Texas sculptor Jim Thomas was commissioned by the city of Round Rock, Texas, to create a 1.5 scale 22-figure bronze sculptural composition depicting life along the Chisholm Trail in the late 1800s. After the Civil War, the major source of income for Texans was cattle. Trail drivers, such as Jesse Chisholm, led their cattle to market in Abilene, Kansas, to be sold for high prices to the eastern markets. The Chisholm Trail was used from 1867 to 1884 and ran from Kansas south to the Rio Grande. The trail passed through Round Rock, Texas, at a specific spot at Brushy Creek, marked by the round limestone rock for which the city is named. It was a good crossing point for thousands of cattle. It is this location, the Crossing, that the Commemorative Park is located.

The city of Round Rock is building the botanical and sculpture garden at the Crossing at Brushy Creek in four phases.

Emmett was the son of Hattie Cluck. As a five-year-old boy, his mother took him on the Chisholm Trail with the rest of his family. Emmett is credited with naming Cedar Park, Texas; in addition, he served as Cedar Park Postmaster from 1892-1929. Emmett died in 1932 and is buried on the family farm in Cedar Park. Art donor Mrs. Koughan's grandson, Riley, served as the model.

The third and most recent sculpture in the first phase of The Crossing Artscape, depicts Emmett with a walking stick in one hand while holding his pet frog in the other hand. It's easy to imagine the young boy capturing his frog treasure from one of the many creeks he crossed while walking up the Chisholm Trail.

Cattle herds were frequently led by a dominant steer. The steer wore a bell that helped the cattle and the cowboys locate the head of the herd in darkness and bad weather.

The "Bell Steer" statue wears a walking bell, the family trail brands and the swallowtail and split-ear tags used on the Chisholm Trail drive. The sculptor also added the Williamson County registered WP brand of Bill and "Sissy" Peckham.

This Longhorn sculpture is part of Phase I of Thomas Studio's current large project, a 22-figure bronze 1.5 times life size Longhorn cattle trail drive commemorating the Chisholm Trail. The "Bell Steer" was commissioned for an artscape park commemorating the 19th Century Chisholm Cattle Trail crossing of Brushy Creek in the city of Round Rock. The " Bell Steer" is the first of the 22 cattle and pioneer people figures. It is temporarily residing at Dell Diamond baseball coliseum in Round Rock.

At 1.5 scale, this sculpture stands more than seven feet high and is 13 feet long, weighing about 1800 pounds. The sculpture depicts an alpha male which naturally dominated the rest of the herd during trail drives, insisting on being the lead steer as the herd walked from Texas to the shipping rail heads in Abilene, Kansas. Jim Thomas sculpted the bronze steer, using "Robert E. Lee", a three-time World Champion Longhorn Steer, as a live model. The longhorn belongs to long-time friends and sculpture collectors Cliff and Gail Woerner. The longhorn sculpture is dedicated to the George W. Cluck family who ranched between present day Cedar Park and Round Rock and herded their cattle up the Chisholm Trail in the spring of 1871. The " Bell Steer" wears a walking bell, the family trail brands and the swallowtail and split-ear tags used on that trail drive. The artist also used the Williamson County registered WP brand of Bill and "Sissy" Peckham. The " Bell Steer" was commissioned through the generosity of the Dell Computer Corporation.

A 1/6 scale table-top version is also available in a limited edition of 20 bronze sculptures.

This is the first of the official Crossing tabletop-sized limited edition of 20 bronze sculptures by Jim Thomas entitled CROSSING THE BRUSHY AT THE ROUND ROCK. It is available for private and corporate purchase to help fund the Crossing Artscape project. The 1/6 scale sculpture depicts a horseback cowboy roping a reluctant Longhorn steer out of Brushy Creek by the famous stone, Round Rock. A similar 1.5 X scale bronze sculpture is planned for the Artscape. Please see the catalog for details. Buyers with authentic registered brands have the option of having them included on the castings at the artist's discretion.

This is the second and newest of the official Crossing tabletop-sized limited edition sculptures, available to help fund the project. The sculpture shows a horseback cowboy chasing three Longhorn steers into Brushy Creek to make the crossing. One of the steers depicted in the sculpture is available separately (see Bell Steer) in a limited edition of 20 castings. Please see the catalog for details.

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