Vintage Black Heroes: The Chisholm Kid Panel Exhibition At The Gilcrease Museum

The Chisholm Kid, Lone Fighter for Justice for All, pays homage to the many Black cowboys who drove longhorns up the Chisholm Trail out of Texas and across Indian Territory to the railroad trailheads in Kansas during the years following the Civil War. Once freedom arrived, many freedmen found work as cowboys and applied their skills and experiences learned when they were slaves to earning a living on the back of a horse. While no definitive numbers exist, it’s estimated that at least 25 percent of all cowboys on the trail during this period were Black.