Jesse Chisholm

Jesse Chisholm (c. 1805 – March 4, 1868) was a Scotch-Cherokee fur trader and merchant in the American West. Chisholm is known for having scouted and developed what became known as the Chisholm Trail, later used to drive cattle from Texas to railheads in Kansas in the second half of the 19th century.

Chisholm used this trail to supply his trading posts among the Native American tribes in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). He worked with Black Beaver, a Lenape guide, to develop the route. Chisholm died before the peak period of the cattle drives, but he was essential to numerous events in Texas and Oklahoma history. Chisholm served as an interpreter for the Republic of Texas and the United States government in treaty-making with Native American tribes.