Trails across Kansas

Trails across Kansas. . , Kansas is a land of trails. Even before Kansas became a state in 1861, many people and animals traveled through the area. It is the north-south route for migratory birds. Elk and bison cut paths looking for rivers and other water sources. Native Americans followed the game, creating more trails. In 1821 the Santa Fe Trail established a trade route between the United States and Mexico that lasted more than 50 years. Military roads connected Fort Leavenworth to forts in the south and west transporting supplies and troops. In the early 1840s the Oregon Trail extended across the northeast corner of the state. In 1859 and 1860 the short-lived mail delivery service, the Pony Express, rode through Kansas. Following the Civil War, longhorn cattle were driven up the Chisholm Trail to railheads in Kansas., People and animals traveled the flattest and easiest routes. Both always needed a source of water. The Oregon Trail, which passed west of the Potawatomi Mission, paralled rivers across the West. Travelers waiting to cross at Pappan's or Smith's ferries on the Kansas River could have their wagons repaired by the mission blacksmith, Robert Simerwell, and his students.