Last updated: May 20, 2026
Place
Walnut Creek Crossing
NPS Image
Quick Facts
Location:
7 miles west of Ellingwood, Kansas; 1/2 mile south of Highway 56.
Significance:
A trading post on the Santa Fe Trail.
Designation:
Historic site on the Santa Fe NHT.
OPEN TO PUBLIC:
No
MANAGED BY:
Private
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
Six years before the American Civil War, in 1855, William Allison and Francis Boothe established a trading post along the imposing Arkansas River. This crossing came to be known as Walnut Creek Crossing, an important milestone on the Santa Fe Trail. Wagons would often be forced to stop and set up camp along the river banks to wait out flooding. Allison and Boothe saw this site as the perfect spot for a trading post to sell essentials to wagon trains and Native Americans.
This “ranche” was a large building made of logs. It was the first attempt at building by Americans west of Council Grove. The Walnut Creek Crossing had several owners over the years.
You can still visit the Walnut Creek Crossing, to this day. The site is located in Great Bend (Barton County), south of Highway 56. All that is left today at the site is the foundation of the store.
Site Information
Location (7 miles west of Ellingwood, Kansas; 1/2 mile south of Highway 56)