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Women of Beef

Amanda Burks: The Woman Who Went Up the Trail from Cotulla to Abilene

In April 1871 Amanda Burks left Cotulla with her husband's herd and drove her own buggy to Abilene.

Who was Amanda Burks?

Amanda Burks was a South Texas cattlewoman best known for joining a cattle drive to Kansas in 1871. The Texas Trail of Fame calls her the first woman to take a herd up the trail, and an article on the cowgirls of the Chisholm Trail describes her as the first documented woman to head north on it.

Her biography is thin in the sources reached for this profile. Her birth and death details are not given on the hall page, so this entry sticks to the drive, the ranch and what is documented, and adds context on trail driving.

The 1871 drive from Cotulla to Abilene

In April 1871 she set out at about age 30 with her husband, William Franklin Burks, to drive cattle from South Texas to Abilene, Kansas. One account describes the herd as 4,000 beeves.

She is reported to have rounded up and branded cattle, helped with camp chores and driven her own buggy. The hall page does not name the Chisholm Trail, though the fwtx article does, so the route is described here as the road from Cotulla to Abilene.

Why trail drives mattered to Texas ranchers

After the Civil War, Texas ranchers had more cattle than buyers close to home, and northern railheads such as Abilene offered better prices. Drives moved herds hundreds of miles on foot, a method that rewarded planning and endurance.

For a woman to join such an outfit was rare enough to be recorded in the hall's description of her. For more on how drives worked, see the ranching section of farm.FM.

The La Mota Ranch near Cotulla

The couple founded the La Mota Ranch near Cotulla, Texas, in 1876. One account says that after her husband died, about six years after the drive, she ran the ranch, expanded it and kept trading cattle.

The Trail of Fame page says she continued trading cattle for about 50 more years after her husband's death, a very long working career. The two accounts differ in wording on the length of this period, so the figure is approximate.

The Key to Her Success

Burks's record shows a person who handled both the physical work of the trail and the business of ranching afterward. The documented details are brief but consistent in outline.

Little is documented about costs, hardships or conflicts, so no claims about them are made here.

  • She went on the drive in person, working cattle and camp rather than waiting at home.
  • She rounded up and branded cattle, learning the skills of the outfit.
  • She drove her own buggy on the trail, which kept her mobile and independent.
  • She returned to ranching after the sale and kept building toward the La Mota Ranch in 1876.
  • She kept trading cattle for roughly 50 years after her husband's death, as reported.

Honors and further reading

The Texas Trail of Fame lists Amanda Burks under the year 2000, and she was known as the Queen of the Old Trail Drivers. The Trail of Fame inductee page has the core record.

A longer article, Cowgirls of the Chisholm Trail, places her beside Margaret Borland. A farm.FM reader might continue with a farm.FM story about women on the Chisholm Trail. A blog post, A Woman Goes Up the Trail, retells her drive. Because sources are limited, this profile is marked thin.

Timeline

  1. 1839Born, per the hall listing; sources differ on the year
  2. 1871Leaves Cotulla for Abilene, Kansas, in April
  3. 1876La Mota Ranch founded near Cotulla
  4. 1877Husband dies, about six years after the drive, per one account
  5. 1922Dies, per the hall listing
  6. 2000Listed by the Texas Trail of Fame

Frequently asked questions

Who was Amanda Burks?

She was a Texas cattlewoman who drove cattle from Cotulla to Abilene, Kansas, in 1871 and later ran the La Mota Ranch. The Trail of Fame calls her the first woman to take a herd up the trail.

When did Amanda Burks go up the trail?

In April 1871, with her husband William Franklin Burks. One account describes the herd as 4,000 beeves.

What was Amanda Burks's nickname?

She was known as the Queen of the Old Trail Drivers, according to the Texas Trail of Fame.

What was the La Mota Ranch?

The La Mota Ranch was the ranch the Burkses founded near Cotulla, Texas, in 1876. She kept it running and traded cattle after her husband died.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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