A Cattle Train by any Other Name The namesake of the Chisholm Trail was not a cattleman.

Western pioneer Jesse Chisholm is best known for the Texas to Kansas cattle trail that bears his name.  And that’s ironic: Jesse never drove cattle in his life.

He was a trader, starting and working various trading posts in the Indian Territory.  After the Civil War, Chisholm used an old military and Indian trail that was capable of handling heavy wagons full of goods.  But it really didn’t get named until after Jesse died of food poisoning in 1868.  And at that point, the route was given his name.