Jesse Chisholm

Trail Blazer and Sam Houston’s Troubleshooter

By: Russell B. Cushman

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Ralph B. Cushman was in his early teens in 1935 when he met Col. Andrew Jackson Houston, son of the hero of San Jacinto, General Sam Houston. He earned his friendship and, over the years, collected personal information that formed the framework for Jesse Chisholm: Texas Trail Blazer and Peacemaker.

With the encouragement of noted folklorist J. Frank Dobie, and other historians at the University of Texas, Cushman began a lifelong work on the neglected story of this unusual frontiersman. Chisholm, a quarter-Cherokee Indian, is best known for the famous cattle trail named after him. But that was one of his lesser achievements. As Sam Houston's troubleshooter, Chisholm, a quiet, unassuming man who lived in the twilight zone between the two races, also became a peacemaker. In an atmosphere of violence and bloodshed, Chisholm stood out "like a priest in a pool hall. His Word was as reliable as man's ability to measure it." But, unfortunately, he left no diaries or other personal papers.

Chisholm had been dead some seventy years when the author met him through Colonel Houston, who, as a fifteen-year-old boy, had known him personally. A half-century of research followed as the author, a fifth-generation Texan, fulfilled his promise to the noted Texas historian and folklorist.