In 1865 David Butterfield opened the 592-mile long Smoky Hill route from Atchison, Kansas to Denver, Colorado. His new line cut nearly tow days from the Platte River route used by most freighters. The first wagon train along Butterfield's route left . . . — — Map (db m77907) HM
First called Camp Pond Creek, Fort Wallace was established in 1865. The fort served as the headquarters for troops given the task of protecting travelers headed west along the Smoky Hill Trail to the Denver gold fields. Fort Wallace was the . . . — — Map (db m77906) HM
When the Kansas Territory was created in 1854, it stretched all the way to the Rocky Mountains. The current state boundary, a few miles west of here, took effect in 1861 when Kansas was admitted into the Union and the Colorado Territory was . . . — — Map (db m77900) HM
