When we road trip, we are usually sleeping in a different place each night. Throw in exhaustion from the previous day's activities on top of disorientation from only being semi-conscious, and it's almost guaranteed that I will narrowly miss bashing my face into a wall as I try to find my way to the bathroom in the dark without my glasses. Today I woke up in the middle of the night especially confused, thinking that we were home because the winds were howling outside just like the Santa Anas in Southern California.
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| Hang on! |
From 1821-1880, the Santa Fe Trail served as a critical overland route for commerce between Independence, MO and Santa Fe, and from there further into Mexico. The addition of territory in the Southwest following the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), as well as the gold rushes of 1849 (California) and 1858-59 (Colorado), brought more traffic to the trail, and with it, increased tensions and conflict with the Native American tribes in the surrounding area. Warriors from several Plains Indians tribes (Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, and Cheyenne) occasionally attacked wagon trains transporting goods, mail, and travelers on the trail. In response, the U.S. Army constructed a series of forts along the Santa Fe Trail in order to provide troops as military escorts.
In October 1859, a post was established near the trail's halfway point on the bank of the Pawnee River about five miles from where it joins the Arkansas River. The following year, a more permanent sod-and-adobe fort was built farther west and named for Col. Benjamin F. Larned, U.S. Army Paymaster-General (1854-1862). As "Guardians of the Santa Fe Trail", troops from Fort Larned worked together with troops from Fort Union and Fort Lyon on both the Cimarron and Mountain branches of the trail. The fort also served as a key military post during the Indian wars from 1859-1868 and as an agency of the Indian Bureau, distributing annuities of clothing, staples, and other necessities.
In 1868, the construction of stone and timber buildings around the parade ground was completed. Nine of these are still standing today and have been restored to their historic appearance. Fort Larned National Historic Site is the best-preserved fort from the Indian Wars period.
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| From left: barracks (visitor center), barracks/post hospital, and shops building |
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| Company officers' quarters, commanding officer's quarters, company officers' quarters |
After getting my passport stamps, we spent about an hour going through the exhibits in the visitor center and watching the park film. The exhibits were really well done! As usual, I took pictures of everything so that I can go back and read them more thoroughly later. Then we headed out to walk the grounds and check out the buildings.
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| Barracks |
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| View of the fort from the post cemetery |
We were a day too early for the Memorial Day weekend living history event, but we were able to chat with the volunteer getting the oven ready to bake bread. He said that he would have to tend the fire through the night to bring it up to the proper temperature. Imagine baking enough loaves to supply 275 soldiers each with a loaf of bread every day!
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| Wood-fired oven in the bakery in the shops building |
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| Commissary |
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| Wagons ho! |
We finished our visit around 11:00AM. On our way back to the car, we saw these hawks having a great time just gliding around on the strong winds. Pretty cool!
Units: 20
Stamps: 56
Regions: 2
Our next two stops were not national park units, but when will we ever get another chance to see...
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| The World's Largest Ball of Sisal Twine in Cawker City, KS |
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| Started in 1953, it now measures 8,507,430 feet (46 feet in circumference) and weighs 27,017 pounds |
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| Looking east down KS-191 |
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| Township Hall |
Founded in 1877, Nicodemus was the first western town built by and for black settlers. Seeking a better life outside of the post-Civil War, Reconstruction-era South, residents were recruited to the frontier from Kentucky. By the mid-1880s, the determined settlers had transformed Nicodemus into a prosperous town. However, when the railroad bypassed them, the town population began to decline. The Great Depression and the drought of the Dust Bowl years sealed their fate. As of the 2020 census, the population of Nicodemus was 14.
Established in 1996, Nicodemus NHS partners with the residents of Nicodemus to preserve and interpret the five remaining historic structures: St. Francis Hotel, African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, First Baptist Church, Nicodemus School District No. 1 Building, and Nicodemus Township Hall. From the visitor center, we walked past the hotel and turned the corner to check out the A.M.E. church at the end of the block. After seeing what was inside, we headed back to the Township Hall to get our car and drive out to the school before continuing on our way.
It was really interesting to watch the short films in the visitor center. Many of the people featured in the videos descended from the town's original founding families. Among the stories they shared, I enjoyed hearing them reminiscing about the Township Hall, which not only served as the local government building but also functioned as a social/community center with dances and roller skating.
I was also sad to learn about how the railroad's choice of route impacted Nicodemus. While it is not documented, my first thought was whether or not racism was a factor in that decision. Considering that there is a dugout east of Nicodemus which was used for overnight shelter when traveling to/from Stockton, a sundown town, I don't think it's a stretch to come to that conclusion.
Units: 21
Stamps: 57
Regions: 2
From Nicodemus, we drove 90 minutes west on US-24 to Colby, KS where we found Jesus...
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| ...in a wheat field on a billboard |
Instead of getting a hotel room in Colby, we decided to go about 40 miles farther and stay in Goodland, KS to shave off some time from our drive tomorrow morning. Even though we're still in Kansas, we gained an hour back by crossing into the Mountain time zone, which gave us a reasonable amount of time to check in and still find someplace to eat dinner. Highly recommend L & T Family Restaurant!
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| 400 miles, 7 hours |
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