Knee-high prairie grass. Open rangeland.
Longhorn cattle, left over from the Spanish colonizing days,
roamed freely throughout South Texas.
Longhorns were wild animals. They thrived
and increased like, well, you know, like rabbits.
The pioneer families develop cattle ranches in South Texas, 1849 - 1860.
The Civil War comes, 1861 - 1865.
The Reconstruction Period brings carpet-bagger government, 1865 - 1874.
Mexican raiders, cattle rustlers, thieves, outlaws, gunslingers.
The sixgun and the Winchester are the only law in South Texas.
Cattle drives are developed on the Chisholm Trail, 1866 - 1885, to take the $4 cow to the
$40 market at the new railroad towns in Kansas.
The SAAP railroad is built from San Antonio to Aransas Pass, 1884 - 1887.
The Sutton-Taylor feud in South Texas, 1866 - 1875.
The Butler-Elder feud in Karnes County, 1884 - 1886.
THE AFFAIR IN HELENA, 1884, two died.
Helena, Texas Ghost Town
Helena,
Handbook of Texas
Helena (Didear,Thonhoff)
Helena Town
History
Alamita, the original Helena
THE SAAP RAILROAD COMES TO KENEDY.
There never would have been a Karnes City town, but The Fracas at Daileyville
clouded the two widows' title to land at the first Kenedy townsite.
THE FRACAS AT DAILEYVILLE, 1886,
five died.
Daileyville, Handbook of Texas
Butler, Elder, Bailey genealogy
Abilene Kansas
In 1867, a quiet village became the first western Kansas railroad town to receive
trailed Texas Longhorns for shipment to the East.
William Green Butler
"Trail Driver and Friend"
He built a major cattle and ranching empire which substantially developed Karnes County.
75,000 acres and 10,000 cattle.
His friend Monroe Choate and his kid brother Pleas Butler helped.
Longhorn cattle helped Texas to climb up out of Carpet Bagger Reconstruction after the War.
This is a well-researched biographical article from the January 2002 issue of "The Kansas Cowboy"
history newspaper.
Pleasant Burnell Butler
Uncle Pleas, his own story.
Trail Driver, Cattleman, Gentleman. His ranching acreage was also vast. 14 years younger than his brother William Green "Bill" Butler.
James Monroe Choate Karnes County cattleman, Chisholm Trail
pioneer.
A nostalgic story by his neighbor Beauregard Choate Moye.
Monroe Choate and Bill Butler were good friends.
On a typical drive to Kansas, there was one trail boss, one cook with the
chuck wagon, 10 cowboys, 60 horses, 2000 Longhorn steers.
James Monroe Choate
The Champion of Karnes County
This is a well-researched biographical article from the July 2002 issue of "The Kansas Cowboy"
history newspaper.
A young South Texas gunslinger, John Wesley Hardin, beats City Marshal
Wild Bill Hickok in a fastdraw confrontation on Main Street.
Gunslinger John Wesley Hardin
PK Preacher's Kid. He killed 30 (one for snoring).
The Chisholm Trail
The Sutton-Taylor feud
Longest and bloodiest in Texas history. With the story of Old Indianola.
The Sutton-Taylor feud
Handbook of Texas
Carolyn's Karnes County Page
Seven snapshots of Kenedy
These are old souvenir post cards.
Kenedy Baseball 1921
Dode Young's Pool Hall. How to play "Moon."
Karnes County Handbook of Texas
Kenedy
Handbook of Texas
Karnes City Handbook of Texas
Runge
Handbook of Texas
Panna Maria Handbook of Texas