Finding the Way: Gardner Junction

Gardner Junction at sunset - Santa Fe left, Oregon-California right

When we are traveling about, we often gauge where we are by intersections between roads.  Major roads will often serve a variety of destinations, but eventually you have to decide when to diverge from the major road.  The Santa Fe-Oregon-California Trails had many starting points and many ways to get there, but eventually you connected to the main road.  When starting from Independence, the western destinations of Santa Fe, Oregon, and California could all be reached by traveling in a general westward direction.  Eventually you would have to turn right and head more northward to get to Oregon and California.  From Independence, MO one of the major trail branches would take you southwest past present day Olathe, KS.  The trails would split past present day Gardner, KS at a site now called Gardner Junction, which is also where the Westport and Independence branches of the trails merged.

Our wagon

One of my side research interests is how our current transportation routes maintain the memory of geographic features that are no longer visible and also maintain the memory of old transport routes.  This junction is no exception.  US-56 roughly follows the Santa Fe Trail route through much of Kansas.  At Gardner Junction, West 183rd Street roughly follows the diverging Oregon-California Trail to the northwest.  The old trails are being followed by roads improved for farm, truck and automotive use.  Railroads will also follow the old trails.  To the left of the road in this picture are tracks for the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad, which parallel US-56 through Kansas.

In their words

“This is a great camping place for both Oregon and Santa Fe teams, as the forks of the road are only about a Mile and a half back and the Oregon Teams can easily turn on to their trail again.” - H.M.T Powell 1849 

"This morning we passed the road to Oregon, that leaves, about eight miles from Round Grove, the Santa Fe Road, and turns to the right towards the Kansas (river). A way post had been put there, marked: 'Road to Oregon'. . . . " - Dr. Frederick A. Wislizenus, 24 May 1846

"About 4 o'clock, p.m., I reached the point where I supposed the Oregon Trail diverged from the Santa Fe' road. It was raining copiously. . . . . a bright rainbow was formed in the east. . . . ." -  Edwin Bryant, 13 May 1846

"about no(o)n to day left the Sant a fee trace these are two of the longest roads that are perhaps in the world the one to Sant Afee and the other to Oregon doubled teams nearly all the way Both teams Swamped down and had to unload our team breakeing an axeltree" - James Clyman, 17 May 1844

Why branch here?

James Clyman

Why is this the branch point for the trails? On one level it is because someone came this way first.  The trail to Santa Fe, Mexico was pioneered in 1792 by Pedro Vial, when Spain held title to most of the American West, and then came into formal use in 1821 as the US established trade with a newly independent Mexico.  William Becknell from Missouri made the first foray into Santa Fe, which had been jealously guarded by the Spanish.  Fur trappers were exploring the northwestern reaches of the Louisiana Purchase and pushing claims to the Oregon country.  Two of those traders, William Sublette and Moses Harris left Salt Lake Valley on 01 January 1827 in an attempt to reach St. Louis in time to bring back a wagon of supplies for the following year. On the trip, they traveled south when they hit the Kansas River and struck the Santa Fe Trail here, setting a precedent for the trail.

While this marker is near the junction, it is worth noting that our modern highway system shepherds traffic a lot more tightly than the old trails ever did.  Both the Santa Fe Trail and Oregon-California Trails were general paths in which you could weave hither and yon in any number of ways.  The trails were a few miles wide at places.  People made their own way, especially if they thought they could shave off distance or get around slow moving traffic.  I can just hear it "By god, these people travel either three miles an hour or seven miles an hour.  I can't get around the morons doing three because I'll get hit by the maniacs doing seven.  Then the dirty so and so's that blew past me at seven slow down to four.  Why can they not just go an even five?" Some things never change.

The Road Not Taken

So the poem has nothing to do with this landmark.  People were pretty set on where they were going to go at this point and they didn't feel like their life was altered in any way by choosing one way over the other.  They weren't looking back on life later and saying "only if" for every inconsequential decision. They might have regretted taking Hastings Cutoff or trying to cross mountains instead of wintering at lower elevations, but largely they did not regret taking the journey.  That doesn't stop these words from popping into my head every time I pass this point:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Thanks, Mr. Frost, I get it.  Crap happens and except for a very few decisions, it just doesn't matter what you decide to do.  The arc of your life is in large measure determined by forces out of your control.  I've always suspected it was so, and now I know.

Getting There

Take US-56 west through Gardner towards Baldwin City, KS.  The park is about three miles west of Gardner, KS.  The turnout is on the north side of the road.  Well marked with signs.  A kiosk and a short trail with interpretive signs is here.

Waypoint: 38.796675 N; 94.961763 W

Street Address: 32455 W 183rd Street, Gardner, KS 66030

Further Reading

National Park Service: Gardner Junction