Main Gallery Exhibits
at the Kansas Museum of History
Forts & Trails
Re-live the exciting stories of the Oregon and Santa Fe trails at the Kansas
Museum of History in Topeka.
You'll see:
- Covered wagon fully stocked with trail supplies (pictured)
- Prairie scene with buffalo and prairie dogs
- Rifle used by a trader on his travels through Kansas
Many trails crisscrossed Kansas in the nineteenth
century. The two most traveled were the Oregon and Santa Fe trails.
The Oregon-California Trail began at the Missouri
River and passed through northeastern Kansas. Over 250,000 people traveled
west on this trail from the early 1840s into the 1860s. Some died on
the 2,000-mile journey; others became discouraged and turned back. Most
pushed on, trying to capture the promise of the American West.
While families traveled the Oregon-California Trail, the Santa
Fe Trail was used mainly by freighters and traders. It crossed
the state diagonally from northeast to southwest. Opened in 1821, the
trail was an important two-way avenue for commerce and cultural exchange
between Santa Fe and the rest of the United States for more than 60
years.
The opening of the Santa Fe Trail brought many teamsters and traders
to Kansas. This met with opposition from the native peoples,
and forts were built to protect commerce along the trail. The primary
role of western forts was to maintain peace among tribes, as well as
between Native Americans and White immigrants. These outposts played
an important role in the U.S. government's Indian policy.
Kansas hosted eight
major forts during American's westward expansion. Today,
some trail ruts and the remains of forts can still be seen on the
Kansas landscape. Fort
Hays is now a museum. Fort Leavenworth is still in
operation, the oldest U.S. Army fort in continuous existence west
of the Mississippi River.
"May 9 . . . [We] met a man that was going back
he had buried his Wife this morning She died from the effects of measels
we have come ten miles today encamped on a small stream called Vermillion
creek Wood and water plenty Their are as many as fifty waggons on this
stream and some thousand head of stock It looks like a village the tents
and waggons extend as much as a mile . . ."
--Lydia Allen Budd, Oregon Trail Diary, 1852
Explore this topic with the Kansas
Forts Book Series.
Hours and Fees
Museum hours are 9:00 a.m.
- 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday.
Closed Mondays and state holidays.
Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for members and seniors, $2 for students,
and $1 per student for school tours.
Information
For information on our facilities, see Visiting
the Kansas Museum of History. Contact us at KansasMuseum@kshs.org.
|
