Charles Goodnight was a Texas Rangers and a scout during the American Civil War. After the war Goodnight decided to become involved in the cattle business. He joined up with Oliver Loving to take cattle from Fort Belknap in Texas to Fort Sumner in New Mexico. This later became known as the Goodnight-Loving Trail. After Oliver Loving was killed by Comanche in 1867, Goodnight continued to organize cattle drives on his own. In 1871 Goodnight joined forces with John Chisum and extended his trial from Alamogordo Creek, New Mexico, to Granada, Colorado.