Last updated: August 21, 2026
Place
Wieduwilt Swales (Eighty-Fifth Street Ruts, 85th Street Ruts)
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
7558 East 85th Street, Kansas City, Missouri
Significance:
Visible trail ruts
Designation:
National Register of Historic Places
MANAGED BY:
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
Wieduwilt Swales (85th and Manchester "Three Trails" Trail Segment) are the grassed-over evidence of three historic trails that passed through the area, the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon. Thousands of wagons, carts, livestock, and people traveled on these trails, which created ruts and left deep depressions in the earth. After the traffic stopped, vegetation slowly reclaimed the muddy and barren ground of the trails, creating the swales that are still visible today. The Wieduwilt Swales were created as emigrants traveled up a hill and went around a natural rock outcrop near the north central portion of the 1.22 acre site.
Site Information
Location (7558 East 85th Street, Kansas City, Missouri)
Today, the swales are part of the greater Kansas City area, one of the few urban areas that still contains these 19th century trail reminders.