This past week, I was privileged to
attend a special, historical trail symposium presented by the Santa Fe Trail Association and the National Stagecoach and Freight Wagon Association. From start to finish,
it was one of the best organized and information-packed excursions I’ve ever
been a part of. If you missed it, you
missed a lot. That said, word on the
street is that these folks will have an equally significant retreat in St. Louis
in 2019. Consider yourself duly
informed. If you’re interested in early
trails, western vehicles, and the particulars surrounding those studies, you’ll
want to make sure you have the next event marked on your ‘to do’ list. With that said, I thought I’d take the next
few weeks and give a brief overview of some highlights of this year’s
event.
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The Olathe Community Center was an
exceptional facility for the formal presentations shared during the 2017 Santa
Fe Trail Association symposium.
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Larry Short introduced each of the half
dozen speakers to a crowd of just over 150 folks from all over the country.
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The presentations for the 2017 Santa Fe
Trail symposium were held at the Olathe Community Center and the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Historic Farm. Other segments of the gathering included a
series of bus tours focused on different aspects of the Santa Fe Trail. Organizers also included a ‘night-at-the-museum’
dinner and tour of the Steamboat Arabia Museum in Kansas City. That facility - and the discoveries it holds
- is beyond amazing. Some attendees even
made the brief trip to Ft. Leavenworth to take in even more history housed in
the Frontier Museum.
While informal talks were conducted throughout the multitude of activities, the opening presentations for the event were
held at the Olathe Community Center.
Unfortunately, that simple-sounding name doesn’t do much to convey what
an outstanding asset this facility is to the local area. Surrounded by an ultra-modern, yet relaxed
and inviting atmosphere, the resource is filled with art, education, exercise, and sports
activities for the young and young at heart.
While we were there, families were celebrating birthdays, holding
volleyball games, swimming, participating in study groups, checking out a huge
consignment sale, exploring a farmer’s market, and relaxing in the picturesque
setting and picnic/playground areas. It’s an incredibly welcoming jewel for the
folks in Olathe.
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Steve Schmidt’s presentation on the
Sibley Survey provided an exceptionally detailed look at the history,
beginnings, and development of the Santa Fe Trail.
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Mike Dickey outlined a wealth of
information related to Native American tribes located along the Santa Fe Trail.
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Truth is, if you came to this event
expecting to learn more than you could carry away, you weren’t
disappointed. There was so much
information passed along throughout the multi-day event that it would be tough
to get it all into one blog post. As a
result, this week, I’ll limit my focus to the formal presentations and share
more details on the rest of the symposium in the weeks to come.
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My presentation focused on the
historical development of freight wagons on the Santa Fe Trail. It included a considerable amount of primary
source details and imagery never shown before.
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Leo Oliva expounded on the ‘Doctrine of
Discovery’ within his talk related to Soldiers
on the Santa Fe Trail.
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Doug Hansen of Hansen Wheel and Wagon Shop provided a wealth of information
related to the Art of the Wheelwright. His talk was generously filled with technical and practical
information.
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Craig Crease not only delivered an
excellent formal presentation on the Santa Fe Trail but also hosted an
extensive bus tour highlighting the trail’s original routes.
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Over the next few weeks, I’ll share even
more images and insights from this Santa Fe Trail Association event. To the person, the meeting was filled with friendly, engaging folks. I’m glad I was
there. Not only does that kind of atmosphere
make for an ideal learning experience, it left everyone with a lot of great
memories. Special thanks to Greg and Joanne VanCoevern for reaching out to me over two years ago as they helped to plan this impressive gathering.
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Rawhide Johnson, Cameron Bean, and Jeff
McManus provided additional presentations at the historic Mahaffie Stagecoach
Stop.
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Next week, we’ll focus on a lot more of
the event activities, including a hands-on look at wheelwrighting presented by
Don Werner of Werner Wagon Works.
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Please Note: As with each of our blog writings, all imagery and text is copyrighted with All Rights Reserved. The material may not be broadcast, published, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written permission from David E. Sneed, Wheels That Won The West® Archives, LLC
