Sleeping on the Chisholm Trail

The hotel I've been staying at in Austin (actually it's in Round Rock which north of Austin) is on Chisholm Trail Road. I'd heard of the Chisholm Trail, but didn't know it's history. Turns out that the Trail was the path that Texas cowboys used following the Civil War to move cattle from Texas, where cattle were only worth $4 a head, up to Kansas, where they could get $40 a head. That's a long walk for a cow, and a long hard ride for a cowboy even if he is on a horse. But I suppose that 10x price difference would make an 800 mile trek worth while.

The Trail also gave Round Rock its name. The Trail crossed Brushy Creek, and the low water crossing spot was (and still is) marked by a round rock in the middle of the creek.

That concludes your Texas geography and history lesson. Carry on.