May 2013 Lecture --  presented by Alan Schiegg

Thursday, May 16, 2013       12:00 noon– 1:00 p.m.

The Chisholm Trail is a major part of the history of Texas especially the history following the Civil War. The Trail opened a major industry in Texas and was mainly responsible for pulling Texas out of the financial devastation caused by the war. This is the story of how and why the trail started and all the western lore that was created by the adventures that lay along the trail and the western cowtowns that developed as the trail herds came to town. The significance of the trail and the impact on the country's development both culturally and financially,will be discussed.

Join us in the Courthouse-on-the-Square Commissioners Courtroom as Alan takes you on a ride along the Chisholm Trail.

Since his retirement 12 years ago Alan has developed an interest in Texas history, especially the early to late 1800s. Much of this was fueled by his work as a volunteer docent at the Institute of Texas Cultures in San Antonio and as a volunteer with the National Park Service Trails and Rails program. Each of these volunteer jobs involved interpretation of events, both culturally and historically, in early development of Texas. In addition to reading widely on these subjects, he has spent time traveling to various locations that played important roles in the history of Texas. In the case of the Chisholm Trail, Alan’s travels involved visiting various towns, museums and historical locations along the trail, not only in Texas but in Oklahoma and Kansas. Alan initially presented the Chisholm Trail session at the National Park Service's Lewis and Clark traveling exhibit in Antonio in 2005.  Alan moved to Denton two years ago and has been serving as a volunteer docentat Denton County Office of History and Culture for the past year.

All Courthouse Museum exhibits and lectures are free and open to the public.  The courthouse has handicapped parking and accessibility through the north entrance.

The Courthouse-on-the-Square Museum is located in the historic Denton County Courthouse at 110 W. Hickory in Denton, TX.