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 Santa Fe Trail - Howell Trail Ruts Posted by:  iconions
N 37° 47.461 W 100° 11.775
14S E 394673 N 4183302
This is a two mile section of Santa Fe Trail Ruts located 1/2 mile west of Howell, Kansas on US-50. Site has been listed as a Historic Landmark.
Waymark Code: WM598G
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 11/30/2008
Views: 23
The Santa Fe Trail Ruts located 9 miles west of Dodge City, Kansas
are remains of the once major thoroughfare of westward expansion. Much of the remains have been lost, However, a splendid specimen of some approximate 140 acres have been preserved by the Boothill Association. This section contains a major arch of the trail as it curved across the Kansas countryside. Also on this parcel are several separate sections of the ruts. The ruts at this point stretch some 400 feet in width. When one of the ruts would become too deep, wagons would be shifted and new troughs would be dug into the earth.
There have been a number of intrusions which have severed the trail in various locations. These intrusions include U.S. 50, a railroad and irrigation ditch built in the 1890 f s which winds back and forth across the ruts. Cattle grazing on the ruts have also greatly impaired sections of the trail.
In addition to the above mentioned intrusions, the Arkansas River has shifted as much as half a mile to the south from its original channel. Despite these alterations in the historic scene, the well defined ruts retain a great deal of their historic integrity.
- National Register Application
Road of Trail Name: Santa Fe Trail
State: Kansas
County: Ford
Historical Significance:
Some of the best preserved trail ruts in western Kansas.
Years in use: 1822 to 1880
How you discovered it:
I started following a book called "Following the Santa Fe Trail - A Guide for Modern Travellers" This guidebook gives the locations of the significant sites of the trail and the background stories. It is a good read even if you aren't following the trail.
Book on Wagon Road or Trial:
Following the Santa Fe Trail - A Guide for Modern Travellers by Marc Simmons and Hal Jackson
Website Explination:
Following the Santa Fe Trail - A Guide for Modern Travellers by Marc Simmons and Hal Jackson
Why?:
From the National Park Service website:
http://www.nps.gov/safe/historyculture/index.htm
Between 1821 and 1880, the Santa Fe Trail was primarily a commercial highway connecting Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. From 1821 until 1846, it was an international commercial highway used by Mexican and American traders. In 1846, the Mexican-American War began. The Army of the West followed the Santa Fe Trail to invade New Mexico. When the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war in 1848, the Santa Fe Trail became a national road connecting the United States to the new southwest territories. Commercial freighting along the trail continued, including considerable military freight hauling to supply the southwestern forts. The trail was also used by stagecoach lines, thousands of gold seekers heading to the California and Colorado gold fields, adventurers, fur trappers, and emigrants. In 1880 the railroad reached Santa Fe and the trail faded into history.
Directions:
This turnout is approximately 1/2 mile west of Howell, Kansas on US-50. It is on the North side of the highway.
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Visit Instructions:
To post a log for this Waymark the poster must have a picture of either themselves, GPSr, or mascot. People in the picture with information about the waymark are preferred. If the waymarker can not be in the picture a picture of their GPSr or mascot will qualify. There are no exceptions to this rule.
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