Chisholm Trail Black History in Austin

February 7, 2023

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Have you ever noticed the Chisholm Trail signs as you walked through Austin? These signs tell a story about the cattle drives that cemented the longhorn within our Texan imaginations. However, there are under told stories about Black herding, ranching and cowboy culture. Black people contributed all facets to the development and growth of this industry within the Americas. 

Enslaved Africans, especially those with herding knowledge, were selectively trafficked into Spanish colonies to grow the industry. Historian Andrew Sluyter notes that in the 1570s, two hundred enslaved Blacks worked the herds of cattle baron named Hernán Ruiz de Córdoba. This is only one example of many. However, this isn’t just a question of stolen labor. When we accredit “lassoing” to Mexican vaqueros, we must tie that African people that were forced to labor and their ingenuity. 

What developed in Mexico collided with ranching traditions developing in the U.S. and Texas too. Following the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S., many of these “freed” individuals participated in the expansion of the beef industry. The Chisholm Trail played a central role in the industry’s development and so did the Black people working the trail.  

So the next time you see one of the Chisholm Trail signs you must think about the stolen African labor, intellect and ingenuity whether connected to Spanish, British, Anglo or Mexican powers that created these traditions. 

#blackaustintours #blackhistory #blacktravel

Sources:

Please check out 

Black Ranching Frontiers: African Cattle Herders of the Atlantic World, 1500-1900 by Andrew Sluyter.

Black Cowboys also worked on the ranches and rode the cattle trails By Bennie J. McRae, Jr.