Visitors to the Fort Worth Stockyards can now get an up close look at the history of Cowtown and the animal that made the city an enduring symbol of the American West.
On Tuesday afternoon, a drover on horseback stands near a covered wagon on the Cowtown Coliseum’s dirt-covered floor. A few feet way, another man tends a cooking fire in front of a chuck wagon. Several other wagons used during the days of the cattle drives, including a buckboard and mail wagon, are lined up on either side.
“I see our herd coming down the trail,” the drover tells the cook.
The Fort Worth Herd parades along East Exchange Avenue in the Fort Worth Stockyards on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. Visitors can see the cattle drive twice a day. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
Two more drovers ride onto the floor, followed by 17 Texas longhorn steers. Another drover rides beside the herd, periodically cracking a bullwhip. The longhorns circle the wagons while a video narrated by actor Forrie Smith of “Yellowstone” fame plays on big screens on both ends of the arena.
“Legacy of the Longhorn” premiered at the Stockyards this summer during the FIFA World Cup and features the Fort Worth Herd steers from the daily cattle drives. Cowtown Coliseum general manager Tim Long said they’ve received positive feedback from visitors.
“They learn a tremendous amount about longhorns and what it meant to the city of Fort Worth to have that cattle industry in that day when it kind of shaped up the city,” Long told the Star-Telegram.
Fort Worth Herd drovers warm up before driving the herd into the Cowtown Coliseum for a show on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM 
Cowtown Coliseum’s newest show ‘Legacy of the Longhorn’ features authentic wagons, including a chuckwagon as shown, on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Fort Worth. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
The show is presented most weeks on Monday through Thursday at 12:30 pm. Long said organizers were looking for something visitors could do after the 11:30 a.m. cattle drive. They finally hit upon the idea of bringing the longhorns into the building for an immersive experience that would be both educational and fun.
Throughout Tuesday’s show, the drover and the cook kept up a lively conversation about what “Cookie” had made for supper — jackrabbit tenderloins — and swapped stories about previous cattle drives. On the video, Smith traced the Texas longhorn’s heritage to cattle early Spanish explorers brought to the Americas in the late 15th century.
Immediately after the Civil War, Smith said, cowboys drove millions of longhorns from southern Texas to railheads in Kansas for shipment to northern markets. Income generated from the drives is credited with saving the Texas economy after the war. Fort Worth became an important stop along the Chisholm Trail and later flourished as a cattle market after the Texas and Pacific Railway came to town in 1876.
The Fort Worth Herd circles authentic wagons during Cowtown Coliseum’s newest show ‘Legacy of the Longhorn’ on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Fort Worth. The show tells the story of the American cattle drives and Fort Worth’s western heritage. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
Georgia Cartwright, the Fort Worth Herd trail boss, said each of the 17 longhorns represents a decade of the city’s existence. She said the show is a great opportunity for the public to learn more about the herd and the Stockyards.
“Just kind of reintroduce them to our western heritage and what our western way of life looked like,” Cartwright said.
Visitors to the new ‘Legacy of the Longhorn’ show at the Cowtown Coliseum can partake in a lunch from the chuckwagon featuring brisket, beans and cornbread. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
Following the approximately 45-minute performance, guests can purchase a chuck wagon-style meal of brisket, baked beans and cornbread for $8. They can also take photos on the arena floor with the drovers and historic wagons.
“Legacy of the Longhorn” tickets cost $20 each and can be purchased at the Cowtown Coliseum Box Office or online.
The Fort Worth Herd circles authentic wagons during Cowtown Coliseum’s newest show ‘Legacy of the Longhorn’ on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Fort Worth. The show tells the story of the American cattle drives and Fort Worth’s western heritage. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM 
The Fort Worth Herd parades along East Exchange Avenue in the Fort Worth Stockyards on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. Visitors can see the cattle drive twice a day. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
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