northwest Territories of America. It's estimated that over 11,000,000 head of Longhorns passed over this trail on which you now stand. The trail's wake is marked only by a long sequence of depressions worn into the land by the Millions of Hooves that raveled it. An instance of one of these depressions is visible just to the back of this marker as a long U shaped notch running through the rounded sandy ridge. The Cherokee Strip located just over one mile North opened to homesteading in 1893, imposing a barrier that meant the end of the Cattle Drives.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1874.
Location. 36° 8.688′ N, 99° 21.6′ W. Marker is near Vici, Oklahoma, in Dewey County. It is on U.S. 60 3 miles west of State Highway 34, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the American South, specifically on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Comanchería, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Dust Bowl, the Louisiana Purchase, and Cherokee Outlet.
Photographed by Jason Armstrong, May 7, 2023
2. Great Western Trail Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 31, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2024, by Jason Armstrong of Talihina, Oklahoma. This page has been viewed 345 times since then and 93 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 25, 2024, by Jason Armstrong of Talihina, Oklahoma. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
