35

Hosted BySara Schleede

I-35 runs nearly 500 miles from Laredo to Gainesville, Texas. Driving along I-35 — through 18 counties and cities like Dallas, Austin and San Antonio — you get a good taste of what Texas is all about. “35” follows host Sara Schleede as she takes a road trip along Interstate 35 and documents the stories she encounters along the way, from oil busts and gentrification to cowboy culture and roadside attractions.

Chisholm Trail

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.
Audio director
About the Author
Sara Schleede is an audio director with The Drag and host of the '35' and 'Request Pending' podcasts.