Texas-to-Montana Cattle Drives

After the Civil War, Texas cattle could command much higher prices in northern markets and developing ranch regions. Drovers moved large herds overland through difficult terrain, river crossings and areas contested by settlers, Indigenous nations and military authorities.

Nelson Story’s 1866 drive from Texas to Montana demonstrated both the potential profit and the dangers of the route. Later northern drives helped establish cattle ranching on the open ranges of Wyoming and Montana.

Lonesome Dove transforms this history into the Hat Creek outfit’s drive from Texas to Montana. The novel concentrates on labour, friendship, weather, violence and loss rather than presenting the cattle trail as uncomplicated adventure.