Santa Fe Trail traverses Marion County
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
If you want to look straight at America's past, look no further than Marion County.
Back in the day when horse-drawn wagons were the sole method of transporting cargo, the huge wheels of these wagons left ruts in the soil as they went.
And you can still see these ruts today along remnants of the old Santa Fe Trail. It stretches across Marion County, running northeast from the Canton area to Lost Springs, and key spots are clearly marked.
Just follow the "auto route" signs found on county roads.
But first, a little background.
The Santa Fe Trail was most active in the early- to mid-1800s, according to Vernon Lohrentz, secretary of the Cottonwood Crossing chapter of the national Santa Fe Trail Association.
The trail first originated in Franklin, Mo., then creeped westward toward Independence and what would be considered the Kansas City area today, Lohrentz said. It officially ended in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but wagons also continued to "old" Mexico.
But it wasn't the new settlers who decided what route the trail should follow — it was the Native Americans. Those who lived in eastern Kansas used it as a "game path," which they followed to buffalo-hunting grounds around the Great Bend/Larned area.
The trail was perfectly planned out, Lohnrentz said, with good watering places nearly every 15 miles.
"The Native Americans had figured that out; that's why it was such a good trail," he said.
1821 was the first year that freight came across the trail, which runs diagonally across Kansas from Kansas City to Elkhart. That year, cargo was solely on horses, but by 1822 horse-drawn wagons were making the trip, Lohrentz said.
The trail kept active for more than 40 years, but the arrival of the railroad in Abilene in 1867 reduced the traffic.
"Why would you put freight on a wagon when you could use the rail?" Lohrentz said.
So the Santa Fe Trail got shorter and shorter each year until 1879, when the rail line went all the way through to Santa Fe.
"That more or less finished it," he said.
Around the turn of the century, members of the Daughters of the American Revolution group saw the need to commemorate the trail with stone markers. Six or seven still remain in Marion County, with most dated 1906, Lohrentz said.
Later that century, the Santa Fe Trail Association put up modern signs along the route, telling drivers where to turn next and where wagon-wheel ruts are still visible.
Although the tall grass of summer can sometimes obscure the ruts, the new growth of March is a prime time to see them, Lohrentz said.
To follow the trail from the comfort of your car, you can start at one of two places: the Marion-McPherson county line, at the intersection of 210th and Meridian, or Lost Springs, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and 340th.
The most circuitous route starts at the west side of the trail. If you begin there and follow the route heading north on Alamo, you'll see your first sign, marking the exact spot where the Santa Fe Trail once crossed.
You can see your first set of wheel ruts a few miles ahead on 245th, between Bison and Chisholm Trail. More ruts are waiting on 250th before you hit Diamond.
As you continue to follow the trail, you'll finally hit paved roads just east of Durham on Goldenrod. Then continue up Goldenrod, turn east on 310th — then cross K-15 and continue north a little farther, until you turn east at 330th toward Tampa.
You'll encounter several more sets of ruts as you continue east on 330th, then turn north on Quail Creek and keep going east on 340th until you hit Lost Springs.
When you've made it to U.S. 77, you'll have driven approximately 35 miles. If you're taking the route at a leisurely pace, it could take a couple hours, so if you're pressed for time you might divide the entire trail into two halves. Take the western half to K-15 one day, then traverse K-15 to Lost Springs another time.
It's a way to get a taste of history right in your own backyard.
