Follow the Santa Fe Trail through Kansas, and learn how this important historic route helped to form the United States.

The adventure starts in Olathe at the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & FARM, the only stagecoach stop which is still open to the public. Then follow along to Council Grove, where Indian and government officials met to sign a safe passage treaty.

From there, you can drive over to the Coronado Quivira Museum in Lyons to learn about Coronado’s 1541 Journey, as well as Santa Fe Trail history.

When you’re ready to move on, head over to Ellinwood for a sight you’ll have to see to believe. In 1857, the town’s German immigrants built an entire business district underground! Tour the Ellinwood Tunnels to view this undisturbed time capsule

Finally, make a stop near Larned, Kansas at the Santa Fe Trail Center. This official interpretive site showcases the historic route that changed history. Just around the corner is the Fort Larned Historic Site, one of the best preserved vestiges of the Santa Fe Trail-Indian wars era.

And to really see Kansas as those early travelers did, visit the Cimmaron National Grassland. Twenty-three miles of the Santa Fe Trail once crossed this open prairie, and you can still see the wagon ruts.

To learn more, see www.travelks.com

About the Series: Go World partnered with Kansas Tourism and spent more than 11 weeks filming travel adventures in Kansas. The result was a fun series highlighting the often-unknown, but truly fun ways to experience Kansas. Enjoy!

Janna Graber
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