We had a great time last Friday and Saturday in Council Grove, Kansas. The fall temps and cool breeze were a great backdrop to the activities. Good folks of all ages showed up to soak up the wheelwrighting and blacksmithing demonstrations as well as get up close to some rare, wood-wheeled survivors. A tremendous amount of information was shared about the individual vehicles as well as tips for collecting wagons, identifying vehicle brands, locating hard-to-find information, determining timeframes of manufacture, and understanding the part names of wagons and their accessories.
We also took some time to explore the Kaw Mission and its historic treasures as well as the Last Chance Store and multiple other places, including the 'Council Oak' site of the 1825 treaty with the Kaw Native Americans. We even stopped in for some great food at the Hays House, the oldest restaurant (1857) west of the Mississippi! There is so much more that we didn't have time to explore but the city is chock full of history and special places to experience.
As with any major highway today, the Santa Fe Trail was once filled with reminders of trouble on the trail. Image Copyright © David E. Sneed, All Rights Reserved.
The wagon show was part of an even larger celebration (September19-27) highlighting the legacy of the Santa Fe Trail. The festivities were organized by the Kaw Mission Council and Santa Fe Trail Association. As we review more history, the area of Council Grove was an essential part of the international trade route along the Santa Fe Trail. In fact, according to the 1858 book, Annals of the City of Kansas and the Great Western Plains, even in the late 1820s, the Council Grove site was a rendezvous point. According to a firsthand account by E. C. McCarty, in the early days of the Santa Fe Trail...
"...there were very few trains with more than two or three wagons, and it was customary for all the Mexican traders to meet at Council Grove, organize into a company under a captain there chosen, and so proceed on their journey under his direction.The press of the whole United States then used to make particular mention of departure of the Santa Fe caravan from Council Grove, and like notice was given of their return..."
The website for the city of Council Grove further reinforces this point by sharing that, "From 1821-1866, the Santa Fe Trail was known as America's first international superhighway of trade and commerce. Spanning 900 miles between Missouri and Mexico, the trail brought together a cultural mosaic of individuals." The 1858 book mentioned above punctuates those comments even more by commenting that, in 1857, almost 10,000 wagons left Kansas City to trade in New Mexico. While there weren't quite that many wood-wheeled antiques in the wagon show, it was still a broad representation of vehicles with manufacturing timeframes ranging from the mid-1880s through the 1900s.
The show was well attended and included a representative from Farm Collector magazine and other news outlets. Due to the number of images that we captured for this story, this week's write-up will be split into multiple posts and take on more of a photo essay profile of the participants and activities. A special thanks goes out to the Santa Fe Trail Association, National Stagecoach and Freight Wagon Association, Kaw Mission Council, and the event coordinator, Mark Brooks, and his incredible team of volunteers...
Jeff McManus enlarging a eye hole in a round rod. Image Copyright © David E. Sneed, All Rights Reserved.
Even Ricky & Judy Day's dog, Dottie, was extremely interested in what blacksmith, Jeff McManus, had to say!
Jeff's wife, Barb, proved to be valuable support during the blacksmithing presentations.
Patrick Goodknight, right, provided additional assistance to Jeff during the blacksmithing presentations.
Tom Nelson of Cross Around Forge in Douglas, OK also assisted with the forge work.
Unless Otherwise Indicated, All Text & Imagery Copyright © David E. Sneed, All Rights Reserved.
There were far too many images for just one posting. Please check out Part 2 and 3 of this blog for even more photos from the Wagon Show event at Council Grove. Thanks again to Mark Brooks and his team. They did a great job!
MORE TO COME... Parts 2 and 3 will be posted soon!
Psalm 20:7