Santa Fe Trail Marker #7; Palmyra Well

This is the seventh of 96 markers placed by the Kansas chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution from 1906 to 1908, which mark the route of the Santa Fe Trail through the State of Kansas. It was originally placed at the location of the town of Palmyra, a few blocks northeast. However, unlike the installation of many of the other DAR stones, which local newspapers covered, nothing is known about when this stone was placed or who installed it. It was moved in 1983 to this location in front of the Baldwin Jr. High School. The Palmyra Well, an historic site associated with the original town of Palmyra and the Santa Fe Trail, is one block to the east.

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 had made some modest contributions to some local projects such as the Zebulon Pike monument in Republic County, Ks. 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. With much of the former trail lost, the Daughters of the American Revolution worked to rediscover its route, a task made even more difficult by the fact that travelers along the trail often took slightly different paths.

Over the next few years, a 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 sections, where the trail split into northern and southern branches. From their research, they 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 the “women clubs” in all the communities through which the trail passed to determine the best locations for markers. They determined the 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, due to cost constraints, they opted to chisel the same inscription on the face of each monument.        

In the end, the state appropriation of $1000 would prove to be far too little for the 96 markers they planned. They budgeted $20 per marker for construction, freight charges, concrete foundations and installment costs. So 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. The markers were constructed and delivered 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 had installed 96 stone trail markers across the entire length of the Santa Fe Trail in Kansas.

This stone was originally installed at the location of the town of Palmyra, a few blocks northeast of this location. Palmyra was founded in 1854 as a supply and repair stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The town included stores, two blacksmith shops, a harness shop, a wagon shop, a tavern and a hotel. The town well was accessible to trail travelers and was a popular destination. As traffic on the Santa Fee Trail faded, the town eventually faded and its remnants were absorbed by neighboring Baldwin City. Nothing remains of Palmyra today expect for a replica of its post office and the location of the town well, which is an historic site one block east of the DAR marker.

There is little to no information available about the original installation of the stone. It is not mentioned in contemporary newspapers and is mentioned only in passing in the DAR's history of the project, The Story of the Marking of the Santa Fe Trail. It was not included in the Kansas DAR's 1997 survey of the markers but is included in their 2007 survey, although with no historical details. The stone was moved to this location in the 1983 through the efforts of local Baker University alumni Amelia Betts and Katharine Kelley, who also lobbied Douglas County to create the metal historical signs located with each DAR marker in Douglas County.

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

Kelley, Katherine B.. Along the Santa Fe Trail in Douglas County, Kansas: A Brief History of the Seven D.A.R. Marker Sites and Town Sites Along the Route of the Trail in Douglas County, Kansas. Self Published, 1987.

Kansas Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Ninetieth Anniversary Survey of the Santa Fe Trail DAR Markers in Kansas. Topeka, Ks. Kansas Society Daughters of the American Revolution, 1997.

Kansas Society Daughters of the American Revolution. The Century Survey of the Kansas Santa Fe Trail DAR Markers Placed by the Kansas Society Daughters of the American Revolution in 1906. Topeka, Ks. Kansas Society Daughters of the American Revolution, 2010.

Simmons, Mark. Following the Santa Fe Trail, A Guide For Modern Travelers. Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ancient City Press, 1984.

Baldwin City, Kansas, Legends of Kansas. Accessed February 2nd, 2025. https://legendsofkansas.com/baldwin-city-kansas/.