Historic Trails in KC - Santa Fe, Oregon and California National Historic Trails

The Santa Fe, Oregon and California National Historic Trails all run through the Kansas City area. On Monday, I toured some of the historic sites with the President of the Santa Fe Trail Association. Many of the sites were near where I grew up and where my parents live now.

We first visited Minor Park and to view some of the trail swales by Red Bridge. I grew up biking in Minor Park and had never realized the trail history. I had to ask what a "swale" was - it's the remnants of where the trail went through! We drove by some sights near the old Bannister Mall (now demolished) and Hickman Mills H.S. (now closed). It was a drive down memory lane for me. We then drove to Olathe and saw where the people would camp after a 1-2 days journey after stocking their wagons at the trading post in Westport (now Kelly's Bar!).

We visited Gardner, KS, where the Santa Fe trail splits from the Oregon/California trails.

Map: Trail sites in KC. Minor Park, Red Bridge Crossing, Lone Elm Campground and others.

Map: Santa Fe Trail. "In 1821, the Santa Fe Trail became America’s first great international commercial highway, and for nearly sixty years thereafter was one of the nation’s great routes of adventure and western expansion." - Santa Fe Trails site.

I'm excited to learn more about trail history in Missouri, Kansas and beyond. You can learn more, too, at the Santa Fe Trails Association, Oregon/California Trails Association and Partnership for the National Trails System sites. Or if you're in KC, you can visit some of the sites for yourself!