Near Lawrence in Douglas County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Lawrence and the Old Trails
Photographed By William J. Toman, May 6, 2017
1. Lawrence and the Old Trails Marker
Inscription.
Lawrence and the Old Trails. . Between Lawrence and Topeka, the Kansas turnpike passes near the route of the old Oregon-California Trail, traveled in the 1800s by explorers, missionaries, soldiers, emigrants in search of land, and forty-niners in search of gold. Fifteen miles south of here was the Santa Fe Trail, which for more than 50 years served mainly as a trail of trade and commerce. From the Missouri River it was some 2,000 miles to Oregon and California and around 800 to Santa Fe, following trails established centuries earlier by Native Americans. Tribes living in this area during the 1800s included the Delaware, Kaw, Kickapoo, Shawnee, and Wyandot. , Travelers often stopped in Lawrence after its establishment in 1854. The town became famous as a free-state headquarters in the territorial fight over slavery, with some of its more prominent citizens helping to transport slaves to freedom along the underground railroad. Proslavery men responded in 1856 by sacking the town and destroying the newspaper office. Lawrence underwent its greatest trial in 1863 when Confederate guerillas led by William C. Quantrill burned the town and killed more than 150 men and boys. Lawrence soon rebuilt, and is home to the University of Kansas and the Haskell Indian Nations University.
Between Lawrence and Topeka, the Kansas turnpike passes near the route of the old Oregon-California Trail, traveled in the 1800s by explorers, missionaries, soldiers, emigrants in search of land, and forty-niners in search of gold. Fifteen miles south of here was the Santa Fe Trail, which for more than 50 years served mainly as a trail of trade and commerce. From the Missouri River it was some 2,000 miles to Oregon and California and around 800 to Santa Fe, following trails established centuries earlier by Native Americans. Tribes living in this area during the 1800s included the Delaware, Kaw, Kickapoo, Shawnee, and Wyandot.
Travelers often stopped in Lawrence after its establishment in 1854. The town became famous as a free-state headquarters in the territorial fight over slavery, with some of its more prominent citizens helping to transport slaves to freedom along the underground railroad. Proslavery men responded in 1856 by sacking the town and destroying the newspaper office. Lawrence underwent its greatest trial in 1863 when Confederate guerillas led by William C. Quantrill burned the town and killed more than 150 men and boys. Lawrence soon rebuilt, and is home to the University of Kansas and the Haskell Indian Nations University.
Erected by Kansas State Historical Society & Kansas
Location. 39° 1.138′ N, 95° 8.242′ W. Marker is near Lawrence, Kansas, in Douglas County. Marker is on Interstate 70 at milepost 209, in the median. The marker is in the Lawrence turnpike service area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lawrence KS 66044, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 6, 2017. It was originally submitted on May 6, 2017, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 411 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on May 6, 2017, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin.