Fort Larned National Historic Site, the Santa Fe Trail

Santa Fe Trail Ruts at Fort Larned National Historic Site

Photo/NPS

Quick Facts

Location:

6 miles west of Larned on US Route 156

Significance:

Home of the Guardians of the Santa Fe Trail, Fort Larned provides a window into the complex world of the Great Plains in the tumultuous nineteenth century

Designation:

National Register of Historic Places; National Park Service National Historic Site

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

In operation from 1859 to 1878, Fort Larned was one of several frontier forts built to watch over vital transportation routes like the Santa Fe Trail. In addition to heat, cold, illness, starvation, and dehydration, trail travelers also had to contend with the Kiowa, Apache, Comanche, Arapaho, and Cheyenne nations who lived along the trail; as traffic increased during the nineteenth, so did violence. Although Fort Larned brought a military presence to the middle of the Santa Fe Trail, it also served as an important site for diplomatic negotiations. 

Site Information

Location (6 miles west of Larned on US Route 156)

Safety Considerations

Fort Larned National Historic Site

Santa Fe National Historic Trail