The Great Western Cattle Trail - Belle Fourche, SD - Wagon Roads and Trails on Waymarking.com

County of marker: Butte County
Location of marker: 415 5th Ave, Tri-State Museum & Center of the Nation site, on sidewalk to the cabin, Belle Fourche

"In 1874 Captain John T. Lytle and several cowboys left South Texas with 3,500 head of longhorn cattle and a remuda of saddle horses. Five years later, the route Lytle cut out of the prairie to Ft. Robinson, Nebraska, had become the most significant cattle trail in history – the Great Western Cattle Trail.

"Though less well known than the Chisholm Trail, the Great Western Cattle Trail was longer in length and carried cattle for two years longer than the Chisholm. The Great Western saw over seven million cattle and horses pass through Texas and Oklahoma to the railheads in Kansas and Nebraska, therefore, developing the cattle industry as far north as Wyoming and Montana. " ~ The Great Western Cattle Trail

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Marker text:

THE GREAT
WESTERN CATTLE
TRAIL The Great Western Cattle Trail embodied the spirit, determination, and grit of the early cowboys and remains one of the most romantic and interesting times of our past. The entire trail extended from Metamoros, Mexico to Saskatchewan, Canada (Texas to Montana in the U.S.). After the Civil War, between 10 to 12 million cattle were driven north from Texas, developing the cattle industry into the High Plains area of Dakota Territory, Wyoming and Montana.

The coming of homesteaders (many of who worked for the cattle companies) and fencing of the Open Range changed the methods of cattle operations. Record blizzards of 1886-1887 killed millions of cattle. Fortunately, cattle were replenished by trail drives lasting until the 1890s.

The town of Belle Fourche was established in 1889 when the railroad agreed to come to Belle Fourche. The name (meaning "Beautiful Fork" in French) was used by early explorers when France owned the area and refers to the confluence of the Belle Fourche and Redwater Rivers and Hay Creek. The town's history is based on the cattle industry, which provided a shipping point for the thousands of cattle grazing on rangeland north and west of town. By 1895, the railroad was shipping 4,500 train carloads of cattle per month in the peak season, making it the world's largest market-to-market shipping point.
Tri-State livestock continue to provide a significant contribution to the number one industry of South Dakota.

Road of Trail Name: The Great Western Cattle Trail State: South Dakota County: Butte County Historical Significance: Created the cattle industry in the Dakotas, provided a market for Texas cattle which could no longer go the Kansas or Missouri routes during the Civil War. Increased railroad revenues. Years in use: 21years How you discovered it: I was in Belle Fourche, we rented a house here, to attend the Great Sturgis Rally. This year is the 75th Anniversary of the week long event. Since I do waymarking, I went wandering about town and found this site. Book on Wagon Road or Trial: The Western: The Greatest Texas Cattle Trail, 1874 - 1886 Hardcover – 2004 by Gary Kraisinger (Author), Margaret Kraisinger (Author) 350 pages Publisher: Mennonite Press; First Edition edition (2004) Website Explination: http://www.greatwesterncattletrail.com/along_gwct_a/along_gwct.html Why?: The 1800’s Texans were looking for a way to make a living. There were no markets for the abundant cattle abandoned during the Civil War. The demand of the cattle in the North was high and the North had already established railways to accommodate the cattle, thus the Great Western Cattle Trail was developed on the simple theory of supply and demand. Directions: 415 5th Ave. Center of the Nation Tri-State Museum Belle Fourche, SD

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/26/2021 petendot visited it 06/07/2021 stevepre2 visited it

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