The first was the Whipple Railroad Expedition surveyed during the year 1853 and was then followed by the construction of Beale's Wagon Road in 1858.

The Beale Wagon Road went from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Los Angeles, California at a cost of $210,000.

The best source for this information is found in the report written by Lt. Beale in 1860 and entitled "Wagon Road Fort Smith To The Colorado River" published by the U.S Congress.

The first was Josiah Gregg's route from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Fort Smith, Arkansas during the years 1839–1840.

This route became known as the Fort Smith to Santa Fe Trail and entered the county a few miles northeast of Hydro, Oklahoma.

Once past the mounds the road went more northwest and left the county north of the headwaters of Deer Creek.

When this company entered future Custer County, southeast of Weatherford, Oklahoma, Marcy and the military escort traveled northward to join the Fort Smith Santa Fe Trail.

The gold seekers blazed a new trail northwestward towards the Antelope Hills located in modern Roger Mills, County.

In 1853 the first railroad survey was conducted from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Los Angeles, California.

Five years later, in 1858, Lt. Edward F. Beale was instructed by the U.S Secretary of War, John B. Floyd to improve an already existing road system from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

When Beale's construction crew entered the southeast corner of Custer County, they followed the same route the 49ers had in 1849.

The Beale Wagon Road saw little use in Custer County because the Civil War interrupted traffic flow, which forced people to use the Santa Fe Trail through Kansas.

During the reservation years Parties of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians used Beale's Route while passing through their lands.

That year, several Custer County districts were considering merging and/or establishing joint high schools.