The Last Cattle Drive

In 1897 a cattle drive crossed Alberta Creek about 100 yards upstream from the Horseshoe Falls, which is some 200 yards west of the headwaters at normal elevation (617). This was probably the last cattle drive through this area.

Railroads crisscrossing the nation and barbed wire fences combined to end the cattle drives. Ever increasing tariffs for crossing certain parcels of property also contributed to the demise of the hoof-it-to-market means of transportation. By 1890 the trail drives had all but ended. Then to bottom dropped out of the cattle market in Texas in 1897. The cost of shipping by rain was suddenly too prohibitive, so it was cowboy time again.

This particular drive entered Indian Territory by crossing the Red River upstream from the mouth of the Washita River. Normally the crossing would have been made four and one-half miles down-river at the old Shawnee trail near Colbert. However, if the river was too swift below the influx of the Washita this seldom-used upper crossing was a viable option.

It was not uncommon for a cowboy to drown at these river crossings. In 1885 Jeff Pool had drowned in the Red River at the lower crossing near Colbert, OK. (His granddaughter, Juanita Vance works at the Coal County Genealogical & Mine Museum in Coalgate. Their hours are 9-12 & 1-4 on Tuesday through Friday and they are located on Hwy 75.)

The cattle trail would have crossed near the original site of Woodville. To bring the trail up to date (2006), it would have been west of the south end of Texoma Hills Road. Going north it would be just behind Jean Tirey's acreage; ten up through Thurman and Jackie Hainline's Ranch. It then veers just east of the Carl & Marie Henry's place, crossing over onto Calvin & Jerry Beames' Hereford Ranch.

Here is where it gets intriguing. As I was researching this information, Calvin offered to let me look at a 1937 aerial photograph of the area. We discovered that there appears to be traces of the old trail still evident on the photograph, which was made 40 years after this drive. To top that, Calvin, who was aware of the old trail, pointed out that an impression in the earth between his new home and the Alberta Creek Road is a remnant of the old trail. Wow! Now, we're talking a 100+ year time gap.

At this point I think it might be appropriate to put 1897 in perspective. That was the year 17-year-old Tom Mix placed third in a saddle-bucking even in Grand Island, Nebraska. Tom (Leventhau) Mix is now enshrined in the National Cowboy hall of Fame. That 3rd place was far short of what he would accomplish a decade later, winning the World Championship.

It was also the year that Jack London was successfully and repeatedly (121 times) shooting the White Horse Rapids on the Yukon. He made a handsome sum of money transporting the goods of prospectors down those treacherous rapids. From this and other goldfield experiences he would also glean material for thousands of words to be put on print that would enchant the world. Here he met the characters that would come alive in, "Call of the Wild" and many other stories.

This was the first year of the presidency of William McKinley, a Canton, Ohio native, (age 54) after he had defeated the noted silver-tongued orator, William Jennings Bryan. It was three years before the assassination of President McKinley.

This was 9 years before President Theodore Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the first American to be so honored. Adolph Hitler was 10 years old at the time and Helen Keller was 17.

This was 29 years after the death of Jesse Chisholm and 30 years after Jesse James was reportedly shot in the back. It was 2 years after the first automobile appeared in American and 10 years before R.A. Owens drove the first automobile into Woodville. It was 69 years after the first train rails were laid in America and 5 years before the first train rolled through Woodville (1902). Those first rails in America were laid by Charles Carrol (or Carrolton), who was then the only surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Virgie White was born May 24, 1899 and would have been less than 4 years old when that first train steamed through Woodville. I'm sure if she were alive today she would tell us how she remembered it and how much she enjoyed the ride. We lost Virgie on Wednesday, May4, 1988. It just doesn't seem possible that she has been gone that long. Her Aunt, Beulah Gorrell reached her 100th birthday on May 17, 2002. She enjoyed life for a couple years after that. Beulah was a real sweetheart and loved by all. She said she didn't like the sound of one hundred; it made it should like she was getting old.

When the cattle trail left Calvin and Jerry Beames' property, after running right past Tisha & Jessica's basketball goal, it crossed Alberta Creek Road. It passed in front of Elmer & Virginia Spicer's home and went down the hill to the north. It crossed Alberta Creek about where the headwaters were when Lake Texoma Crested at a record elevation of 644.76 on May 6, 1990. From there it went up through Darrel Stovall's property. (22) Here is where the Longhorns would rest for the night and get all of the cool, clear water they could drink from the Beef Trail Springs. (28) (There are actually two springs that converged and now are the water source for a newly constructed pond.)

In an upcoming chapter, Chuck Wagon, 15-year old Moody McCuan, who lived nearby, (18) will visit the camp and be invited to taste the grub at the Chuck Wagon.