Unlikely Connections: Texas Cattle, California Gold, and Slavery in Antebellum Texas.

Years before the era of the great cattle drives, Texas was already rich with livestock and cattle trails.

Stock raisers and drovers drove cattle to multiple markets in and out of Texas, where they were traded for enormous profits. As commercial interactions increased, the wealth attached to the business soared, as well as the riches of those men and women who participated in the industry.

Several events made this possible, including the discovery of gold in California. With opportunities in California, migration from the American South brought newcomers to Texas and rendered a series of unlikely connections to both the Old South and the New West.

Before the Chisholm, the Eastern, the Western, and the Goodnight-Loving trails, there were the Opelousas, the Shawnee, the Southern, and the Dawson. In Allen, the Shawnee trail was utilized by local ranchers.  Although the understanding of these early trails has been neglected due to the focus on the post-Civil War drives, they were the foundation for famous cattlemen, including Daniel Waggoner, Oliver Loving, C. C. Slaughter, George R. Reynolds, John Simpson Chisum, and John B. Dawson.

Dr. Debbie Liles will present “Unlikely Connections: Texas Cattle, California Gold, and Slavery in Antebellum Texas” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, January 25, at the Allen Public Library. 

A lecturer at the University of North Texas, Dr. Liles has presented conferences across Texas as well as other states. A recipient of the prestigious Liz Carpenter Award for the best book about Texas women’s history and the Ottis Lock Book of the Year award, she serves on numerous committees for historical associations, including the Executive Advisory Committee of the Handbook of Texas Women’s History Project.  

Dr. Richard McCaslin, author of Tainted Breeze: The Great Hanging at Gainesville, Texas, 1862, declares, “Dr. Liles’ forthcoming book on ranching in northwest Texas will provide important insights on antebellum Texas and the post-Civil War Cattle Kingdom, thus bridging the persistent gap in the historical literature between these two popular subjects.” 

The library is located at 300 N. Allen Dr.  Call 214-509-4911 for more information.  Sponsored by the Allen Public Library, this program is free.

Official Site  

Price

• FREE!

Box Office

• 214-509-4911