Press Release
August 31, 2017
Contact: Renee Trindle
Sod House Museum, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 580-463-2441
sodhouse@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/sites/sodhouse
“History of the Chisholm Trail in Northwestern Oklahoma” Presentation at Sod House Museum
ALINE, Okla. — Professor Jana Brown from Northwestern Oklahoma State University will be at the Sod House Museum on Saturday, September 16, at 10 a.m. to present an overview of the history of the Chisholm Trail in northwestern Oklahoma.
The Chisholm Trail exemplifies the rapid growth of the United States after the Civil War, as geographical changes to the trails occurred during the mass migration of cattle out of southern Texas to railheads in Missouri and Kansas. Trail routes reflect settlement patterns and the growth of the country. Over the last 150 years the Chisholm Trail brought cattlemen to the Cherokee Outlet, and has served as a corridor between Texas and Kansas through Oklahoma. After settlement in northern Oklahoma, a rail line and Highway 81 were built using the Chisholm Trail as a template and creating a permanent imprint of days gone by when cowboys drove cattle north to feed a growing nation.
The Sod House Museum is located just south of the Dodge City Cutoff. The Dodge City Cutoff also was known as the Cimarron Cutoff and the Red Fork Trail. Located on the north side of the Cimarron River, cattle were driven up this trail to Dodge City from 1875 to 1885.
Professor Jana Brown is the social science education coordinator and an instructor of history at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Brown is currently seeking a doctorate degree at Oklahoma State University.
The Sod House Museum is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society and open Tuesday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., and is located southeast of Aline on State Highway 8. For more information contact Director Renee Trindle at 580-463-2441 or sodhouse@okhistory.org.
The Sod House Museum is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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