The California Road
Originally a trail through the lands of the Shawnee Indians, running west from Westport through present day Johnson and Douglas Counties, this route was used throughout the 1830's and 1840's by Indians, missionaries, and . . . — — Map (db m50612) HM
The Santa Fe Trail went through two decades of change in the Kansas City area before evolving into it's final form by about 1840. In the early years of that decade it also became the route of the Oregon Trail and California Trail.
1821 - . . . — — Map (db m50679) HM
The Fort Leavenworth Military Road
Created in 1837, this road was originally created to run from Fort Leavenworth south to Fort Gibson in Oklahoma. It was actually part of the route that Congress had designated as the border line of the . . . — — Map (db m50613) HM
Located today at 59th Terrace and Bluejacket in the city of Shawnee, Gum Springs was the site of the Shawnee Indian church and meeting house, as well as the location of several excellent springs, all near the intersection of the Fort Leavenworth . . . — — Map (db m50693) HM
A band of Confederate guerrillas led by William Quantrill corraled the residents of Shawneetown into the square at this site. A majority of the town's buildings and homes were looted and set on fire nearly destroying the town. Thirteen persons were . . . — — Map (db m20512) HM
Richard Williams was born in Tennessee in 1830, son of Judge Arthur Williams. As a young man, Richard came to Johnson County in the 1850s, employed as a surveyor by the U.S. government. During the 1850s and early 1860s, Dick Williams was a . . . — — Map (db m50691) HM
Westport
Westport, along with Independence, was a major outfitting point for the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails. Founded in 1834 by John C. McCoy and platted around the trading post he built the previous year, Westport's early . . . — — Map (db m50723) HM
