Haigler in Dundy County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Texas Trail Canyon

By Barry Swackhamer, August 21, 2014

1. Texas Trail Canyon Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

After the slaughter of the buffalo and the last of the Indian hunts, ranchers moved into this part of the Republican River country in 1875. Among them were I.P and Ira Olive, who were using this canyon on their range in 1876. Herds of Texas cattle were delivered to them here before being driven north to Ogallala.
Prior to 1880, the main Texas-Ogallala Trail entered Nebraska fifty miles east of here, but with influx of homesteaders, the trail was pushed west to this area. By 1881 this canyon was known as Texas Trail Canyon, and a checkpoint was established here in 1883-84, where the cattle were checked for brands and disease. It is said that 150,00 cattle were moved through here in 1886, the last year of the trail drives.

A number of pioneers burials were made in the immediate vicinity, beginning with Mexican Leon, a cowboy killed in a fight with Ira Olive. When the railroad built through in 1881-82, a worker was killed and buried 100 yards east of here. Remains of several unidentified pioneers, adults and children, have been discovered over the years, and they were reinterred here in 1971.

Erected by

By Barry Swackhamer, August 21, 2014

2. Texas Trail Canyon Marker

Dundy County Historical Society & Nebraska State Historical Society. (Marker Number 126.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Nebraska State Historical Society series list.

Location. 40° 1.441′ N, 101° 51.371′ W. Marker is in Haigler, Nebraska, in Dundy County. Marker is on U.S. 34, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: US Highway 34, Haigler NE 69030, United States of America. Touch for directions.

More about this marker. This marker is approx. 4 miles east of Haigler.

Also see . . . I. P. Print Olive; One Tough Hombre - Ancestry.com. By 1877, the Olives had decided the time had come to move to the open ranges of Nebraska... Things went well for a while. At about the same time the country began filling up with settlers, the Olives began complaining about rustling. Here, as in Texas, everything Print Olive did was big. He would eventually be known as Nebraska's richest rancher. Once again the smaller ranchers and homesteaders who wanted to stake their claims on the government land in the area were told that this was Olive land; they were to stay out. (Submitted on November 27, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 27, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 304 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 27, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 2. submitted on November 28, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.