Cleburne
BRANDED 1867 The city of Cleburne, established in 1867, developed out of a temporary frontier military installation called Camp Henderson. Soldiers and citizens traveling between two more permanent garrisons, Fort Belknap and…
Although a number of cattle drive routes existed in 19th century America, none have penetrated the heart of popular imagination like the Chisholm Trail, especially in Texas. View the listings below to plan your Chisholm Trail trip through Texas.
BRANDED 1867 The city of Cleburne, established in 1867, developed out of a temporary frontier military installation called Camp Henderson. Soldiers and citizens traveling between two more permanent garrisons, Fort Belknap and…
WHERE THE WEST BEGINS United States Army General William Jenkins Worth, hero of the Mexican War, had big plans for a small but strategic spot along the Clear Fork of the Trinity…
Original and Independent Denton is the perfect place to forget boy bands and popped collars, traffic jams and monkey suits. This Texas Lakes Trail city is home to two major universities: the…
A SHOT AND A CHASER AT SNEAD’S PLACE When you step into the Roanoke Visitors Center and Museum, you’ll be entering a Texas Landmark built in 1886 and constructed of native stone…
STAR OF NORTH TEXAS Gainesville originally consisted of three families living in log houses near Elm Creek, hardly predictive of the thriving community seen today. An offer to grant 640 acres to…
Railroads reached Decatur in the 1880s, and before you knew it, a railway worker coined the crap shooter’s cant, "Eighter from Decatur," for the dice throw of a lucky eight. A decade…
U.S. Army expeditions and California-bound gold seekers drank from the headwaters of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River in 1849. A settlement called Head of Elm served drinks to cattle drovers…
For a small town Nocona claims a big heritage with national influence. Taovaya Indians lived for three centuries along the Red River north of town. They moved to Indian Territory by the…
CATFISH TO FRISBEES A curious story surrounds the naming of Round Rock, established along the northern banks of Brushy Creek and first known as “Brushy Creek”. At the behest of postal officials…
RED POPPY CAPITAL The mid-1800s saw two groups attracted to the future site of Georgetown with its abundance of timber and clean water: pioneering settlers, both American and European, and the Tonkawa…
THE VILLAGE OF SALADO As a welcome break from travel on Interstate 35 between Austin and Waco or as a destination, downtown Salado rewards visitors with art galleries, antiques stores and restaurants…
MA AND THE SISTERS Often the first site visitors see once arriving in Belton is the Bell County Courthouse, perhaps one of the most elaborate in the Renaissance Revival style. This structure…
BRIDGING THE PAST AND PRESENT The nicknames “Six-Shooter Junction” and “Athens of Texas” are contradictory, but Waco is where the Wild West met the Old South. Platted in 1849, the community grew…
HOME OF THE TEXAS STATE KOLACHE Who doesn’t love a sweet-filled pillow of puffy dough? Certainly not visitors to West, home of the official kolache, the Central European wedding desert perfected by…
WHERE HISTORY AND THE ARTS MEAN BUSINESS Few small towns can crow about a prehistoric past, a royal visitor, nationally recognized artists, and a bustling downtown where antiques shops, restaurants and galleries…
CULTURAL TOUCHSTONE Home of the Alamo and the Riverwalk, San Antonio serves as one of the state’s richest cultural touchstones and popular heritage travel destinations. Just how rich? Check out the Institute…
Texans of Teutonic ancestry feel a special kinship with the community of New Braunfels. Perhaps it’s the Germanic roots, the likes of which can still be seen throughout the region. Or perhaps…
THE EDUCATION OF A PRESIDENT A spring-fed river, the only university in Texas to graduate a U.S. president, and downtown and residential historic districts are just a few of the diverse attractions…
Think Lockhart and think barbecue. The Texas legislature even named it the “Barbecue Capital of Texas.” It’s also known for a nine-block historic district centered on the elaborate 1894 Second Empire-style Caldwell…
BEAUTY, HEALTH AND PROSPERITY In 1839 a site-selection committee, appointed by the Texas Congress, chose a special location for the Republic’s new capital and, in fact, the characteristics influencing the committee’s decision…
THE BELLS OF RE-FURY-O! Refugio, once the site of a Karankawa campground, served as the relocation spot for Señora del Refugio Mission in 1795. Why move a mission to the campground? To…
CONFLICT CENTRAL A change of river locations by Spanish colonizers helped establish Goliad, considered one of the oldest Spanish colonial municipalities in the state. Goliad grew up around Mission Espiritu Santo and…
FULL CIRCLE The Texas Independence Trail city of Victoria is no stranger to conflict. In 1685, French explorer La Salle established Fort St. Louis near what would one day become Victoria, only…
North of Galveston, Texas City harbors several historical distinctions: the city remains the nation’s 11th largest seaport, and it’s also the site of America’s worst industrial catastrophe — a 1947 chain-reaction explosion…
PIONEERS AND A PROHIBITIONIST The six-square-block downtown Historic District is a testament to Richmond’s heritage. Walking-tour maps are available at the Fort Bend Museum, where exhibits trace area history from the Anglo-American…
John Hallett settled here in 1831 on a land grant from Stephen F. Austin. After Hallett’s death in 1836, his wife Margaret donated land for a townsite. As seat of Lavaca County…
This area, and most of the region, was used by cattlemen in the late 1800s as a gathering ground for cattle headed to market along the Chisholm Trail. With arrival of the…
THE TURKEY TROT Cuero, Spanish for “leather”, was named for the Arroyo del Cuero nearby, a Spanish reference to the wild cattle that would often get stuck in the arroyo’s mud. In…
Rich grasslands attracted Canary Island immigrants here in the 1730s. A state historic site recalls that era at the stabilized ruins of Rancho de las Cabras, a ranching outpost that served one…
FIRST SHOT FIRED The legacy of Gonzales is a long and rich one, placing its narrative among a list of premier historical watermarks in the evolution of Texas statehood. On October 2…
A CONCRETE PAST Rich with pecans, walnuts and history, Seguin is the seat of Guadalupe County and one of the oldest towns in Texas, founded by frontier rangers in 1838. Originally called…
WAR AND PEACEFUL SEA BREEZES Alongside Brownsville's restored Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and the refurbished 1912 Cameron County Courthouse, you‘ll find the 1870 steam-powered Engine Number One, once the locomotion mojo for…
RENEGADES TO RINGTONES Donna, it's not just the name of the town, but Donna Hooks Fletcher's name, a skilled entrepreneur and savvy business woman in the 1900s, who turned a local land…
BORN OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY The lively community of McAllen serves as example of the reprise of Hispanic influence over our borderland heritage. Its history, a shifting phase of Spanish and…
MAMMOTHS TO MELONS The capital of Scotland may have its castle but our Edinburg has something even better—a full-sized replica of an Ice Age woolly mammoth, located in the town's Museum of…
WHERE'S RAYMOND? Edward Burleson Raymond, founder of Raymondville and the Willacy County seat, was a busy man. Son of Republic of Texas lawyer and newspaperman N.C. Raymond and born in a log…
CURANDEROS AND CREAMERIES Don Pedrito Jaramillo, known throughout Texas as the "Healer of Los Olmos," arrived near the soon-to-be-established town of Falfurrias in 1881. According to his legend, Jamarillo suffered a nose…
DYNASTIES AND DRAMA Sarita, established in 1904 and named for the daughter of ranching magnate and entrepreneur John G. Kenedy, served as center for the Kenedy Ranch and the Kenedy Pasture Company…
KING OF THE VILLE Captain King, the 19th century entrepreneur responsible for creating the "birthplace of American ranching," was born to Irish parents, spent his childhood in New York City, stowed away…
DRIVING THE DOGGIES INTO HISTORY Wild Hog and Cabrito Cook-offs, the George West Storyfest, and Miss Live Oak County Pageant are but a few of the modern celebratory events that probably would…
CORPUS! Gateway to Padre Island National Seashore! Need more be said? Certainly, because from here on its all gravy. Corpus Christi is the Tropical Trail Region's largest city, a deep-water seaport brimming…
"THE BEST COTTON-PICKIN' LAND AROUND" If Imogene Wharburton, Taft's first postmistress, were alive today she probably could fill you in on all the town gossip. In 1904, the year the first post…
DON'T WASTE A MINUTE ON FRANDOLIG ISLAND! Rockport really does rock! The sheltered harbor, established over a century and a half ago, sits atop a shelf of solid rock underlying its shoreline…
Independence Trail Region
102 West West Street Refugio, Texas 78377 (361) 526-5555 Website
Lakes Trail Region
114 N. Oak Street Roanoke, Texas 76262 (817) 491-6090 Website
Independence Trail Region
114 N River Street Seguin, Texas 78155 (830) 372-0965 Website
Lakes Trail Region
309 Main Street Fort Worth, Texas 76102 (817) 332-6554 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
401 W. Coll St. New Braunfels, Texas 78130 (830) 629-1572 Website
Tropical Trail Region
1325 E. Washington St. Brownsville, Texas 78520 (956) 541-5560 Website
Lakes Trail Region
100 Main Street Saint Jo, Texas 76265 (940) 872-0269 Website
Lakes Trail Region
425 Houston Street Fort Worth, Texas 76102 (817) 222-1111 Website
Lakes Trail Region
1522 E Highway 82 Nocona, Texas 76255 (940) 825-5330 Website
Brazos Trail Region
100 Texas Ranger Trail Waco, Texas 76706 (254) 750-8631 Website
Brazos Trail Region
407 West 5th St. Clifton, Texas 76634 (254) 675-3116
Brazos Trail Region
101 N University Parks Dr. Waco, Texas 76701 (254) 299-2489 Website
Lakes Trail Region
3401 West Lancaster Ave. Fort Worth, Texas 76107 (817) 392-7469 Website
Tropical Trail Region
427 S 7th St Raymondville, Texas 78580 (956) 689-6604 Website
Brazos Trail Region
716 S. Austin Ave. Georgetown, Texas 78626 (512) 943-1670 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
3801 Broadway San Antonio, Texas 78209 (210) 357-1900 Website