How to Walk in the Footsteps of the Pioneers at Cimarron National Park
Cimarron National Park is 108,175 acres of grasslands that was once a site of the pioneers heading west ward. Loaded in southwest Kansas, the National Park was once park of Santa Fe Trail this was area was called the Cimarron cut off which took pioneers through the Comanche territories but to a reliable water source.
The trail below was created by wagon wheels but is great hiking trail for us today.
The Point of Rocks is the first place that I stopped which is a cliff that overlooks the Santa Fe Trail. The rock does not look like much about a half mile out but it is a great place to look out at the sea of grass
The Santa Fe Trail was active between 1821 to 1880.
The area would change from a road for merchandise to farmers. This area was once part of the dust bowl of the 1920’s which once again sent settlers to greener pastures.
Middle Spring is just about a mile down the way. This is the site of camping for the wagon train while they were getting water for the next leg, getting their teams watered and feed, and having a break from the trail. It would be a rest stop along the highway or a gas station for us today.
Olive Oil was the Queen of the Prairie for the day. Standing on a picnic table which is the only way she was taller then the grass. Over head, large birds where just waiting for me to turn away so that could invite my Little Rat to dinner.
All around you can see for miles but so few trees. It is just this sea of grass. If there is no wind, you can see movement through the grass as a rabbit, fox, or other small animal makes their way through it. But you have to look closely.
This was the first watering hole after Arkansas which was 18 miles away. During the summer, it is intensely hot and the water is very low but it was water. Visiting is best in the fall or early spring as you can follow the trail for a mile to the Point of Rocks. Bring lots of water! This hike is only about a half of a mile but in the heat it can feel a lot longer.
The Cimarron Route was an alternate route of the Santa Fe Trail. It was flatter and easier for heavy wagon to cross then the ordinal Santa Fe mountain route but it was shorter with a 70 mile waterless stretch.
Most wagon trains would do between 10 and 20 miles a day which depended on weather, if someone broke down, and other factors. Other factors included that many people would not travel on a Sunday as it was the day of rest for many religions people.
If you like to fish, bring your pool and get a license as about a mile down the way is Point of Rocks fishing pond. I believe this is man made but still a great place to spend some time and get dinner for the night.
It was cold out and I was just pasting by but if you have a few hours, take the 30 mile auto tour of the Sea of Grass. Next time I am driving through I will. But if it is raining out, then the roads can be a bit hard to get around on. Check the tour at https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd731593.pdf
Brief History
The Santa Fe Trail was and old trail that the Native American would use for trading within among themselves. But in 1792, the French explorer Pedro Vial open it up to Europeans to use for moving pelts and other goods from the North to the South. But it became really popular by William Becknell around 1821.
The trail goes through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. It was used as a trade trail route for goods that were moving from North to South and South to North. But was also use by those settlers who would be joining the Trapper’s and/or Oregon Trail headed West.
The Santa Fe Trail was a challenging 900 mile trail with dangers terrain, wild life, bandits, and Native Americans attacks. But the trade was so great and those pioneers going west for cheap land, adventure, and gold would take the risk. The trail became so heavy traveled that the bison were cut off from their summer pastures which helped lead to them become almost extinct.
Many of the wagon trails would be taking supplies and goods to from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico. But even more would be taking new pioneers to the Oregon Trail which took pioneers to the west coast. The pioneers would pick up the trail and head to Independence, Missouri for them to start on the Oregon Trail or other trails headed West.
The Santa Fe Trail would stay popular until the railroad took over. But the Santa Fe Trail would lead many settlers to areas around it for farming as time went by. It was used extensively during the Civil War and the Mexican American War to transport goods and troops. Today, it is just a trail that once was but many main roads and highway line the areas that was once the trail.
Books
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The Santa Fe Trail has so many wonderful books but I am just going to put two here which can both be found for free as they where written so long ago.
Down the Santa Fe Trail and into New Mexico: the Dairy of Susan Shelby Magoffin who was a 18 year old newlywed from a wealth family that keeps a dairy of her trip. You can also read it free here. It is a bit harder then a book but it is in the public domain because the copyright has been expired.
Gregg Commerce of the Prairies: or, Journal of a Sante Fe Trader, 1831 to 1839 was published in 1844. It is his journal about his travels on the Santa Fe Trail and living in Northern Mexico. You can also read it here for free as it is in the Library of Congress.
I like the two books above. But I am into reading different journals or diaries of people about things. Plus I will be visiting different place on the trail and will add different ones to those.