Published online 8/4/2007 10:53 PM
Ruts visible along parts of old Santa Fe Trail
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LARNED - It was once a county covered in ruts. Today, however, few traces of the wagon train days remain, tilled over by farm implements, as well as destroyed by cities, roadways and other acts of modern civilization. But while the wagons and horses have long been silenced, memories of the Santa Fe Trail live on, and several spots across Pawnee and surrounding counties tell a tale of westward expansion. Lone graves, historical markers and an out-of-commission fort are a few of the points of interest for trail buffs and others wanting to learn a little about Kansas' past. "This area, it's just rich in Santa Fe Trail lore, more than any other place that I know of on the trail," said David Clapsaddle, a local historian and president of the Wet/Dry Routes Chapter of the Santa Fe Trail. Sites along the trail The Santa Fe Trail opened for commerce in 1821 when William Becknell traded his pack train of merchandise with Santa Fe residents. For 60 years, it was a thread in a web of international trade routes. Wagon trains tore through Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Today, however, it is traveled by plane, horse, bicyclists and hikers, said Becca Hiller, curator at Larned's Santa Fe Trail Center. "We get a lot of Santa Fe Trail enthusiasts," she said. "It captures people." And there is plenty to see, despite that remains are fading with time. A number of ruts still remain, now just gentle swells covered by grass, Clapsaddle said. "Many you can see from the roadside," he said. Other points, from Fort Larned to creek crossings, also show the trail's history. For instance, Pawnee Rock, just north in Barton County, was a trail landmark. It stood much taller before settlers and the railroad quarried it for building purposes, Clapsaddle said. Now a state historic site, the area includes a memorial plaque to Becknell, and a marker honoring the memory of Nehemiah Carson, who died of illness along the trail at this site in 1846. According to personnel accounts, soldiers wrapped Carson in a blanket and placed him in an excavated hollow at Pawnee Rock. Clapsaddle's Santa Fe Trail chapter, as well as the Daughters of the American Revolution, have marked several sites across the region where the trail crossed, where campsites were located, as well as creek crossings. A prairie fort But while parts of the trail have been farmed and developed, sites like Fort Larned still stand. With several restored buildings, it survives as one of the best examples of an Indian-era fort along the trail, said Roy Hargadine, a park ranger at the national historic site. "It's the best preserved frontier fort in the western United States," he said. Most of the buildings, including the barracks, commissary and officers quarters are furnished to their original appearance. Other buildings are being restored as well, he said. The fort was used between 1859 and 1879 as an infantry fort. Soldiers would walk alongside the wagon trains to protect them from attacks. While attendance has waned in recent years, Hargadine said there are still many folks interested in trail history. "It's amazing how many people take vacations to see this," he said. The trail closed with the arrival of the railroad, Clapsaddle said. Yet while freight wagons no longer cross the prairie, the trail's legacy lives on. "Standing up to your knee in wagon ruts, the power of the place is very pronounced," Clapsaddle said. "There is a sense of history you don't get sitting down with the best book in the world. But then, without the best book of the world, it could be any other place in the pasture." If You Go What: The Santa Fe Trail through Pawnee County Miles from Hutchinson: About 87. Miles from Dodge City: About 61. Tour information: The Web site www.stjohnks.net/santafetrail/ has a directory of Santa Fe Trail markers across Pawnee and surrounding counties. For a free, guided tour of the area, call local historian David Clapsaddle at (620) 285-3295. A few of the sites: Santa Fe Trail Center Historical Museum and Library: Two miles west of Larned, the museum includes a historical timeline of the Santa Fe Trail as well as a look at early Pawnee County. Ralph's Ruts: Four miles west of Chase on U.S. 56, then three-quarters of a mile north on the Ralph Hathaway farm. The seven parallel trail ruts are some of the finest examples of pristine trail remains. Visitors have easy access, and a Daughters of the American Revolution marker points out the location. Buffalo Bill Mathewson Well: Near the Cow Creek Crossing west of Lyons, the hand-dug well is perhaps the best-known surviving feature of the Cow Creek Crossing area. The well, with a DAR marker to the north of it, is still there. Pawnee Rock: The trail landmark in Barton County is now a state historic site. It includes a plaque in honor of the father of the trail, William Becknell. Sibley's Camp: Located at Second and State streets in Larned. The 1825 Santa Fe Trail survey team camped on the site Aug. 31. President John Quincy Adams appointed Sibley as one of the survey overseers. He referred in his diary to the cliffs of soft rock at this site, the remains still viewable today. Larned Cemetery: Located 1 mile west of Larned on Kansas Highway 156, visitors can see Santa Fe Trail wagon ruts at the southeast corner of the cemetery. A limestone marker marks the site. Pike's Plaza: This marks the spot where Zebulon Pike crossed the Pawnee, as well as wagon trains traveling the trail. Two stones near the river mark the nearby graves of Arthur Hughes, a soldier in the First Regiment of the Missouri Mounted Infantry, who died in 1846; and Robert Easley, with the First Illinois Infantry, who died in 1847 while trying to ride a horse across the flooded Pawnee River. Fort Larned National Historic Site: About six miles west of Larned, it is one of the best intact Indian-era forts in the west. Most of the buildings, including the barracks, commissary and officers' quarters are furnished to their original appearance. It is an 8 Wonders of Kansas finalist.
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