Chisholm Trail

noun

a cattle trail leading N from San Antonio, Tex., to Abilene, Kan.: used for about twenty years after the Civil War.

Origin of Chisholm Trail

named after Jesse Chisholm (1806–68), American scout

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Word Origin and History for chisholm trail

Chisholm Trail

1866, from Jesse Chisholm (c.1806-1868), halfbreed Cherokee trader and government agent who first plied it. The surname is from a barony in England, probably from Old English cisel "gravel."