August 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 29 Texas Trail Tales From the Trail Once cattle reached the trail’s end in Ogallala, they were shipped on rail cars to markets in the East, sold to local cattlemen and fattened on the open range, or trailed on further north. Over the course of 10 years or more, Ogallala was the hub for hundreds of thousands of cattle dispersing once sold. Naturally, in the years that followed the trail’s origin, Ogallala transformed from a simple shipping community for the Union Pacific Railroad into a bustling hub of commerce and cowboy culture. Each June between 1870 and 1880, cattlemen would arrive in the newly dubbed cattle hub and summer their cattle on the open range north of Ogallala until shipping time arrived. The town would come alive with the sights and sounds of cowboys, cattle and commerce. This ultimately contributed to Ogallala’s reputation as a vibrant, if not sometimes rowdy, epicenter of the cattle trade. As found in Trails of Yesterday, John Bratt, a rancher near North Platte, described Ogallala as “a wide-awake, wild and sometimes wicked town.” Bratt goes on to share about the wonder captured across the plains and through the canyon, stating, “I have many times seen as many as 50,000 cattle ranging, being held in different herds along the bottom and foothills on the south side of the South Platte River, strung along from 10 to 15 miles east, west and south of Ogallala.” The influx of cattle and cowboys alike turned the town into a bustling trail end, with saloons, hotels and stores catering to the needs of cattlemen and travelers. Every herd brought to Ogallala contributed to the economic boom the community experienced. However, the increased traffic also brought lawlessness and rough behavior, contributing to Ogallala’s standing as a wild and untamed frontier town. The End of the Trail’s End Ogallala continued to thrive as the Cowboy Capital of Nebraska through the early 1880s. In a turn of events, the mild weather that was often found enjoyable to Ogallala’s travelers shifted. The summer of 1883 brought a severe drought, followed by a harsh winter that devastated local ranchers, causing a significant loss of livestock – a concept even today’s cattlemen can attest to. By 1884, the Texas Trail’s success was hindered by one of the very same nuisances that kickstarted it in the first place. It did not take long for the Texas Fever epidemic to sweep across the Plains. This disease, carried by southern ticks, impacted cattle herds significantly. States responded by enacting quarantine laws to protect their livestock. Despite this, the disease made its way to Ogallala, marking the beginning of the end of the Texas Trail. While cattle continued to trickle into Ogallala until 1885, the town gradually shifted from a cattle hub to a farming community. Homesteaders and farmers continued their reach to the west as cattle herds began to dwindle or push in a new direction. CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 This historical marker was erected in 1934 by the Nebraska State Historical Society near Trenton in memory of the cattlemen who drove their cattle from Texas to Nebraska.
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