Frontier Military Historic Byway

Frontier Military Historic Byway. . , Welcome to the Frontier Military Historic Byway, the pivotal corridor of American history where the West expanded and freedom lost and won. , The Frontier Military Historic Byway takes you along the edges of the tectonic plates of American history: between westward migration and Native Americans; settlement and wilderness; and slavery and freedom. It will guide you through some of the sites in which history was played out over the tumultuous mid-19th century-the military bases, battlegrounds, cemeteries, trails, stagecoach stations-and to present-day museums and exhibits that help you learn about these important stories. But, like the rest of the Kansas Byway system, the Frontier Military Historic Byway offers many dimensions-superb wetlands and wildlife habitat, historic towns, a vibrant metropolitan area, and the stories of leading figures in the arts and contemporary culture., History came to this part of the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area in waves. The original inhabitants of this territory were Native American nations including the Osage, Kanza, and Shawnee. The Santa Fe Trail opened the area to travel and traders and Fort Leavenworth, the oldest active military base west of the Mississippi, was established in 1827 to protect this movement. The Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm in Olathe, the last remaining stagecoach stop on the trail, offers a glimpse into the experience of traveling and farming along this famous trail. Federal acts and policies forced eastern Native American tribes westward and established the 95th meridian as the Permanent Indian Frontier a permanent line of separation between white settlement and land reserved for Native American nations. Fort Blair in Baxter Springs and Fort Scott were two of a line of forts created to keep the peace between Native Americans and white migrants, and between competing tribes forced into the same territory. Today's byway traces the path of the military road developed to supply those installations., By the 1850s, the wave of continued white migration encroached on Native American lands in the region and brought about the collapse of the permanent frontier, creating new tensions. The opening of the Kansas territory to settlement in 1854 ushered in the "Bleeding Kansas" era, during which pro- and anti-slavery forces fought for control of Kansas. At Trading Post, you can stand near the site of one of the most notorious events of this violent period, the Marais des Cygne massacre of 1858. Ultimately, the Civil War came to Kansas, and the frontier forts took on new significance. One of the largest cavalry battles of the war took place at Mine Creek near Pleasanton; this important battlefield is well-preserved and open to visitors. , The Frontier Military Historic Byway is more than military history; it's also the story of freedom - slavery, indigenous tribes, and immigration - leading the Byway to be part of the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area. , The lands along the Frontier Military Historic Byway were contested for many years by Native American tribes, pro- and anti-slavery settlers, and soldiers. , Land's Legacy , Storylines of the Kansas Byways With numerous ecotypes, from bottomland hardwood forests to tallgrass prairies, the Land's Legacy along the byway is still visible in places such as the Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge and the Marais des Cygnes Wildlife Area. The area's mineral resources, including coal, also contributed significantly to its development., Bridging the American Divide , Storylines of the Kansas Byways , Military forts first acted as a border against U.S. settlement, but soon they were Bridging the American Divide as trails and settlers came west. New border settlements were epicenters of conflict during the "Bleeding Kansas" period, and they were also important actors during the Civil War and later settlement.