Book Guide

Cowboys who drove herds of Texas cattle up the Chisolm Trail have interested readers, both young and old, for more than seventy-five years. Now the true story of trail-driving has been written by J. Frank Dobie, authority on the history and tradition of range life in the West.

In the period following the Civil War, longhorns were driven north by the hundreds of thousands each year to be sold in rollicky cow towns and to stock vast ranges taken from the buffaloes. Indians, scarcity of water, floods, lightning, stampedes-these were only some of the dangers confronting trail drivers. There were no fences. Grass was free—and so was life.

Among the characters in the book are Joseph G. McCoy, who established the first cattle market at Abilene, Kansas—terminus of the Chisholm Trail; Walter Billingsley, who bossed “the biggest trail herd” for the mighty King Ranch; and Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving, who blazed a trail into New Mexico.

When he was young, Mr. Dobie knew many old-time trail drivers and took down their stories. Here he gives them, along with a wealth of information and anecdotes concerning the remuda men, chuck-wagon cooks, trail bosses, cow horses, bell mares, longhorned steers and other types of trail-driving history.

Here is the real story of the real cowboy of the old West at the peak of his career.

From the dust jacket

To view an example page please sign in.

Sign In




Not a member yet? Start your Free Trial

J. Frank Dobie

J. Frank Dobie

1888 - 1964
American
J. Frank Dobie was born and reared on a ranch in the brush country of southern Texas. For thirty years he taught in the English Department of the Un... See more
John C. Wonsetler

John C. Wonsetler

1900 - 1979
American
John C. Wonsetler turned to books and drawing as his favorite pastimes even as a small boy. Directly after high school he entered the Philadelphia M... See more

Please sign in to access the type of illustrations and view more books with this type.

Sign In




Not a member yet? Start your Free Trial

Please sign in for additional information about this book.

Sign In




Not a member yet? Start your Free Trial

Content Guide

Please sign in to access all of the topics associated with this book and view other books with the same topics.

Sign In




Not a member yet? Start your Free Trial

Please sign in to access the locations this book takes place in and view other books in the same location.

Sign In




Not a member yet? Start your Free Trial

Please sign in to access the time periods this book takes place in and view other books in the same time period.

Sign In




Not a member yet? Start your Free Trial

Resource Guide

Plumfield Moms Podcast
Podcast

Landmark Books: What They Are and Why They Matter
Released in 2022 by Plumfield Moms Podcast
Available formats: Streaming Audio
Length: 52 min.
View on the Plumfield Moms Podcast site

Two-part episode hosted by Podcast Moms with guests Sandy Hall (Hall's Living Library), Jill Morgan (Purple House Press), and Tanya Arnold (Biblioguides) where they discuss the Landmark series, how they came to be and why they are worth adding to a home library.


Reviews

Semicolon

Up the Trail From Texas
Reviewed by Sherry Early
Up the Trail from Texas is certainly a well-written, exciting nonfiction compilation of the stories of various cowmen, trail bosses, and cowboys that Mr. Dobie interviewed personally, along with information about the real life of a trail driving cowboy and the logistics and work of a trail drive from Texas to the northern cattle markets in Kansas or Nebraska or Montana.

Read the full review on Semicolon