This 1961 news footage for Houston’s KPRC-TV documents Salt Grass Trail Ride participants gathering for an outdoor barbecue in Brenham ahead of their departure. The kick-off event for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the trail ride began in 1952 after four cowmen decided to reenact the journey of pioneer cattlemen taking their herds from the Gulf Coast to Houston. The tradition continues to this day, with travelers riding roughly 80 miles in wagons or on horseback each February.