 Logo Indicates
Certified Santa Fe National Historic Trail Sites
Sites on the National Register of Historic Places are noted (NRHP)
National Historic Landmarks are noted (NHL)
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| Santa Fe Trail Site
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Description
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Ralph's Ruts
19K
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These ruts are 4 miles west of Chase on US Highway 56, then .75
mile north on the Ralph Hathaway Farm. The seven parallel trail ruts are some of
the finest examples of pristine Trail remains any place along the entire route.
Visitors to the site have an easy access, a turnout for parking and a Daughters
of the American Revolution (DAR) marker to point out the location. |
| Plum Buttes
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The Plum Buttes were 4 miles west of Chase, Kansas,
on US Highway 56, one mile north on a gravel road, then one mile west. Plum
Buttes referred to several, very large sand dunes that were covered with
plum bushes. These highly visible dunes became landmarks for travelers on
the Santa Fe Trail who sought to avoid the soft, sandy and nearly impassable
soils along the Arkansas River. Plum Buttes was a favorite nooning spot on
the trail and because it was the only landmark in the vicinity, it was often
used as a reference point. The last dune, still visible in the 1880s, had
disappeared because of wind erosion by 1900. |
| Gunsight Notch and Ruts
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Extending westerly from Ralph's Ruts, the ruts continue
on intermittently for another 2 miles, where they form the spectacular
Gunsight Notch, a ridge worn away by 60 years of commercial and military
traffic. |
| Walnut Creek Crossing (NRHP)
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The Walnut Creek Crossing is about 2 miles east
of Great Bend and south of US Highway 56. The crossing included a trading
ranch, a toll bridge and a military post. When the creek flooded, wagon trains
would camp on its banks for days waiting to cross. It was one of the first
streams in the region to have a toll bridge. |
| Allison and Booth's Fort or Ranch and Peacock
Ranch Trading Post
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The sites of these small posts are 2 miles east of
Great Bend and south of US Highway 56, near the Walnut Creek Crossing. Allison
and Booth(e) opened a post on the north side of the Trail and east of Walnut
crossing in 1855, in the heart of the Plains Indian lands. They established
trade with the Plains tribes and Trail travelers. Following the deaths of
Allison and Booth, a new stone building was built and operated until 1867,
when the army closed the post for selling arms, ammunition and whiskey
to the Indians. The Indians burned the post a few months later. Today,
only the foundations remain. |
| First Fort Zarah Site
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The first Fort Zarah was established in 1864 to help
protect mail service on the Santa Fe Trail. The fort was about 200 yards
west of the trading ranch on the east side of Walnut Creek. The mail station
and corrals were across Walnut Creek from the fort. The foundations for
this structure have been partially excavated. |
| Second Fort Zarah Site
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The second Fort Zarah is on the north side of US Highway
56, about 2 miles east of Great Bend and about 0.5 mile east of the roadside
park. The second Fort Zarah was built in 1867, about 0.5 mile north of the
first one. This was a more permanent post, composed of a large stone building
with quarters for officers and troops, kitchens, mess halls, storerooms
and other functions. This post was abandoned in 1869 when it was felt that
the Indian threat was not sufficient to warrant a second post so close to
Fort Larned.
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