Fort Wallace-Fort Lyon Trail: A Wild Ride Through the Old West
Ever heard of the Fort Wallace-Fort Lyon Trail? Probably not, unless you’re a serious history buff. But trust me, this dusty old path has some seriously cool stories to tell. Think stagecoaches, daring cavalry, and a whole lot of "roughing it" in the Wild West.
So, how did this trail even come about? Well, back in the day, the Union Pacific Railroad was chugging its way across Kansas, laying down tracks and changing everything in its path. As the railroad moved west, so did the need for supplies, mail, and of course, people!
Sheridan: The End-of-the-Line Boomtown
Enter Sheridan, Kansas. This town sprung up practically overnight in May 1868 as the "end-of-track" destination. Suddenly, everyone wanted to be there! The Southern Overland Mail and Express Company, a major stagecoach player, packed up its operations and set up shop in Sheridan. It was the place to be if you were heading further west or needed to get something (or someone) there fast.
But Sheridan wasn’t exactly the most convenient spot, so the stage line quickly relocated its headquarters to Pond Creek Station, about 14 miles southwest. This place had already been around since 1865 as a Butterfield Overland Dispatch stop. It was close to Fort Wallace and sat right on Pond Creek, a little offshoot of the Smoky Hill River. Think of it as a strategic oasis in the middle of nowhere.
Mapping a New Route: From Pond Creek to Fort Lyon
The plan was to create a road from Pond Creek Station, snaking through Cheyenne Wells all the way to Bent’s Fort. Dick Wootton, a legendary frontiersman, even started mapping out this route. But, things changed, and the final road went from Pond Creek Station through Cheyenne Wells to Fort Lyon in Colorado.
Now, this "road" didn’t have an official name, so everyone called it something different. Captain W. H. Penrose, who was in charge at Fort Lyon, called it the "stage route to Cheyenne Wells." Luke Cahill, a stagecoach employee who used to be a sergeant at Fort Lyon, simply called it "the trail between Lyon and Wallace." Eventually, it became known as the Fort Wallace-Fort Lyon Road.
This new trail was a big deal because it bypassed a chunk of the old Santa Fe Trail, specifically the part that went west from Fort Dodge to Fort Lyon. It was a shortcut, plain and simple.
Blazing a Trail, Cavalry Style
Here’s where things get interesting. Legend has it that the trail wasn’t surveyed by fancy engineers. Instead, a cavalry captain, familiar with the land, would ride ahead of his regiment. He’d find a good spot, signal the troops to come on, and then repeat the process. The supply wagons and freighters just followed the tracks left behind. In one trip, a well-defined trail was born, earning the nickname "Old Military Trail." This connected Fort Wallace on the Smoky Hill River to Fort Lyon on the Arkansas River. Talk about a DIY project!
The Northern End: Sheridan, Fort Wallace, or Pond Creek?
The northern end of the trail was a bit of a "choose your own adventure" situation. Was it Sheridan, the bustling railhead? Was it Fort Wallace, with its established post office? Or was it Pond Creek Station, the stage line’s headquarters? It depended on who you asked. Regardless, the Southern Overland started running daily stagecoaches to Santa Fe, New Mexico, on July 1, 1868.
Stage Stations and Indian Troubles
Between Pond Creek and Fort Lyon, the stage company set up six stations, each named after a nearby water source: Cheyenne Wells, Sand Creek (Big Sandy), Rush Creek, Kiowa Springs, Well No. 1, and Well No. 2. These stations were spaced out, providing fresh horses, meals, and a place for weary travelers to rest.
But beyond Cheyenne Wells, things got dicey. Indian attacks were a constant threat. Captain Penrose at Fort Lyon reported that the area between his fort, the Denver stage road, and the Smoky Hill Trail was swarming with "hostile Indians." They did everything they could to protect the stages, trails, and settlers, but they were stretched thin.
While Penrose just said "Indians," it seems like most of the raids were carried out by Cheyenne warriors, with some Arapaho and Kiowa thrown in for good measure.
Tales of Attacks and Close Calls
There were definitely some close calls. In September 1868, Indians attacked the Big Sandy station at Sand Creek. Luckily, troops from Fort Lyon showed up and drove them off. One Indian was killed, and another was wounded.
Rush Creek Station never had any issues, but Kiowa Springs wasn’t so lucky. In August 1868, the station was attacked, but the defenders managed to hold their ground without any losses.
One time, a stagecoach had to turn back to Well No. 2 after a courier warned them that Indians were on their tail. They waited until dark and then quietly slipped away, finally reaching Fort Lyon 12 and a half hours late.
Lydia Spencer Lane, an officer’s wife, described one of these stations as a small board shanty with walls papered with illustrations from magazines. She figured the pictures were more for keeping out the wind than for decoration. But hey, at least it had windows with a view!
Securing the Route: Troops and Tensions
After the Battle of Beecher’s Island and the capture of Clara Blinn and her son, the Cheyenne and their allies moved south of the Arkansas River for the winter. Things calmed down on the Fort Wallace-Fort Lyon Road, but the Southern Overland wasn’t taking any chances. They armed their employees and asked Captain Penrose to assign troops to guard the stations. Penrose could only spare a few men, which didn’t exactly please the stagecoach company superintendent.
The Cheyenne Dog Soldiers and Trouble in Town
Even after General Phil Sheridan’s winter campaign, the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers refused to surrender. In the spring of 1869, they moved north to the Republican River area and started raiding the Fort Wallace-Fort Lyon Road again. They ran off hundreds of mules from Sheridan and raided a caravan near Fort Lyon.
Meanwhile, Sheridan was turning into a wild and lawless town. One reporter described it as a place where "the scum of creation" had taken over. Gamblers, thieves, and prostitutes ran rampant, and the civil authorities were ignored.
But it wasn’t all bad. Sheridan also had respectable businesses, like the Otero & Sellars Company and the C.H. Chick Company. These firms employed tons of clerks and shipped goods to New Mexico. Sheridan was also a major buffalo hunting hub, with hunters slaughtering thousands of buffalo for their hides.
Pond Creek and the Rise of Kit Carson
Pond Creek Station became the temporary seat of government for Wallace County and even filed for a city charter. But its glory days were numbered.
As the Union Pacific Railroad became the Kansas Pacific Railroad and moved further west into Colorado, a new end-of-the-track town was popping up: Kit Carson. By 1870, the stage company had abandoned Pond City and moved its operations to Kit Carson. Soon, Kit Carson was just as wild and woolly as Sheridan had been.
The Final Years and the End of an Era
A new stage route was created from Kit Carson to Fort Lyon, connecting with the old Fort Wallace-Fort Lyon Road at Big Sandy Station. But the railroad kept moving, and eventually, it bypassed Las Animas, leading to the creation of New Las Animas.
Troops were sent to protect the new road, but the threat of Indian attacks had diminished. By 1872, the Kansas Pacific Railroad reached Denver, and government freight stopped going through Kit Carson. The stage traffic continued for a while, but the end was near.
The closing of the roads from Kit Carson marked the end of an era. The westward expansion of the railroad had gradually replaced the Santa Fe Trail and the trails that branched off from it.
So, there you have it – the story of the Fort Wallace-Fort Lyon Trail. It was a wild and important chapter in the history of the American West, filled with stagecoaches, soldiers, Indians, boomtowns, and the relentless march of progress.