DeWitt County Was the Starting Point of the First Chisholm Trail Drive

In 1866, the first large commercial cattle drive up the Chisholm Trail started near what is now Cuero. The exact spot was called Cardwell's Flat. That year, about 260,000 cattle moved north from this area.

DeWitt County was already a big cattle producer before that. By 1860, it ranked sixteenth in Texas by number of cattle.

Railroads arrived in the late 1800s. After that, long cattle drives were less needed. Cuero became a livestock shipping hub instead. In 1942 and 1943, the Cuero Livestock Commission records show Cuero was the largest shipper of cattle in the state.

The county seat's cattle roots are still part of local life today. One example is the annual Cuero Turkey Trot festival, which grew out of the town's poultry trade.