by John Haynes

The history of trails in Kansas is an extremely rich and interesting saga of our past. Certainly, one of the most famous was the Santa Fe Trail. Officially, it started in 1821, with William Becknell’s wagon train going from Franklin, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico. From 1821 to 1880, the Santa Fe Trail was a major trade route where some became wealthy and others lost their lives. From a purely business perspective, the timing of the Santa Fe Trail was good for both the U.S. and Mexico. Until Becknell’s trading, the only choice for Mexico was south a thousand desert miles to Chihuahua and sky-high prices from Spanish merchants.

From Independence, Missouri the Santa Fe Trail entered Kansas and made a southwest route to Olathe and then a basically western direction to Council Grove. It was at that point one entered Indian country, open prairie void of firewood and shade, and dangerous crossings. The real test was making it across Kansas with two to three tons in the Conestoga wagons. Just to keep things interesting, throw in the environmental stressors of brain-numbing temperatures, disease, starvation, and lack of water.

A rough rule of thumb is that the trail mainly follows highway 56 until one gets to Dodge City. Shortly after traveling west from Dodge, there is a major split in the Santa Fe Trail. If you continue west along the Arkansas River, you are on the Mountain Route. If you turn southwest, in the direction of Springer, New Mexico, you are on the Cimarron Route.

In the early 1900’s the Daughters of the American Revolution established stone markers at various locations along the trail. For those of you that desire to wrap yourself in this deep heritage, I would strongly urge that you join the Santa Fe Trail Association (1-800-367-9242). I would also recommend a visit to Ft. Larned National Historic Site, Route 3, Larned, KS, 67550, (316) 285-6911. Those of you that are simply interested in Kansas history may want to check out the Explorers Club in care of Marci Penner, 978 Arapaho Road, Inman, KS 67546. The club was created to inspire, educate, and encourage the exploration and appreciation of Kansas.

The picture is from the Larned Web Site

Please visit their site at:     http://www.larned.net/trailctr/