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Episode 4: Chisholm Trail

Hosted by
Sara Schleede

Sara Schleede was an audio director with The Drag and host of the "35" and "Request Pending" podcasts.

Today, I-35 is one of the country’s main freight highways, but before it existed, a different path fed America: The Chisholm Trail. 1 out of 4 of the cowboys driving cattle up to Kansas along the Chisholm Trail were Black men, and Texas’ history is filled with forgotten stories of the Black cowboys who tamed the Wild West and, later, gained rodeo competition titles across the country.

Myrtis Dightman, Sr. as rodeo clown.
Myrtis Dightman, Sr. was a rodeo clown in the mid-1960s before he was a successful bull rider. Photo courtesy of Myrtis Dightman, Jr.

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