Cañon City record., 1910-06-16

If the complete history of the Santa
Fe trail could be written 1t would I'LL
volumes as romantic as the tales OF
the Highlands or the Crusades; IL
would tell of battles as thrilling as
Marathon or Bannockburn; of heroes
worthy place with Godfrey OF Bouii-
Ion and Rupert of the Rhine' OF tree-
hooters as bold and reckless as hoolh
Hood. tAnd Claude Duval; OF treasure
laden caravans like those that jour-
neyed to Bagdad in the good old days
Of old; of life and love and death IN
all it's varied phases and IRONS. For
the period of the Santa Fe trall was
the heroic age of the west. The val
lev of the Arkansas is a natural high
way and it may be that when the Is
raelites were wandering in the wilder
ness of Arabia and when Xenopnon
was leading his immortal lo'ooo
across the deserts of Asia, caravans
we're tiling along the big bend of the
Kansas Nile.
Saws Joel Moody: Let it not be
supposed that great landway Is OF re-
cent origin The commerce OF the con-
tinent has no doubt for thousands OF
wears found its way over that path.
The ancient dusky traders took the
copper of Lake Superior, the fine furs
of the colder regions, the antlers ana
skins of the moose and elk, the robes
of the wolf and buffalo and the sacred
red pipe stone out of which they car
we'd the pipe of peace and passing
along this great highway of commerce
to the southern seas, exchanged them
for the gaudy plumage. the precious
stones, the metals, the rich cloth and
breadstuffs of the tropics"
The later indians had many trails;
one led up the Kansas from the mouth.
Another from Council Grove on the
Neosho to the big bend OF the Ark
ansas where it intersected a trail
coming from the north and crossing
the river there Most of the indian
trails on the plains ran north and
south as the tribes followed the buff
falo in their yearly migrations. In
1904 a French trader at Kaskaskia
dispatched a Creole. Lalande. up the
Platte. with directions to push his
way into Santa Fe If possible. He
reached Santa Fe and never returned
The same year Lewis and Clark
crossed the continent by way of the
Missouri and Columbia. In 1905
James Pursley hunter and trapper,
crossed the plains by the Platte route.
In 1906 Zebulon NJ. Pike ascended the
Kansas and Republican fork. reached
the mountains and discovered the
mighty peak which perpetuates his
name.
The route followed was about that
of the later trains SO far as the cross
ing of the Arkansas. From there on
no definite trail was laid out as late
as 1881, each party choosing its own
route and many being lost in the salt
plains of the Cimarron. In 1925 by
act of congress a commission was ap-
pointed to secure right of way from
the indians and lay out a road from
Independence, Missouri, 10 Santa Fe,
New Mexico. A great indian council
was called to meet at certain grove
on the Neosho. The council was held
in the fall OF 1925 and the place has
ever since been known as Council
Grove. The indians agreed to let
trains pass in peace and Major Sib-
ley marked the road as far as the
Arkansas by raising earthen mounds.
But the trains continued to follow
the accustomed trail. In 1927. mil
itary escort. commanded by Major
Riley was sent with train.