The historical marker, smaller (Sween)
Longhorn statue: (Sween)
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West of Dodge, these are NOT the Santa Fe Trail ruts: (Sween)
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Your photo of the Santa Fe Trail "ruts" west of town actually shows
human-made ruts running up the hill to a marker. The real ruts are wide
grassy swales running perpendicular to the people path. Many folks have
walked right through them not realizing they crossed the trail on the
way to the top of the hill. The site is now better marked, with improved signs and a
handicapped-accessible walkway. per Kansas Heritage Center And John McLoughlin wrote (Feb 1999): I was browsing the INK websight and when I got to the trail and Dodge City I noticed that the photo that identified the ruts is actually the pathway to the marker and not the ruts. My wife who was until last year the Pres. and C.E.O. of Boot Hill Museum worked with the Nat. Park Ser. and the Dept. of Commerce to improve the sight and make it handicapped accessable. The area that the photo shows was planted to native grass and now has grown over.If you go back to the sight you would be surprised at how nice the place looks now. THE TRACKS AT THAT LOCATION ACTUALLY RUN FROM NORTH OF EAST TO SOUTH OF WEST AND ARE BEST OBSERVED AT SUNUP OR DOWN. I wish to tell you however that I really enjoyed the photos and story. We pass the ruts twice a day going to and from work each day as we live in Cimarron. Again,thanks for sharing. |
or to the picture album 