In 1908 Cuero's first turkey dressing house was opened and turkey raising began on a large scale on DeWitt County farms. Early in November the growers would herd their turkeys down country roads and through the city streets to the packing house.

Visitors in town would marvel at the sight. They enthusiastically expressed their interest to local citizens and year by year the number of visitors who came to Cuero to watch the turkey drives grew.
In 1912 a group of businessmen in the Chamber of Commerce, sensing the interest of these visitors and wishing to encourage turkey raising and to advertise South Texas turkeys, decided to start a celebration with a turkey drive down the city's main streets as the main feature. A popular dance at that time was the "Turkey Trot" and this name was adopted for the event.
The original "Turkey Trot" and all future "Trots" proved highly successful. Newsmen, cameramen, magazine writers and thousands of spectators flocked to Cuero each time the celebration was staged. As many as 20,000 live strutting turkeys has appeared in the line of march.
In 1973 a group of Cuero citizens decided to add to the Cuero Turkey Trot. A full South Texas spectra of turkey based foods recipes, carnivals, gala parades, free mall areas in the downtown streets, continuous live entertainment, home tours, street dances, arts and crafts, in additions to a "herd" of wild turkeys parading down the streets all climaxed with the "Great Gobbler Gallop".
This final event is an annual turkey race between the cities of Worthington, Minnesota and Cuero. A two-heat race - one heat in each town each year - the best time of the two races determines the winner. The prize being a four foot trophy, "The Traveling Turkey Trophy of Tumultuous Triumph" and the title of the "World's Fastest Turkey."
The event is most successful bringing thousands of people into Cuero for the annual three day event which is now called Cuero Turkeyfest. The event is held each year on the second weekend in October.