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Here are historic sites or interpretive facilities on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail in east Kansas for you to visit:
Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site, Fairway
Location: 3403 W. 53rd St. (between Mission Rd. and Reinhardt St.)
Telephone: (913) 262-0867
Hours: March-November, Tues.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sun. 1-5 p.m.; Dec.-Feb., Fri. and Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sun. 1-5 p.m.
Historical Significance:The Shawnee Mission was one of many missions established as a manual training school attended by boys and girls from Shawnee, Delaware, and other Indian nations from 1839 to 1862.
Available Facilities: Three buildings dating from the historic period (the east, north, and west buildings) are still standing, two of which are open to public visitation.
Exhibits: The North Building and the two-story East Building are laden with exhibits that describe six historic themes, one of which is the overland trails.
To learn more: www.kshs.org/places/shawnee/index.htm
Harmon Park (Trail Swale), Prairie Village
Location: Austin Harmon Park is at 7727 Delmar St. (at 77th Place). The park is one mile west of the Kansas-Missouri border.
Telephone: (913) 381-6464 (City of Prairie Village)
Hours: unrestricted
Historical Significance: A segment of the southern branch of the Santa Fe Trail, located southwest of Westport, Missouri, crosses this four-acre city park. It is one of the few confirmed places in Johnson County where physical evidence of the trail can be seen today. Rounded depressions in the ground called swales are visible diagonally across the park. These swales were originally sharply defined ruts worn into the ground by thousands of cattle, oxen and wagons. Slight shifts in the wagon path, as well as years of weathering, smoothed these ruts to their current gently sloping indentations. A partnership of federal and local governments and private citizens created Harmon Park in the early 1990s in order to preserve physical evidence for future generations.
Exhibits: An exhibit in the park interprets visible trail ruts.
To learn more: www.jocomuseum.org/overlandTrails/trail_2.htm
Sapling Grove, Overland Park
Location: 8210 Grant Ave. (at 83rd St.)
Telephone: (913) 895-6390 (Parks and Recreation Dept., City of Overland Park)
Hours: unrestricted
Historical Significance: Since the late 1820s, Sapling Grove, located on the headwaters of Turkey Creek, was a significant campsite on the Santa Fe Trail. George Sibley, an Indian agent who was commissioned to survey the trail in 1825-27, included Sapling Grove on his list of campsites. Sapling Grove was the rendezvous point for the Bidwell-Bartleson group, the first caravan of families to head west on the trail in 1841. Overnight travelers camped on the hill where Comanche Elementary School now stands. This 21-acre park was known in recent years as Comanche Park. In 2003, however, the city renamed the park after a local teenager petitioned for a name change to honor the Sapling Grove campground.
Exhibits: the park has several interpretive historical markers that discuss nineteenth century trail activities.
To learn more: www.jocomuseum.org/overlandTrails/trail_5.htm
Mahaffie Farmstead and Coach Stop:
Location: 1200 E. Kansas City Road, adjacent to Kansas City Road Park (near N. Ridgeview Rd.), Olathe
Telephone: (913) 971-5111
Hours: Open May through December on Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sun., Noon-4 p.m.
Historical Significance: The Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Historic Site, locally known as the Mahaffie Farmstead, was a stage station on the Oregon and California as well as Santa Fe trails. The original farm was founded by James Beatty Mahaffie and his wife Lucinda, in 1858. The two-story native limestone house was constructed in 1865. The Mahaffie family ran the farm until 1870 and resided there until 1886. The house's heyday came with large numbers of westbound travelers of the 1860s, a time in which dinners were served in the basement.
Available Facilities: The Mahaffie Farmstead is the only known Santa Fe Trail station that is open to the public. It is owned and operated by the city of Olathe.
Exhibits: The house, which is situated on almost 40 acres of land, has been converted into a museum and gift shop. It frequently hosts events connected to Bleeding Kansas and bushwhackers. There is an in-house blacksmith and other various era-specific artisans, along with a wayside exhibit.
To learn more: www.olatheks.org/Mahaffie/About
Gardner Museum, Gardner
Location: 204 W. Main St. (at Oak St.)
Telephone: (913) 856-4447
Hours: Sat. through Tues., 1-4 p.m. and Fri., 4-7 p.m.
Historical Significance: In a 1924 dedication of a state historical marker at the edge of Gardner, Senator Rolla W. Coleman called the place where the trails divide "the grand-daddy of all highway junctions." From its beginnings in 1857, Gardner can attribute its early growth to its unique location at the junction of the Santa Fe, Oregon and California trails.
Available Facilities: The Gardner Historical Museum was founded in 2002. The museum maintains its facility on Main Street as well as at the Herman B. Foster house, which was built in the spring of 1893.
Exhibits: Each room of the museum is filled with exhibits that highlight Gardner's early heritage. Local residents have donated and loaned hundreds of artifacts to the museum inventory.
To learn more: www.gardnerhistorymuseum.org/
Lanesfield School (Historic Site), Gardner
Location: 18745 S. Dillie Road, 3 miles southwest of Gardner. From I-35, exit at Gardner (#210), then turn right onto Main Street and proceed straight onto 175th Street. Go 3 miles to Dillie Road and turn left. Continue 1.5 miles to get to the site.
Telephone: (913) 856-4447
Hours: Sat. through Tues., 1-4 p.m. and Fri., 4-7 p.m.
Historical Significance: Built in 1869, the school is the only building that remains on the town site of Lanesfield, Kansas a mail stop on the Santa Fe Trail. For 93 years Lanesfield School served the educational needs of the local rural population. The children came from farming families, and they fit school in between their morning and evening chores. The schoolteacher taught grades 1 through 8 in the subjects of geography, reading, spelling, arithmetic and penmanship. James E. Payne attended Lanesfield School in the 1870s and recalled that "it was interesting to see the [Santa Fe Trail] wagon trains pass by when we could get outside to enjoy the sight."
Available Facilities: The Lanesfield School Historic Site is a tribute to rural schooling. It consists of a restored one-room schoolhouse, outbuildings and a visitor's center.
Exhibits: The visitor center features an exhibit on Kansas's one-room schools.
To learn more: www.jocomuseum.org/lanesfield.htm
Watkins Community Museum of History, Lawrence
Location: 1047 Massachusetts Street
Telephone: (785) 841-4109
Hours:Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., extended Thursday hours to 8 p.m.
Available Facilities: The non-profit Douglas County Historical Society operates the Watkins Community Museum of History. Its mission is to collect and preserve historical materials of Douglas County, Kansas, to interpret local history, to encourage research, and to develop the museum’s collections.
To learn more: www.watkinsmuseum.org/
Simmons Point Stage Station, outside Baldwin City
Location: just north of U.S. Highway 56 (N. 300th Rd.) and just west of E. 550th Rd., near the crossroads community of Globe and 12 miles west of Baldwin City.
Hours: The stage station itself remains today as part of an abandoned, privately owned farmhouse, so access is restricted.
Historical Significance: The Simmons Point Stage Station, on Sibley Hill, was a stage stop during the later years of the trail. The station was operated by Phillip and Elmira Dodder Simmons, but its actual dates of operation are unknown.
Available Facilities: The building at the property, which may not have been constructed until 1882 (after the trail had been abandoned), is crumbling into disrepair. Because it is on private property, and because of its unsafe condition, visitors should not try to approach it.
Exhibits: none
To learn more: www2.ljworld.com/photos/galleries/2006/may/14/simmons_point_station/
Trail Corridor and Ruts, outside Baldwin City
Location: one mile north of U.S. Highway 56 (N. 300th Rd.) and just west of E. 550th Rd., 12 miles west of Baldwin City and a few hundred yards north of the Simmons Point Stage Station.
Hours: private land, access restricted.
Historical Significance: The ruts are along the trail’s main route.
Available Facilities: There is about 1 mile of trail corridor in this area, of which 1/3 of a mile still retains some discernable trail ruts.
Website: none
Council Grove -10 Sites
Council Oak (CG #1)
Location: U.S. Highway 56 (E. Main St.), near N. 4th St.
Telephone: (800) 732-9211 or (620) 767-5413 (Council Grove Chamber of Commerce and Tourism)
Hours: unrestricted
Historical Significance: The Council Oak received its name from a council which was ostensibly held under this tree on August 10, 1825. This council, which was attended by three U.S. commissioners and the chiefs of the Great and Little Osage Indians, resulted in a treaty that—in return for an $800 payment—gave Americans and Hispanics free passage along the Santa Fe Trail through Osage territory. This meeting was also the namesake of Council Grove, a trailside community which was founded in the late 1840s, because of the mile-wide grove of hardwood timber in the area.
Available Facilities: A protective canopy east of the Neosho River bridge protects the stump of the Council Oak. Before it blew down in a windstorm in 1958, the oak was approximately 70 feet high and measured 16 feet around.
Exhibits: There is a wayside exhibit at the site.
To learn more: www.councilgrove.com/cou_oak.htm
Post Office Oak (CG #2):
Location: East Main St., near Vine St., Council Grove
Telephone: (620) 767-5716 (Morris County Historical Society)
Hours: unrestricted; adjacent Morris County Historical Society Museum is open for tours on Sunday 1:30-4:30 p.m. from Memorial Day through October 1st.
Historical Significance: The 270-year-old bur oak tree that stood here had a hole in its base that was used by trail travelers from the 1820s to about 1847 as a cache for mail; it thus served as an unofficial post office. Legend has it that letters were placed in the tree by travelers and picked up by those going in the opposite direction for delivery. A stone building was erected in 1864 next to the tree; it originally served as a brewery.
Available Facilities: Just the trunk of the Post Office Oak now remains, the tree having died in 1990. The adjacent building now houses a museum, operated by the Morris County Historical Society.
Exhibits: Markers adjacent to the oak’s remains provide site interpretation, and there are additional exhibits in the adjacent museum.
To learn more: www.councilgrove.com/po_oak.htm
Neosho Crossing (CG #3):
Location: just north of where US Highway 56 (Main St.) crosses the Neosho River
Hours: unrestricted
Historical Significance: This natural rockbed crossing site was an important river crossing on the Santa Fe Trail and one of the best documented of those on the trail. The steep banks and high water sometimes made crossings difficult, but riffles in the stream indicate the presence of a flat, hard rock streambed which would have helped make the crossing easier.
Available Facilities: A new Riverwalk Park marks the site.
Exhibits: A wayside exhibit is on the east side of the Neosho Riverwalk.
To learn more: www.councilgrove.com/neo_riv.htm
Seth Hays Home (CG #4):
Location: on Wood St. near Hall St. (two blocks south of Main Street)
Telephone: (620) 767-5882 or (800) 732-9211 (Morris County Historical Society)
Hours: open for tours on Sunday 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. from Memorial Day through October 1st.
Historical Significance: This brick house was built by Seth Hays in 1867. Hays’s black maid (and former slave), "Aunt Sally," lived in the basement. Hays, though single, adopted a daughter in 1867, and Sally cared for the family until her death in 1872.
Available Facilities: It is one of the few trail homes in the area that has been preserved near its original condition. The home is operated as a museum by the Morris County Historical Society.
Exhibits: There is an historical marker on the property.
To learn more: www.councilgrove.com/hys_hou.htm
Hays House (Restaurant) (CG #5):
Location: 112 W. Main St. (U.S. Highway 56) at Neosho St.
Telephone: (620) 767-5911
Hours: open daily for lunch and supper (although not open for Sunday supper)
Historical Significance: Seth Hays, who was the great grandson of Daniel Boone and cousin of Kit Carson, came to Council Grove in 1857 to trade with the Kaw Indians. He originally built a log house out of which he traded. In 1859 he put up the large building originally called the Frame Store. The building has seen many uses in the early days; it was a gathering place for meals, mail distribution, court trials, church meetings, political speeches and an early, bawdier form of dinner theater. Early patrons included Jesse James and General George Armstrong Custer. It was later remodeled as the Hays House Restaurant.
Available Facilities: The Hays House, a longtime restaurant, is known as the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi.
Exhibits: Today, the Hays House contains many historical artifacts, including artwork, arrowheads and other American Indian relics, and a notable crystal collection. There is a wayside exhibit in front of the building.
To learn more: www.hayshouse.com/
Conn/Stone/Pioneer Store (CG #6):
Location: 131 W. Main St.
Telephone: (620) 767-7623 (existing graphic arts business)
Historical Significance: Built in 1858 by local merchant Malcolm Conn, the Conn Store was one of the two most important trading posts in Council Grove during the Santa Fe Trail days. It shared the business provided by trail travelers, the Kansa (Kaw) Indians, and later, by local settlers. The Conn Store has been added on to and remodeled over the years. The outline of the original store is defined by the light-colored stone on the building’s west side.
Available Facilities: The building was erected in 1858 and, although it is much altered from its original state, it is still in use by a local business, Redbud De-sign Graphic Arts. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Exhibits: A wayside exhibit is located across the street.
To learn more: www.kshs.org/places/kawmission/reconnectionssantafetrail.htm
Simcock House (CG #7):
Location:206 and 208 W. Columbia St.
Hours: private residence, not open to the public
Historical Significance: In 1860 a Council Grove merchant, Goodson M. Simcock, constructed the southwest portion of this two-story stone house. Simcock was a partner of Seth Hays, providing goods and services for the Kaw Indians and the Santa Fe Trail trade. He was one of the organizers and original stockholders of the Council Grove Town Company, formed in 1857. Upon Hays’ retirement in 1862, Simcock became the sole owner of the business, retiring in 1873. The "Simcock House" was added on to in 1863 and in the early 1900s. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Available Facilities: none
To learn more: kansasflinthills.travel/sites/simcock_housemembers.cox.net/ksregphotos/Simcock%20House_CG.html
Kaw Mission (CG #8):
Location: 500 North Mission St. (at Huffaker St.)
Telephone: (620) 767-5410
Hours: between March and November, Wednesday – Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, 1-5 p.m.; between December and February, Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m-5 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m.
Historical Significance: Built during the winter of 1850-51 by the Methodist Episcopal Church South, the Kaw Mission served as a boarding school for Kaw (Kansa) boys until closing in 1854. It then became a school for white children when the Indians refused to send their children to the school. It was the first all-white school in Kansas.
Available Facilities: Today, the Kaw Mission is one of the oldest buildings still standing in this part of Kansas and is operated by the Kansas State Historical Society as a museum. The Kaw Mission is administered by the Kansas Historical Society.
Exhibits: One exhibit, and items in the building’s bookstore, feature the Santa Fe Trail.
To learn more: www.kshs.org/places/kaw/
Hermits Cave (CG #9):
Location: Belfry St. near Hays St. (2 blocks north of Main Street)
Hours: unrestricted
Historical Significance: Most sources suggest that this cave was the temporary abode of an Italian religious mystic, Giovanni Maria Augustini, Born in 1801, this religious mystic lived here for a brief period in the spring of 1863. Later in 1863, he left Council Grove in the company of a wagon train, walking the five hundred miles on the Santa Fe Trail to New Mexico. Other sources state that the “Hermit of the Trail” was a Franciscan friar, Matteo Boccalini, who erected a cross shortly after he arrived. Disheartened because the Jesuits interfered with his appointment as secretary to the Pope, he came to America and wandered from one Indian tribe to another teaching the gospel and administering the last sacrament to people on the trail.
Available Facilities: none
To learn more: www.santafetrailresearch.com/main-route/council-grove-places.html or kansasflinthills.travel/sites/santa_fe_trail_sites_council_grove
Last Chance Store (CG #10):
Location: at the corner of Main St. (Highway 56) and Chatauqua St., at the west end of the Council Grove business district.
Hours: unrestricted
Historical Significance: Erected by Tom Hill in 1857, the Last Chance Store was, for a brief period of time, the last opportunity for freighters bound for Santa Fe to pick up supplies for their journey, hence its name. It is also the oldest commercial building in Council Grove. For several years, the building housed post office facilities, and it also served as a government trading house and polling place. The store has become known as the most famous (but not the largest or most important) trading site in Council Grove during the Trail years. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places
Available Facilities: The privately owned building remains near its original state today.
Exhibits: There is an historical marker on the property.
To learn more: kansasflinthills.travel/sites/last_chance_store
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