ARLINGTON, Kan. — It could have been the scene more than a century ago.
Cowboys and cowgirls shaded from the hot sun by their large hats, most wearing long shirts, chaps and spurs as they set up lines to tie off their horses. Longhorn cattle taking long gulps of water before walking to the other side of the large pasture.
The group of 35 people and 210 head of Texas Longhorn cattle were hunkering down around 1:30 p.m. on a recent Monday after walking about 20 miles in the morning from Kingman to Jack Fountain's pasture at the corner of Fountain Green and Peace Road, southwest of Arlington.
"We've had beautiful weather," said Carmen Schultz, from Medford, Okla.
The drive is a three-week Kansas Sesquicentennial celebration. It's following Cox's Trail, or the Ellsworth Trail, an offshoot of the Chisholm Trail.
The cattle follow a big steer named Roger — named after his owner. Schultz's steers, Caldwell and Fleetwood, aren't too far behind.
Soon after making camp, trail boss Mike Clover, from Kingman, was making sure everything was ready for dinner.
He already knew where he was going to sleep.
"I'm going to sleep right out there in my bed roll," he said, pointing at the dry ground.
Cox's Trail was named after William M. Cox, a general livestock agent for the Kansas Pacific Railway Company, who surveyed the trail in 1872 after Abilene said cattlemen who took the Chisholm Trail were no longer welcome.
There were several reasons for the dismissal, according to legendsofkansas.com. Tick fever became a problem, and cowboys were sometimes rowdy as they passed through the area. Also, large herds of Texas Longhorns destroyed a lot of local land.
Ellworth residents went down the Chisholm Trail and urged drovers — people who drive animals — to take a route through Ellsworth. By 1871, about 30,000 head of cattle had been shipped through the town, and Ellsworth began to thrive.
Kansas actively enforced a quarantine rule in 1873 because of Texas Fever, which threatened the cattle industry. While town promoters told Texans they could still bring their cattle through, Ellsworth began to earn an unruly reputation like many other cow towns. Shipping pens were finally closed in the town in 1875.
The group traveling on Cox's Trail can't follow the trail exactly because they can't trudge through private land. Instead, Schultz said, the group travels mainly on dirt roads.
Next the group will head to a pasture near Sylvia. Along the way, they'll travel about 15 miles each day and stop at several cow towns, including Ellinwood and Ellsworth. They've already stopped by Caldwell and Kingman.
"I love doing this," Schultz said.
People on Kansas Cattle Drive 2011 are sleeping on the ground and in tents. They take turns staying awake, making sure the horses and cattle don't get loose and the fire stays lit.
The group is keeping with history by pulling a couple of covered wagons. But there are a few modern conveniences - including a working refrigerator/freezer combination and a couple of port-a-potties.
"With a mixed crowd, you need them," Schultz said with a smile.
Ten years ago, Craig Opel, of Eagan, Minn., had an office on Fifth Avenue in New York City. He has been president of Bandelino Shoes and many department stores.
Now retired, Opel spends a lot of time going on trail rides and seeing different parts of the country.
On a lot of cattle drives, he's following the diaries of his ancestors — including Gouverneur Morris, a founding father who helped draft the U.S. Constitution.
Opel has followed the Santa Fe Trail and has taken a chance on Nevada's Fearful Crossing on the old California Trail.
Taking 210 cattle through Kansas is easy after following those trails.
"It's just cool to get involved," he said.
He will be with the group as it picks up 200 more Texas Longhorn cattle for the final leg of the journey.
The group started in Caldwell on Sept. 3 and will end up in Ellsworth with a celebration on Sept. 24.
Schultz is happy she gets to see the Kansas countryside.
"I'm seeing country I've never seen before," she said. "It's drier than I thought it'd be."
Want to follow the journey? Visit www.kansascattledrive2011.com for a map, a drover's journal and more.
Information from: The Hutchinson News, http://www.hutchnews.com