The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-07-18
WE&RN TRAIL
| BEING MARKED
LasAonument On Santa fe
Route Is Unveiled
RRLLS HISTORIC DAYS
Dendants of Kit Carson Present at
he observation-disclosures In
aueurated BY Kansas Dauah-
tiers of the Revolution.

beka Correspondence of the New York
bgu.
Pie last of the 100 monuments and
fdkers along the old Santa Fe trail
fn Kansas City, No., to Trinidad, Col,
WI recently unveiled at the latter place.
Tf descendants of Kit Carson, name
TIT will always be associated with this
oee great highway of the plains over
Vich the commerce of the southwest
PISSED, assisted In unwilling the monu-
fnt In the center of the business district
Trinidad. Granite markers are now
faced at intervals of not less than Ave
files along the Santa Fe trail through
he states of Kansas and Colorado, and
Ill that remains to finish the work Is
limilar action on the part of the state
bf Missouri and the territory of New
Mexico. Within a few years at most the
work of marking the trail will have been
completed from its beginning at indie
| pendence, Mo-, to Its end at the historic
| plaza at Santa Re. New Mexico.
The Kansas branch of the Daughters
of the American Revolution inaugurated
the movement several years ago. The
legislature appropriated $1,000 for the
purpose, but as this was not sufficient to
buy the granite monuments at the quar-
ry in Oklahoma 1t was suggested that u
penny collection be taken up In all the
schools of Kansas on January 20, 1906,
the states anniversary. This collection
amounted to about $500. The Atchison
Topeka and Santa BE Railroad company
Offered to deliver the markers free Of
cost to all accessible points on its line.
H., re
county with interest and enthusiasm, and
generally the boards of county commits
sioners and citizens along the 500 miles
of the old trail through Kansas assumed
the expense of setting the monuments,
thus making the money at hand furnish
SO markers between the Missouri border
and the Colorado line. In addition to
these there are at different points on
the trail six special markers paid for by
individual chapters of Daughters or other
local interests, making a total of s5 from
the east to the west line of the state
Markers at FL Moro.
The unwilling of the markers at Trini-
dad and Ell Moro, New Mexico, was an oc-
casion of more than ordinary interest,
as the descendants of Kit Carson par
ticipated in the ceremonies. Both un-
veilings were made In one day, FL Moro
being five miles from Trinidad. Formerly
III MOrO was du lHlpUTldul point On the
trail. but today it Is simply a collection
OF coke ovens operated by the Colorado
Fuel and Iron company. Both Ell Moro
and Trinidad are near the present New
Mexico line, and here the trail turned
south and wound across the Ration noun
tains, where many fights with Indians
took place.
The unwilling of the monument in
Trinidad, near tho Santa Fe railroad
at p6O nf
Carson park, a tract of land given to
the city by Mayor Taylor. who was one
of Kit Carsons most intimate friends In
frontier days. The descendants of Kit
Carson who attended the unwilling were
Kit Carson, Jr., Charles Carson, and q
daughter of Thomas Woods grand
daughter of the scout, all living near
len of Ration, New Mexico, a daughter of
the trail maker.
IN the pioneer days Kit Carson piloted
many caravans of prairie schooners.
Carsons home was at Taos, New Mexico,
and he supervised the work of nearly 100
trappers, ali of whom were expert shots
and intrepid Indians fighters. The trap
ping season lasted from early fall till
late spring. During these months Carson
and his men would be scattered along
the Rocky mountain range to the Cana
dian line. Then they would bring In
their pelts and after cleaning them and
refurnishing their outfits at Taos would
take them to st. Joseph, Mo-, where
Carson would dispose of the furs. After
their furs were sold Carson and his men
would organize into detachments and hire
OUT as guards on the Santa Fee trail.
1t mas been ascertained that in the
single year of 1868 there were 5000
wagons, 618 horses, 0,1S2 oxen, 8046 mules,
9S carriages, and 1910 men engaged in
the freighting business along this
thorougfare, handling over. 900 tons of
freight, the estimated value of which
was s40,000,O00
The monuments which mark the original
course Of the great Santa BE trail
through Kansas are not large, the major
ity of them standing about five feet above
the ground. They are generally of red
granite taken from a quarry in Okla
homa. The tops of these stones are
squared and bear simple inscriptions to
indicate that the trail passed the place
marked. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe railroad follows this once famous
highway from Ellinwood in Barton county
to Cimarron in Gray county, a distance
of more than 100 miles. AT every station
between these points q monument has
been erected.
Point Of Departure.
AZ Independence. Mo-, was the point
of outfit and supply, SO Council Grove
more than 100 miles west, was regarded
as the real point of departure. There
the trains were made up, the captains
and their officers chosen, and the final
preparations made for the journey. The
entire length of the Travelled route from
independence to Santa Fe was $50 miles,
$50 of which were within the present
boundary of Kansas. The traders to
Santa Fe, the Mormons to Desert. the
emigrants to Oregon. the goldseekers to
California, the soldiers Of Kearny to
the Mexican frontier-all began their
toilsome journeys on the Santa Fe trail.
It was estimated that $1,000 persons passed
through eastern Kansas during the years
1870 and 1850.
Two points of great interest on the
old Santa F'e trail in Kansas are Council
Grove and Pawnee Rock. The first
named was the rallying point Of all the
wagon trains bound for the far west. It's
picturesque location in the valley of the
Neosho river is commented upon by
every visitor. The "old bell on the hill''
is still one of the monuments which
mark tho spot where SO many councils
were held during the early days of Kan
sas. At very early day Col. Sam Wood
bought this bell at an unclaimed freight