Frontier Trails Museum

Ed was able to play golf this morning so he can say he's played in Missouri. While he was gone I did a couple of loads of wash and cleaned the motorhome a bit. After he got back, we went to the Frontier Trails Museum.

Independence, Missouri was the beginning of the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail.
This museum is the best we've seen.



This picture depicts the wagons arriving in Santa Fe. All the goods where traded right in the main square of town.

There were many pictures around, each depicting miles traveled from Independence. The Oregon Trail went to Salt Lake City, Utah where several Mormon families settled. The trail continued on north to Oregon and some went to the south through what is now Nevada and over the Sierra Mountains. This was called the California Trail.
Both of these trails were very dangerous and the going was very hard. After seeing this museum, I have a new respect for the frontier men and women who traveled these trails.

Here, we could see more of the trail ruts. These were easier to see than the ones in Dodge City.




If you look close you can see the dips in the grass.

These were discovered about 20 years ago and are on the property of the Bingham-Waggoner Estate. The estate covers about 10 acres and the area where these were discovered is at the very back of the estate. That's the only reason they are still visible.

Tomorrow we will to the Truman Library and tour historic downtown Independence.