A History of Kansas

by Anna E. Arnold

The Starting Point of the Traders. For many years the city of Franklin, on the Missouri River, was the starting point of the traders, the place where they purchased their goods and their outfits. Later, Independence, Missouri, and finally Westport which is now a part of Kansas City, became the emporium of the Santa Fe trade. The tourists and traders began to gather about the first of May for the journey that would begin near the middle of that month.

Supplies Taken. The ordinary supplies to be taken for each man were about fifty pounds of flour, fifty pounds of bacon, ten pounds of coffee, twenty pounds each of sugar, rice, and beans, and a little salt. Anything else was considered an unnecessary luxury and was seldom taken. The buffalo furnished fresh meat for the travelers.

Teams and Wagons. After the first few years horses were little used on the Trail except for riding. A wagon was usually drawn by eight mules or oxen, though some of the larger ones required ten or twelve. The large wagons often carried as much as five thousand pounds of merchandise and supplies. The loading of the wagons for a journey of nearly eight hundred miles was a very particular piece of work.

Council Grove the Meeting Place. Although the traders banded together in one big caravan, they did not all start from the same place nor at the same time. The Kanza and Osage Indians seldom committed worse deeds than petty thievery, and the more warlike Comanches and Pawnees did not often appear along the first two hundred miles of the Trail. The place where all the wagons united to form a caravan was Council Grove, a point about one hundred and fifty miles west of Independence. In those days Council Grove consisted of a strip of fine timber along the Neosho valley. It is said to have been named in 1825 by the United States Commissioners who met on this spot some Osage Indians, with whom they made a treaty for the right of way for the Santa Fe Trail. About 1850 a blacksmith shop and two or three traders’ stores were established at Council Grove and this place became “the last chance for supplies” for westbound travelers.

Council Oak,

Under which the Commissioners and Indians met at Council Grove to make their treaty. It is still standing. A Santa Fe marker has been placed beneath its branches.

Journeys of Gregg. We can not get an idea of those days in a better way, perhaps, than by following an account of one of the caravans. Josiah Gregg, who crossed the prairie eight times, has left a very interesting record of his experiences. Many of the following facts are taken from his account of the journey of 1831.

Organization of the Caravan. For this particular trip there were two hundred men and nearly a hundred wagons, with a dozen smaller vehicles, and two carriages carrying cannon. The total value of the merchandise was about $200,000. For so large an undertaking it was, of course, necessary to have some kind of organization. According to custom, therefore, they elected officers and adopted a set of rules. The head man was the “Captain of the Caravan,” who directed the order of travel, selected the camping grounds, and performed many other duties of a general nature. The wagons were divided into four groups, each group under the charge of a lieutenant, who selected crossings and superintended the “forming” of the camp. The men were well armed with rifles, shotguns, and an abundant supply of pistols and knives.

The Starting of the Caravan. When the time came to start from Council Grove the command “Catch up! Catch up!” sounded by the captain and passed on to all the groups, started a scene of hurry and uproar as the teamsters vied with each other to be first to shout “All’s set!” After a period of shouting at animals, the clanking of chains, and the rattling of harness and yokes, all were ready. The command “Stretch out!” was given, and the line of march began.