Council Grove on the Santa Fe Trail

02/02/2024

In Later years, [Santa Fe] freighters began to use "trails" or "trailers", a second smaller wagon,coupled to the rear of a regular freight wagon. Colonel Homer W. Wheeler, wagonmaster for several wagon trains freighting from the end of the Kansas Pacific railroad to Denver in 1869, recalled that these "large wagons with their trails each held from ten to twelve thousand pounds of freight." In different terrain, the freighters "would cut of the trail' and return for it after all the rough spots had been passed." George Curry remembered a freighting trip made by his Uncle John Riney from the However, the at Granada, Colorado, to New Mexico in 1875:"Uncle John loaded thirty wagons, each with a trailer, and drawn by four-horse teams." However,the available evidence seems to indicate that tandem rigs were less common than the individually drawn wagons, at least on the Santa Fe Trail. Source-Wagons for Santa Fe Trade by Mark L. Gardner

01/05/2024

This will be a multiple part series on lesser known Kansas Forts.
Part-1
Among those graced with the term "Fort were posts of Aubrey, Downer, Monument, Ogallah, Kirwin and Lookout. Of the camps the most prominent was Camp Beecher. Fort Aubry was built to aid in the defense of the Santa Fe Trail during the Indian war of 1865. Its location was sixteen miles west of Choteau's island on the Arkansas river and approximately one hundred miles west of Fort Dodge by the wagon and fifty miles east of Fort Lyon, Colorado. The site of the fort is four miles east of the present town of Syracuse, Kansas. Fort Aubrey was established by Companies D and F of Forty-eighth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry in September, 1865. The Fort was abandoned April 15, 1866, during a lull in Indian activities along the Old Trail. Source-Kansas Historical Quarterly Vol. 1 1931-1932 To be continued.....Map with Fort Aubry

01/03/2024

The following is from "Rules and Regulations by which to conduct Wagon Trains ( drawn by Oxen on the Plains) 1866

Article Twelfth
Duties of the Cook
It is the duty of the cook,after he has furnished with wood and water, to prepare the meals of his mess. He should depend on none but himself, to prepare the meals of his mess. He should depend on none but himself, to take care of his cooking equipage. When we drive before breakfast, which is a general rule, he should have a cold snack of refreshments for his mess-mates immediately after shaking. It is also his duty to see that the sick of his mess are properly cared for. He should invariably put his mess "kit" in its proper place at night before he retires, also at noon before the cattle are in the corral. Through he is as mentioned in Article 1, excused from all other duties except to yoke, drive and unyoke his team, prepare for yoking, and of course, assist in all other duties while the train is in motion.

12/22/2023

11/03/2023

"Round Prairie, near Missouri line," on May 15, 1833, was the set rendezvous for the spring caravan to Santa Fe. When Captain William N. Wickliffe (Sixth U.S. infantry) and the government-provided military es**rt (144? men) reached that place (from Fort Leavenworth) on May 23rd, most traders were still at Independence, Missouri. Heavy rains and mussy roads had caused delays.) The rendezvous was shifted to Council Grove-about 115 miles westward. Wickliffe's command (captain Matthew Duncan's company of more than 100 Mounted Rangers; and 26 Sixth infantry troops, under a Lieutenant; also a field piece and six wagons), hampered (as were the traders) by bad weather, arrived at Council Grove, three weeks later-on June 13. The trading caravan which assembled there, and set out for Santa Fe on June 19 (?), totaled 184(?) men, 103(?) wagons and carriages, goods variously listed as worth $100,000 and $180,000. (It was reported that Charles Bent took merchandise estimated at $40,000.) At Diamond Spring-15 miles beyond Council Grove-on June 20, the traders elected Charles Bent as their captain; and Messrs. Legrave, Barnes, Smith and Branch as Lieutenants.On July2 at the great Bend of the Arkansas, they took the shorter route, the "dry route." They reached Santa Fe on August 4th without the military es**rt, who had parted company on July 10th. Photo of grave stone of Capt. Wickliffe
Source-The Beginning of the West by Louise Barry

10/17/2023

The Kaw Mission and Last Chance Store re-opened on September 16th after extensive restoration and reinterpretation work of the buildings and museum exhibits. We recently had a tour bus from the University of Kansas and the United Methodist Women of Council Grove also toured the Kaw Mission museum. To book a tour, contact Site Administrator Mark Brooks at 620-307-2754 or [email protected]
The Kaw Mission is open Wed-Sat-- 9-5 Sun 1-5

08/18/2023

In July, 1843, East of Cottonwood fork, on the 13th, eastbound Capt. P. St. George Cooke, met "13 wagons with ox and mule teams, freighted by an Englishman [Edward J. Glasgow?] for Chihuahua, via Santa Fe." On the 15th, at Council Grove, Cooke found "About 20 wagons for Santa Fe; the 13 we met are to wait for them at Pawnee Fork." On the 17th Cooke "Met this morning...9 more wagons (& two carriages) &DR. Connolly [Dr. Henry Connolly, of Chihuahua,] ..."the rear detachment of the 42-wagon caravan en route to the southwest without es**rt. "One of the party (perhaps Connelly ) sent a letter (dated "Pawnee Rock July 20") to Missouri, by Lupton's company stating (in part): "Our teams as well as ourselves. are very much annoyed by the musquitos they are worse than I ever saw them."
Source- The Beginning of the West by Louise Barry-Photo of Capt. P. St. George Cooke

08/16/2023

We are excited to celebrate the reopening of Kaw Mission and Last Chance Store State Historic Site this September! Kaw Mission became a state historic site in 1951 and was dedicated on May 12, 1954. Built in 1850 as part of the U.S. Indian civilization and education effort, the two-story limestone building was originally operated by Methodist missionaries to board and teach Kanza boys who had been moved to the Kaw reservation in Council Grove in 1846. New exhibits will offer visitors an opportunity to understand the significance of this site to the Kanza people. Please join us September 16 in Council Grove for the special opening event! Check out our Facebook event for more details: https://fb.me/e/4HjRCHgVa

05/15/2023

A Marking Mystery: Milestones on the Santa Fe Trail will be the May 21st Kaw Mission Councils lecture. Mrs. Fannie Thompson) Daughters of the Revolution-Topeka) is rightly credited with introducing the concept of having the DAR in various states “mark” the Santa Fe Trail in 1902. The story is well known and documented. But where did she get the idea? Dr. Mike Olsen is going to speculate that a contemporary author and fellow Topekan with a dubious past was her inspiration. That is the “mystery.” Dr. Olsen is a professor emeritus at New Mexico Highlands University, where he taught for 30 years. He has published extensively on the history of the old Santa Fe Trail, including the eBook, That Broad and Beckoning Highway: The Role of the Santa Fe Trail in the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859, sponsored by the National Park Service.
The program will be at 2 p.m. and held at the Carnegie located at 303 West Main Street on the Santa Fe Trail in Historical Council Grove, Kansas. Members of the DAR will have an information table at the event. The event is also sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society, The Friends of Kaw Heritage, Nystrom, Young, Trembly and Area Foundations and the Morris County Historical Society. The program is open to the public with a $3 suggested donation. Refreshments will be served after the Program by The Friends of Kaw Heritage. For more information contact Site Administrator Mark Brooks at 620-307-2754 or at [email protected]

05/01/2023

The Kaw Mission and Last Chance Store Museums on the Santa Fe Trail, will partner with the Heart of the Flint Hills Chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association and The Friends of Kaw Heritage and will participate in the Flint Hills Festival at The Flint Hills Discovery Center, located at 315 South 3rd Street, Manhattan, Kansas. The event is from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. The chapter will be using the Santa Fe Trail traveling trunk to help educate the visitors about the trail and have a separate booth. The Kaw Mission booth focus will be on Native Americans and the Bison. Items made from Bison will be on display. Models of Native Tribes homes will also be displayed. Plans are to hand out educational information also. Both booths will be next to each other. The event will have live music. food trucks, wine tasting, children activities and local craft vendors. The event is FREE! For more information contact the Discovery Center at flinthillsdiscovery.org/fht or The Kaw Mission at 620-307-2754

04/07/2023

Would have been in Council Grove.

From a rendezvous at Blue Springs ( Mo.) a large trading caravan departed for Santa Fe around the middle of May, 1830. This expedition ( unaccompanied by a military es**rt, as in 1829 ) undoubtedly was well-armed and efficiently organized. Some of the wagons probably were pulled by ox teams. ( Josiah Gregg later stated that oxen were first used by traders in 1830.) If so, this journey marked another "first" in Santa Fe trade annals ( through the military es**rt in 1829 had pioneered in the experiment with ox teams on the trail). Ceran St. Vrain was one of the merchants, and perhaps the captain (?) of this caravan. It appears that Charles Bent also made this trip. By one report there were 120 men, with 60 wagons. ( Josiah Gregg's later-day tabulation for 1830 was 140 men and 40 wagons.) Th expedition reached Santa Fe on August 4. Before the end of October a company of traders had returned from New Mexico to Missouri-reportedly "with less profit than usual."
Source-The Beginning of the West by Louise Barry
Photo of Josiah Gregg

04/06/2023

Native Americans on the Santa Fe Trail
The April 16th Kaw Mission Council will be "Native Americans on the Santa Fe Trail." This PowerPoint program is an overview of the American Indians that lived along or near the Santa Fe Trail from the Missouri Border to New Mexico. The program will review how each native culture impacted activities on the trail and how activities on the trail impacted them. A review of each tribe will conclude with their status as a people today.

The program will be presented by Michael Dickey. Dickey is the retired director of Arrow Rock State Historic Site, Sappington Cemetery State Historic Site and Boone's Lick State Historic Site in Missouri. He is the author of two books "Arrow Rock: Crossroads of the Missouri Frontier" and "The People of the River's Mouth: The Search for the Missouria Indians."
The program will be held at 2 p.m. on the Santa Fe Trail at "The Carnegie," located at 303 West Main Street in Historic Council Grove, Kansas. The program is sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society, the Friends of Kaw Heritage and the Morris County Historical Society. A $3 suggested donation will be collected. Refreshments will be served after the program by the Friends of Kaw Heritage.

For more information, contact Site Administrator Mark Brooks at 620-307-2754 of [email protected]