Near Gove City in Gove County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Smoky Hill Trail
1865
| | Butterfield Overland Despatch | |
Photographed by Steve Renich, May 9, 2026
1. BOD Marker
Butterfield Overland
Despatch
Atchison to Denver
Traversed by Gen Fremont 1844
First Denver Stagecoach 1859
Most Dangerous Overland Route
Retraced and Mapped by
Howard C Raynesford Ellis Kansas
Marker Placed 1963
Erected 1963.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Exploration • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1844.
Location. 38° 47.345′ N, 100° 45.776′ W. Marker is near Gove City, Kansas, in Gove County. It is on County Road 16 2.1 miles north of County Road E, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Grinnell KS 67738, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, on the prairies, on the Great Plains, on the Southern Plains, and specifically on the High Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Monument Rocks Chalk Pyramids (approx. 0.4 miles away); El Cuartelejo Archeology (approx. 11.3 miles away); El Cuartelejo (approx. 11.3 miles away); Plains Apache at El Cuartelejo (approx. 11.3 miles away); Pueblo Floor Plan (approx. 11.3 miles away); El Quartelejo (approx. 11.3 miles away); Steele Memorial (approx. 11½ miles away); a different marker also named El Quartelejo (approx. 13.3 miles away).
More about
this page online
Additional commentary.
1. Howard C. Raynesford and the BOD
The person most responsible for the marking of the Butterfield Overland Despatch (BOD) route in Kansas is Howard C. Raynesford. For over three decades Raynesford identified in the field the route of the stage line and the forts and stage stations along the route. His work culminated in the Kansas Legislature approving Statute 68-1017 in 1963 authorizing the marking of the Smoky Hill Trail in Kansas, which was also used by the BOD. From Kanopolis to the Colorado state line 138 limestone posts in concrete bases were erected on every graded road that crossed the trail. For more information on Howard Raynesford and his work on the BOD, see the Smoky Hill Trail Association's webpage on Mr. B.O.D. - Howard C. Raynesford.
— Submitted March 9, 2016.
Photographed by Duane Hall, October 7, 2010
2. BOD Marker
Photographed by Duane Hall, October 7, 2010
3. Route of the Smoky Hill Trail and the BOD Stage Line
Photographed by Duane Hall, October 7, 2010
4. The BOD Marker is a 1/4 Mile South of the Monument Rocks
Monument Rocks is the nation's first National Natural Landmark
Photographed by Steve Renich, May 9, 2026
5. BOD Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 9, 2016, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 10,483 times since then and 97 times this year. Last updated on June 1, 2026, by Steve Renich of Salina, Kansas. Photos: 1. submitted on May 31, 2026, by Steve Renich of Salina, Kansas. 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 9, 2016, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. 5. submitted on May 31, 2026, by Steve Renich of Salina, Kansas. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Closeup photo of marker text inscribed on the front face of the marker's concrete base. • Can you help?
