The Chisholm Trail - In the decades following the Civil War, more than six million cattle were herded from Texas to the railhead in Kansas in one of the greatest known migrations of animals. These 19th-century cattle drives along the so-called Chisholm Trail lifted the state out of post-Civil War poverty, provided much needed food to the cities of the East and gave birth to the legend of the American cowboy. In the small town of Donna, Texas, near the Mexican border, a historic marker declares that the famous trail ran through this area, yet many dispute the idea that the trail ever made it this far south. A local historian wants to set the record straight. HISTORY DETECTIVES heads to the heart of Texas to help solve a local mystery and shed light on this key chapter in American history.

Harry Houdini Poster - A Chicago man was replacing roof insulation in his home when he realized that the old material contained scores of old posters for a "Harry Houdini" magic show. The theater where the performance allegedly took place no longer exists. The contributor is eager to determine the posters'authenticity as well as to learn what kind of show Houdini was performing in Chicago. Houdini built his reputation on elaborate tricks and illusions. In later years, he devoted portions of his stage acts to questioning the spiritualists and clairvoyants who claimed they could contact the dead. HISTORY DETECTIVES ventures to New York City and Las Vegas to peer behind the magician's veil and examine the final chapter in Houdini's career.

McKinley Casket Flag - A Battle Ground, Washington, man has a flag that he claims once draped the casket of U.S. President William McKinley. The 25th president was assassinated in 1901 at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. The contributor says the purported McKinley flag was given to his great-grandfather, Charles Kennedy, who served as McKinley's bodyguard. HISTORY DETECTIVES travels to Cincinnati and Canton, Ohio, to investigate McKinley's legacy through the eyes of his supporters and detractors.