Beginning in 1858 with Pike's Peak Gold Rush, a Native American trail along the Smoky Hill River provided the shortest route through Kansas, though often not the safest. This "Smoky Hill Trail" became the path for the Butterfield Overland Despatch . . . — — Map (db m200978) HM
Beginning in the 1870s, homesteaders began to settle near present-day WaKeeney. Most came to farm, though others established ranches, raising cattle, sheep, and pigs. However, homesteading in western Kansas was never easy, the extreme weather often . . . — — Map (db m200980) HM
During settlement, few trees stood in the Smoky Valley making lumber an expensive building material. Because of the difficulty and expense of acquiring lumber and planting trees, settlers turned to other, more readily available materials like sod . . . — — Map (db m200979) HM
This region of Kansas contains the Smoky Hills, an area of rolling hills, occasional mesas, and buttes, with striking outcroppings. Pawnee Rock, Coronado Heights, and Rock City are notable Dakota sandstone formations in this region. The Smoky Hills . . . — — Map (db m55318) HM
Thin black lines indicate changes in relevance. Between each pair of lines entries are ordered geographically but all have the same relevance.
* Inflectional forms of words are their plurals, singulars, and possessives as well as gramatical tenses and similar variations.
