The Oregon, Califonia and Sante Fe Historic Trails are all trails that were well used prior to trains, to bring people to the west. In the 1800's, people were moving west in droves, some for the gold rush, some because of the Homestead Act, and some just because they wanted a different type of life than was offered in the east.

When I was in Kansas City for a conference, I went over to Independence, Missouri to the National Trails Museum, and learned that there were several spots along the trails that were part of an "Auto Tour". Much of the actual historical trail has long since become a road, then a highway - and it really cannot be hiked for a significant way. There are, however, stops along the trail that have been preserved, with historic information available at each site. I set off to find some of these sites, all of which happened to be in Kansas.

I stopped in Olathe, Kansas, which was the first stop for travelers past Independence, Missouri. The people of Independence make the claim that they were the beginning of these trails. The truth is, is that the beginning is wherever that family happened to start. Independence DID have a lot of supplies available, and served as a hub of activity "back in the day", allowing travelers a place to stock up on provisions, etc, before they moved on.

In Olathe, there was a campsite where many many travelers stopped. Today, there is a large park, with information about how the site was used in the 1800s. I also went to Gardner Junction, which was the site where the Santa Fe Trail, California Trail and the Oregon Trail split.

For more information on the trails, the National Park Service has websites at the following locations:

California Trail: https://www.nps.gov/cali/index.htm

Santa Fe Trail: https://www.nps.gov/safe/index.htm

Oregon Trail: https://www.nps.gov/oreg/index.htm

#Kansas