2005 Research

The Fletchers and their partners, Chuck and SuzanneHornbuckle were again out on the Cherokee Trail. Chuck’s ancestor, Lewis Ralston, with the 1850 Cherokee party from Cherokee Nation, discovered gold at Ralston Creek, which ultimately resulted in the 1858 Pikes Peak Gold Rush. Suzanne’s ancestors traveled over the Cherokee Trail from Barry County, Missouri to Oregon in 1853.

Here's Pat and Suzanne.

We again field mapped, GPSed, and photographed the Cherokee Trail from the Laramie River crossing to Willow Creek near Tie Siding, Wyoming. This was almost entirely over private grazing land. We discovered several dugways at the Laramie River.

The Laramie River crossing, west bank. “Dugways”
 (cutting down of the banks so wagons could exit the river bottoms).

East of Pueblo, we explored for the Chico Creek Cutoff (mostly through barbed-wire fences) that was pioneered (built) for wagon travel by the 1850 Edmondson wagon train from Arkansas, guided by Delaware/Frenchman Ben Simons. Ben was taking his extended Shoshone wife’s family to Fort Bridger.
North from Pueblo, Jim Hicks from Hanover Road sent us to Toby Wells at Cowbells in Fountain, who took us to see trail traces at the junction of Fountain/Jimmy Camp Creeks. Unfortunately, these traces are in the path of immediate development. Toby is making a personal appeal to the developers to leave the short traces intact and build around them.

Photo of Toby Wells

In August at the Oregon-California Trails Association Convention in Salt Lake City, the Fletchers were awestruck at receiving the “Meritorious Achievement” Award, OCTA’s highest, from President Vern Gorzitze. 

 Late September 2005 found Fletchers on their way to the Santa Fe Trail Symposium in McPherson, Kansas to do a presentation. Eight miles east of McPherson, south of Galva, the Cherokee Trail meets the Santa Fe Road, a junction the 1849 Evans/Cherokee company marked with a rock carved  “To Fayetteville, Ark., 300 miles—Capt. Evans’ Cal.’ Com’y, May 12, 1849.”

Finding “The Rock”

During the Symposium, Fletchers met Linda Andersen, Galva, Kansas’ Museum Director. She related that Brantley Unruh had noticed an unusual rock by the roadside south of Galva near the Santa Fe Trail marker. Contacting landowner Wayne Troyer, Linda got permission to take us there. During the past 20 years, Fletchers have been to that spot several times, even walking the Running Turkey Creek up and down, looking for the important rock. The prime agricultural soil in that area is virtually ‘rockless’. Brantley’s find was important to investigate. On an October Monday morning Linda drove us south from Galva. There, at the base of a roadside tree, was an approximately 12” square of rock, barely visible through the low-lying brush.

 Jack’s adrenaline soared. We began to carefully uncover the rock, partially hidden by the roots of the tree, brushing, finding the edges, digging around, and under. About an hour later, after finally winching with nylon straps hooked to the Andersens’ pickup trailer hitch, the rock came out. We found it to be about four inches thick, a red sandstone triangle perhaps 30 inches across.

IS IT “THE ROCK”?
WE HOPE IT WILL PROVE TO BE.

Linda Andersen (left, with Jack)  offered to superintend further investigation.
(right: Jack and Pat)