It was 25 years ago today (Nov 11) when a herd of longhorn cattle were driven down Valentine’s Main Street moving them from Fort Niobrara refuge to Fort Robinson State Park.

 Cowboys on horseback led the cattle drive when 160 longhorns were moved to their new home near Crawford.

Volunteers joined wranglers from the state Game and Parks Commission when the longhorns were moved in the 8 day cattle drive. One of those volunteers, Bob Stetter told KVSH news he remembers it was 17 degrees, wind chill of 0 and snowing at the time.

Officials decided on the cattle drive for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is the safety of the cattle. Packing the authentic longhorns in a traditional cattle truck is not an option because the animals' wide horn span would lead to gouging and truck damage.

This ended an almost 70 year span when the longhorns resided in the pastures at Fort Niobrara Wildlife refuge.  It was one of the premier purebred herds in the country and annually brought people from several states when they held the annual auction of surplus animals.