Jump to Navigation

National and State Registers of Historic Places

Boyd's Ranch Site & the Pawnee Fork Crossing (Dry Route)

Picture of property Address Restricted
Larned vicinity (Pawnee County)
Listed in National Register Jul 17, 2013

Architect: N/A
Category: transportation
Thematic Nomination: Historic Resources of the Santa Fe Trail (Amended 2013)

Both the Pawnee Fork Crossing and Boyd's Ranch were located along the 1859 branch of the Dry Route of the Santa Fe Trail. The Dry Route is named as such because it was a route along the trail that provided few stops along the way for water. The crossing was used by travelers headed to Fort Larned and by mail wagons and stagecoaches, who preferred the shorter route. The popularity of this crossing and its location near Fort Larned, which was established in 1859, eventually led to the establishment of a road ranch in 1865. At his ranch, A. H. Boyd provided provisions to hunters in the area and built a wooden bridge at the crossing that he turned into a toll bridge. It was nominated for its significance in the areas of transportation, commerce, and social history, and it has the potential to yield additional important information related to trail ranches and crossings.



New Search