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The Santa Fe Trail Association
Dedicated to Preserving
Protecting and Promoting
The Historical Legacy of
The Santa Fe Trail

SFTA Email Newsletter  June 20, 2017 
Upcoming Events 
July 4: Bent's Old Fort celebrates old-fashioned frontier 4th, refreshments, games, orations, firings of the Fort's cannon, 719-383-5023
July 6-9: Fort Wallace 1867 Commemoration Events, 785-891-3564
July 10: Submission deadline for August issue of Wagon Tracks
July 22: End of Trail Chapter Architectural Walking Tour of the Santa Fe South Capital Neighborhood.

September 17: Fort Union, Tour of First Fort Union and Arsenal Site
September 27-30, 2017: SFTA Sym posium, Olathe, KS
September 20-28, 2018: Santa Fe Trail Center Rendezvous, Larned, KS
September 25-28 2019: SFTA Symposium, St. Louis, MO
September 24-26, 2020: Santa Fe Trail Center Rendezvous, Larned, KS
September 22-26 2021: SFTA Symposium, Bent's Old Fort, La Junta, CO



52 Ways To Discover
The Santa Fe Trail: 
Week 44: Explore The SFTA GeoTour
                                                                      
An adventure awaits you!   With your GPS to guide you, you will be able to visit a National Historic Trail that includes a rich history, a varied and stunning landscape, pristine natural and historic resources, and well-preserved historic sites.  You will walk in the paths of famous explorers, American Indians, trappers, traders, merchants, frontier military men and women, as well as the pioneers and settlers that came to occupy the region.  This national trail is The Santa Fe Trail which crossed international boundaries and was used by a wide variety of ethnic groups.
 
You can explore the Trail's history and walk in the paths of its famous travelers by visiting some of the sites along the The Santa Fe Trail Association's GeoTour. Over 70 geocaches have been placed along the the entire route of the Trail and finding them will entertain and inform you.

A good place to start would be in the area where the 2017 Symposium will be held in September. One cache is at the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Historic Farm Site in Olathe, Kansas. Some of the folks who have found this cache have left these comments:   
"... What an awesome place. Thanks for bringing us here...Great place to visit...I'm looking forward to doing the whole geotour one day. Sounds like so much fun!!! Thanks for placing the caches."


Please Note this Change for the Cottonwood Crossing Chapter Meeting on June 22
                
 
Due to a family medical issue, Ruth Friesen, Editor of Wagon Tracks, will not be presenting her program for the June 22 Cottonwood Crossing Chapter meeting.  In her stead, Joanne VanCoevern will be presenting her program Letters of Fort Dodge and the Santa Fe Trail.
 
This presentation  centers on a group of letters written by Isadore Bowman Douglass and her husband, Major Henry Douglass.  These letters were written to Isadore's mother, Mrs. Bowman in Wilkes Barre, PA, and are dated from May 21, 1866 to August 16, 1867.  The letters were written en route to Fort Dodge, KS, from Columbus, OH, and during the year that Isadore lived at Fort Dodge.  Major Henry Douglass, Third Infantry, served as the commanding officer of Fort Dodge December 1866-October 1867; January-November 1868, and March 1869.  These letters provide a glimpse at what life was like traveling to a frontier US Army post and how this family settled in at the newly established post.
 
VanCoevern will also detail sources used to uncover Douglass family history, traditionally thought of as genealogy research tools.  Those tools led to the descendants of Henry and Isadore who were able to provide more photographs and information to complement the letters.

The meeting will take place on June 22nd at the Community Room in the Goessel City Building. From K-15, go 0.6 miles west into Goessel on Main Street to Cedar Street. Go south on Cedar one-half block. The building   is on the west side of Cedar. A catered
meal will be served at 6:00 pm and costs $11.00. Reservations are required and must be made before June 20. Call 620-947-2234 to reserve a meal. The business meeting and presentation will follow the meal.

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The Great 1867 Fort Wallace and Western Kansas
Historic Exposition, July 6-9, 2017
 
 
In 1867, Wallace County, Kansas, was a hotbed of conflict as the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa tribes fought to defend their prime buffalo hunting grounds against travelers along the Smoky Hill Trail and the American military that came to protect the route. During July 6-9, 2017, an extensive commemoration of 1867 events will take place in the town of Wallace, bringing the most excitement to the area since June 26th, 1867, when the 7th U.S. Cavalry battled 300 Cheyenne braves on the prairie north and west of Fort Wallace.
 
The events of 150 years ago will be commemorated during "The Great Fort Wallace and Western Kansas 1867 Exposition," a Western Kansas multi-day event with tours, lectures, a major artwork unveiling, living historians, food, ceremonies and  a concert featuring singer/songwriter Michael Martin Murphey. The purpose of the event is to highlight the people and events that made 1867 a pivotal year in Kansas and America. Some events require a fee, but others may be attended at no cost, thanks to local sponsors who have made this event possible and affordable.

A brief description of the events is listed below. For detailed information about the event and registration details, click here. You can also call 785-891-3564.
      • On  July 3 , the story of the Kidder Massacre will be re-examined, telling of the ill-fated party that was sent to search for G.A. Custer and his command. This event is free.
      • On July 6. State geologist Rolfe Mandel will lend his expertise during a bus tour that will visit Logan and Scott Counties, visiting the Fick Fossil Museum, Historic Scott Lake Park, El Quartelejo Museum, and the Jerry Thomas Gallery. (There is a $50.00 charge for this tour and it includes lunch and supper.)
      • On July 7, distinguished historians and authors will discuss the events of 1867 at an all-day symposium in the Fort Wallace Museum. (There is a $50.00 charge for this event and it will include lunch.)
      • On July 8, festivities will begin at 9 AM MDT with the grand opening of the Milford Becker Addition to the Fort Wallace Museum and the unveiling of a life-sized bronze sculpture of Scout William Comstock by artist Jerry Thomas. The Becker addition features a cast of the 40-foot plesiosaur discovered by the post surgeon in 1867. An encampment will feature dozens of living historians from the first peoples to buffalo hunters, cowboys, and railroaders. The encampment is free of charge and there will be food vendors on premises. Cowboy singer/songwriter and rancher, Michael Martin Murphey, will be in concert on the Fort Wallace Museum grounds at 7 PM MDT/8 CDT. Tickets cost $25 and only 300 tickets will be sold.
      • On July 9, the events will culminate in a horse-drawn procession to the Fort Wallace Cemetery with a 10 AM MDT ceremony to honor those who fought during this dramatic time in American history.