Santa Fe Trail Marker #1

This is the first of 96 markers created by the Kansas Chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution from 1906 to 1908 to mark the route of the Santa Fe Trail through Kansas. This stone marker was dedicated during a ceremony on Decoration Day (May 30) in 1907. Overland Park had been founded just two years earlier as a streetcar suburb. Today, the stone is located at the southeast corner of Santa Fe Drive and 80th Street. Two modern interpretive historical signs created by the National Park Service complement the stone and provide information on the history of the trail.

One of the tenets of the Daughters of the American Revolution is “To perpetuate the memory of the spirit of men and women who achieved American Independence, by the acquisition and protection of historical spots, and the erection of monuments.” However, there being no sites even remotely associated with the American Revolution in the State of Kansas, the four Kansas chapters of the D.A.R. had long pondered how they would follow this mission. They made modest contributions to some local projects, such as the Zebulon Pike monument in Republic County, Kansas. but hadn’t spearheaded a project of their own. At the state conference in 1902, it was proposed that they mark the route of the Santa Fe Trail through Kansas, a project made official in 1903. Since its abandonment in 1872, much of the route had been forgotten or covered up by modern roads, farms, and towns. The State of Kansas had lost the Santa Fe Trail, so it was up to the Daughters of the American Revolution to find its exact route.

Over the next few years, a historical committee of D.A.R. volunteers consulted old maps and interviewed original settlers to ascertain the original route of the trail. As soon as people heard of the project, they received many letters from locals offering to help. Their assistance was invaluable, especially in the western section, where the trail split into northern and southern branches. There were many differences of opinion about the exact route in places, and direct testimonies had to be reconciled with maps and physical surveys. From their research, the Kansas D.A.R. commissioned their own map detailing the route through each county. By 1904, the D.A.R. was ready to petition the state legislature for funding. They consulted with other women's clubs in all the communities through which the trail passed to determine the best locations for markers. They settled on a size and format for the markers, a bronze plaque on a red granite boulder sourced from Oklahoma. Their inspiration was the Santa Fe Trail marker in Kansas City, Missouri’s Penn Valley Park. In the end, because of cost concerns, they opted to chisel the same inscription on the face of each monument.

The eventual appropriation of $1000 from the state was far too small to support the 96 markers the D.A.Ry planned. They budgeted $20 per marker for construction, freight charges, concrete foundations, and installment costs. This also assumed a volunteer crew of men at each location to provide the labor for installment. The D.A.R. appealed to Kansas school children and asked that they each donate a penny to the cause. This raised another $700. A few private individuals also sponsored the stones in their communities, and Douglas County paid for its five stones. Private donations provide the balance of funding.

Similar efforts funded the dedication of the markers, which were delivered and dedicated throughout 1907 and early 1908. A team of workers was arranged ahead of time in each community to receive and install the stone at the prescribed location. Each dedication was a cause for celebration for the various communities. In all, the D.A.R. had successfully delivered and installed 96 stone trail markers across the entire length of the Santa Fe Trail in Kansas.

This stone is Number 1 of 96 and was installed on Decoration Day (May 30), 1907. The ceremony included speakers and Johnson County residents who had once worked as freighters on the trail. Overland Park was founded two years after the dedication of this stone. Today, the stone is the centerpiece of a small historical plaza created by the city at the southeast corner of Santa Fe Drive and 80th Street. Two interpretive signs created by the National Parks Service compliment the stone and provide historical information about the Santa Fe Trail.

"To Unveil a Trail Marker." Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) May 28th, 1907. .1.

Cordry, Mrs. T.A.. The Story of the Marking of the Santa Fe Trail. Topeka, KS. Crane & Company, 1915.