Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-04
TALES OF THE SANTA FEE TRAIL AND OTHER
ROUTES OF THE PIONEER ARE RECALLED

| NOO I'D UT 1IIE i N
In this issue The Courier resumes a
series of interesting letters written by
James King of Ottumwa, treating on
the Santa Fee trail and some Of the
famous overland routes by which the
pioneer crossed the country in the
early days. The vividness of the pic
lures as drawn by Mr.. King is due to
the fact that the writer tells of his
own actual experiences and recounts
happenings that actually took place.
tells of persons and places he saw and
knew and through it all injects enough
of real life to make 1t worth while to
the reader. A former letter by Mr..
King dealt generally with the trails
and life on the plains. The present
series will deal more specifically with
overland trains and incidents of the
life on the frontier as it was half a
century ago. Mr.. Kings letter fol-
lows:
In my note nj your issue of May 10.
l did not dwell on the Santa Fee trail
beyond the Arkansas river, hence
will give you few lines on conditions
along that famous trail in later years.
When was mustered out of the
service at Fort Leavenworth In Sep
TENDER, 1865. my parents lived In Law
renee, and there went taking the
stage from Leavenworth City l ar
rived home on Thursday evening and
went to work for my father the fol-
lowing Monday. Father who was a
civil engineer was employed In the
construction of the Kansas Pacific
railroad from Kansas to Denver The
road was complete to Lawrence so far
as the supply trains were concerned
but don't remember If passenger
traffic had commenced on the road or
not. worked but short time with
father as / had come out of the army
a living skeleton from fever contract
ed while doing picket duty in the
White and Cash river country near
Duvalls Bluff, Ark. Our family doc
tor said | had better make a trip to
the mountains. To this father and
mother readily agreed and / was soon
in the employment of an outfit loading
at Lawrence and bound for the Santa
Fe. If my memory serves me right
the outfit was owned or at least t1nanc-
ed by the old and reliable firm OF
Lankers, Clark and Gruber of Leaven-
worth.
The outfit. consisted of forty wagons
each being drawn by four mules. We
were loaded with miscellaneous mer-
chandise, eight wagons being loaded
with eleven barrels each of high
wines, each one of which made twenty
two barrels of Mexican whisky and
sold for fifty cents smell or seventy
five cents swallow in Mexico. We
rendezvOused on Wakarusha creek
just outside of Lawrence. In due time
we started going southwest and struck
the Santa Fee trail at Ridgeway, Kan.
We followed the same route as In SO
and in due time reached Council
Grove where some four mules were cut
out and good stock purchased and all
were sharp shod. We were issued
Spencer carbines being seven shooters
the same as we had in the army. Our
wagon master was an old free state
man and an ardent friend of Captain
Allen whom have already mentioned.
We were Joined here by large outfit
belonging to Sueseberry and Stem
mons Of Leavenworth, consisting OF
twenty prairie schooners, each being
drawn by eight yoke of oxen. and also
by smaller outfit from Independence,
Mo. Each outfit had contingent of
loose or extra stock. We had a relay
Of fourteen mules and four good sad
die horses. The entire outfit was
bound for Santa Fe.
Our first camp was twelve mile
ranch and the next remember was
Diamond Springs and the next was
Cottonwood. This was relay station
for the overland stage and got long
letter there from my parents. UP TO
this time we had been travelling with
one of the OK trains In the lead and
our wagon master at this point de-
tached our outfit from the others and
took the lead, and when we camped
that night we were five miles further
over the trail than the OK trains. Our
wagon master had chart of the trail
showing the different watering places
and good camping grounds and we had
to make our drives accordingly. We
reached Running Turkey about 10 p.
m. Running Turkey at this time was
an extensive relay station for the
overland mail. It was kept by man
named CASTILLO who did an extensive
business in time of peace with the
Indians.
Promptly at 2 o'clock the next morn
ing the overland stages from the east
and from the west came rumbling into
the station. The passengers from the
west reported all quiet SO far as In
dams were concerned along the entire
route and the driver from the east re-
ported the OK trains two days drive
east. The wagon master and myself
were sleeping in room next to the
main room which constituted ONCE
postoffice. bar-room and lounging room.
We got up and mingled freely with the
passengers and I wrote letter to my