Last updated: March 23, 2024
Place
New Santa Fe Cemetery Trail Ruts
Photo/NPS
Quick Facts
Location:
122nd Street and State Line Road, Kansas City, MO
Significance:
The Santa Fe, Oregon, and California national historic trails (NHTs) passed through New Santa Fe.
Designation:
National Register of Historic Places; Certified Site
MANAGED BY:
When William Becknell and his party made their consequential first trip on the Santa Fe Trail, it is likely that they passed through the New Santa Fe area, and perhaps crossed the ruts that are still visible in the New Santa Fe Cemetery. Located at the westernmost border of the US, New Santa Fe (now part of Kansas City, MO) was a gateway to the adventure and challenges of trail travel.Thus, the area was a significant transition point on the trail. It was a place for outfitting and loading for travel west. It was also a place where goods and silver from Santa Fe could be unloaded and distributed.
When emigrant traffic began to grow in the 1840’s, trails to Oregon and California shared this path with the Santa Fe Trail. Thus, these trail swales saw not only heavy commercial traffic, but significant emigration traffic. Because it was, for several years, the last stop in the US, it was an important milestone for those leaving behind what they knew for a chance at a new life. After the discovery of gold in 1848, many “49ers” also used this path on their way to find wealth in the gold fields.
By the late 1840’s, a stage stop on this route called “New Santa Fe” offered several amenities: a post office, two general stores, an inn, a shoe shop, drugstore, blacksmith, and saloon. Seeing the success of the area, Dabney Lipscomb platted the town of New Santa Fe in 1851. Conflict on the Missouri-Kansas border in 1860 prior to the Civil War disrupted traffic on the trail and led to a decline in the town.
By the time the New Santa Fe Cemetery was designated as a burial ground in 1880, trail traffic had dissipated, but the ruts may have still served as a road for cemetery visitors. Though the cemetery post-dates significant trail traffic, it helped protect the ruts from the fate faced by most in the area. As Kansas City grew, the town of New Santa Fe was dismantled and replaced by modern development. The swales in the cemetery are a unique historical remnant amongst the surrounding urban environment.
Site Information
Location (122nd Street and State Line Road, Kansas City, MO)
Available Facilities
The New Santa Fe Cemetery now sits in the heart of a residential neighborhood developed in the 1980’s. Spanning the cemetery’s entrance is a delicate metal sign that reads “New Santa Fe.” A historical marker and an informational exhibit sit on either side of the entrance and explain the history and importance of New Santa Fe and the trail ruts. The ruts are met on both sides by burial plots intentionally spaced to leave the ruts undisturbed. The ruts are visible as depressions in the grassy land. The cemetery also features mature trees, and weathered gravestones from the late 1800’s.
More site information
Santa Fe National Historic Trail
Oregon National Historic Trail
California National Historic Trail