Jesse Chisholm

By the end of the Civil War, at least five million unbranded cattle were roaming southern Texas.  Herds of longhorns had multiplied there after being abandoned by Mexicans who were pushed out of the territory by the Texas War of Independence in the 1830s.  In Texas, these cows were worth $3 or $4 a head.  But they could be sold for around $40 in Kansas.

Recognizing the potential for big profits if they could get this beef to hungry eastern markets, enterprising cattle dealers began organizing large cattle drives.  In 1867, a half-Cherokee, half-Scotsman trader named Jesse Chisholm established a series of trading posts along a route from San Antonio, Texas to Abilene, Kansas, where there was a railroad hub.  Over the next four years, 1.5 million Texas longhorns were driven on this Chisholm Trail by stock-drivers--soon to be known as cowboys-- to the Abilene stockyards.

At first, the herds driven north to Kansas were small, from 500 to a few thousand head.  But by the early 1870s some herds were 15,000 strong.  Cattle drives were timed so that spring grasses would be available to keep the cows well-fed.  A good trail boss would bring his cattle in after the 600-mile trail fatter than when they left Texas, thereby getting the best price per cow.

A cattle drive was an exhausting

job for a cowboy.  There were typically only eight to ten hands to manage thousands of cattle.  They rode 18 to 20 hours a day, with the more experienced cowboys at the front of the herd to head off stampedes, and the beginners "drag-riding"—bringing up the rear, wrangling strays and breathing heavy dust all day.  They kept time by the stars during their night shifts, or sometimes with the help of their horses, who would head back to camp after exactly two hours!

A trail-savvy steer was quite valuable to cattlemen.  One favorite lead steer known as Old Blue reportedly led about 10,000 longhorns north on the Goodnight-Loving cattle trail over eight years.  On the other hand, some herds had ringleader steers that were prone to stampeding.  Experienced cowboys would sew such cows' eyelids together: by the time the stitches wore out, these steers had usually became more tranquil.

Stampedes could be caused by thunder, thirst (cattle crazed by thirst could smell water ten miles away), or even the sudden sound of a match being struck.  There were also dangers on the trail from prairie fires, hostile Indians, rustlers and white settlers.  Cowboys risked heatstroke, drowning in quicksand or river crossings, riding accidents and pneumonia from sleeping in the rain.

Several factors ended the Texas cattle drives by the 1880s.  When the railroads pushed further into Texas, and more cattle herds were being raised on the northern plains of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, big cattle drives were no longer as profitable.  The invention of barbed wire meant barriers were going up across the open range.   And angry farmers in Kansas pushed to prohibit Texas cattle from entering the state and trampling their crops.

During his lifetime, Jesse Chisholm was known more for his skills in mediating conflicts between tribes and whites than driving cattle.  He spoke 14 different dialects and earned a reputation for honesty and neutrality.  But after he died in 1868—from eating rancid bear meat-—his memory was forever associated with the cattle drives of the Old West.

About Jesse Chisholm Beef Strips
The cowboy diet was monotonous, built on the staples of beef (often cooked into soups and stews), sometimes beans, biscuits, bacon and coffee, black.  An imaginative "cousie," as the cook was called, might sometimes make a pastry with dried fruit inside, cooked in a Dutch oven.

Our delicious beef strips will delight the purist.  Just hickory-smoked, premium beef seasoned with a bit of brown sugar, salt and pepper.  We bet it’s the best you’ve ever had.  High in iron and protein, low in fat.  Traditional flavor, or Cracked Pepper, for those who like a little heat.  Net weight 8 oz.