Enid And The Chisholm Trail

As thousands of longhorns moved up the Chisholm Trail and across Indian Territory from 1867 to 1884, little did anyone know that the great city of Enid would later be established right in the middle of the trail.

The Chisholm Trail crosses Highway 81 about one-third mile south of Fox Drive where it crosses to the northeast. It then recrosses to the northwest at about the overpass on South Van Buren. Continuing almost due north, the trail recrosses at Van Buren and Rupe streets. Traveling on northeast, the Chisholm Trail continues to the corner of Owen K Garriott and South Grand streets. From there it goes through the David Allen Memorial Ballpark. However, many a cowboy bedded down at Government Springs while the cattle drank their fill of the cool water before moving on at daybreak. The trail then winds northeast to the Northern Oklahoma Resource Center on East Willow. In about the middle of this section of land was the location of the Skeleton Ranch, which later became a stage station.

Trail ruts or depressions in the ground left from thousands of longhorns and wagons traveling over the trail are still visible in the Enid area. One place is a field owned by Gene Semrad on the south side of Southgate Road. Also trail ruts are visible two miles south of Kremlin just east of the Great Lakes Carbon Plant Corner on the south side of the road.

Follow the trail through Enid by looking for the white Chisholm Trail concrete posts that Mr. Bob Klemme of Enid has placed at different intervals throughout the city. By placing one of the concrete posts at every section line that the trail crossed, Bob marked the original Chisholm Trail from the Red River in southern Oklahoma to the Kansas border.

Bob Klemme passed away on June 25, 2019 at the age of 93, but thanks to his dedication to marking the Chisholm Trail, this piece of American history will live on and will always be a part of Enid.

Credit: Chisholm Trail Coalition