Cattle.
Cattle
In the late 1800s the Chisolm trail was used to drive cattle by cowboys. The cowboys originated in Texas and drove the cattle to Kansas to be sold.
Cowboys took cattle up to Kansas from Texas because they could get a better price for their cattle. They used the Chisolm Trail to avoid passing through areas where it was illegal or dangerous to bring Texas Longhorns, who were known to carry ticks harmful to other cattle breeds.
Cowboys.........
Abilene, Kansas
Abilene, Kansas
74 hours
You can drive across the Oklahoma Panhandle in about 40 minutes.
It is about 6 hours!
8 hours
The herding of cattle from Texas to railroad centers to the north was called a cattle drive. Cattle drives took many months to complete. Some of the cowboys would drive the cattle to Kansas and not want to go back to the ranch after being paid. Then ranchers would have to hire more hands the next cattle drive season.
Texas to Kansas City would have been a typical cattle drive. It took several weeks since they could only move 5-10 miles a day. If problems developed during the drive it could take longer.