I wish I could find words to express the trueness, the bravery, the hardihood, the sense of honor, the loyalty to their trust and to each other of the old trail hands.
— Charles Goodnight
That grit and determination now extend to the brothers, who are the fifth generation stewarding land that epitomizes the western landscape. While family stories of the historic trail were limited when Zac and Adam were growing up, they knew exactly where to look to find wagon ruts and markers noting the route. They also understand and appreciate the effect the Chisholm Trail had on their livelihood.
“ The cattle industry wouldn’ t be what it is today without those historic trails and getting cattle to market,” Zac Pogue said.
Many Oklahoma towns exist today because of the Chisholm Trail. The railroad and U. S. Route 81 now mirror the path and as commerce expanded, communities grew. The impact of the Chisholm Trail is evident in nearby Duncan, Oklahoma, where everything from the local rodeo to the casino carries the Chisholm name. The town is also home to the Chisholm
Trail Heritage Center, with a mission to celebrate the history, art and culture of the Chisholm Trail, the American cowboy and the American West.
The cattle drive era eventually came to an end as settlers built towns, barbed wire closed open range, and railroads dipped further south. While the trails only lasted a couple decades, they began the successful cattle industry, and country, that exists today. Amidst America’ s celebration of 250 years of independence, cattlemen and women keep the history and beauty of the early cattle industry alive by improving on the traditions started by drovers 160 years ago.
Drives and Drovers
The word“ drive” is derived from the Old English verb drīfan, which means to compel or urge to move. Before there were trucks and paved roadways, cowboys“ drove” cattle long distances along trails as they guided and pushed large herds of cattle to railheads.
“ Drover” was first used in the 14th century and defined as“ one who drives cattle or sheep.” As this was the cowboy’ s job on the trail, they became known as drovers.
By Ron Wilson, Kansas Poet Lariat and NCBA member
When was it that the legend of the cowboy began? We look back more than a century across our history’ s span. We find that the legend of the cowboy came alive, In the era of the post-Civil War cattle drive. Back then, Texas longhorns were a tough and rangy beast. Along the Shawnee Trail, ranchers moved them north and east. After the Civil War, Texas longhorns were roaming wild and free Because the men were off fighting for the Confederacy. Those cattle were worth a premium at the Kansas rail, So the Texans drove the longhorns up the long Chisholm Trail. But those cattle carried the dreaded Texas fever disease, And quarantines were imposed due to homesteaders’ pleas. So the cattle drives moved west for a place to make their sale:
To Dodge City and beyond, up the long Western Trail. The Great Western Trail is another way it’ s named. It carried more cattle than any, historians have proclaimed. Another route went west in Texas before turning to the north: Named the Goodnight-Loving Trail for the men who led it forth. Along these cattle trails, there arose a mighty story: The legend of the cowboy, who would bring our nation glory. These cowboys tamed the West with bravery unsparing. And delivered those cattle herds through courage brave and daring. The cowboy spirit still lives on, in the cattlemen of today: Good stewards of livestock and land, still living the cowboy way. So we celebrate the cowboy and the legacy which prevails, In our modern-day cattlemen and the historic cattle trails.
26 NATIONAL CATTLEMEN DIRECTIONS 2026