June 8 – A 5-month virtual road trip along the California Trail Travelers on the south side of the South Platte river who did not cross earlier would cross near the present-day towns of Julesberg and Ovid, Colorado. You can visit a small museum in Julesberg that tells the story of Fort Sedgwick and the [...]
Category: U.S. History
June California Trail Social Media Posts: Week 1
June 1 – A 5-month virtual road trip along the California Trail Fort Kearney (http://outdoornebraska.gov/fortkearny/ GPS coordinates -99.005, 40.645) was established along the Oregon/California Trail in 1848. Today you can visit an Interpretive Center, view the parade grounds and several reconstructed buildings. Note that this Fort Kearney should be distinguished from "Old Fort Kearney" which [...]
May California Trail Social Media Posts: Week 4
May 22 – A 5-month virtual road trip along the California Trail The Big Blue river crossing lies just west of Marysville, KS very near where US Highway 36 crosses it. Near here you can visit Historic Trails Park (GPS coordinates -96.659, 39.843) which has several interpretive signs and a full-size replica of a rope [...]
May California Trail Social Media Posts: Week 3
May 15 – A 5-month virtual road trip along the California Trail There were many streams like Elm Creek (GPS coordinates -96.612, 39.732) which had to be crossed in this area. But streams weren't the only thing on the minds of the emigrants. While passing through this region, Harlow Chittenden Thompson (https://www.octa-journals.org/merrill-mattes-collection/harlow-chittenden-thompson-across-the-continent-on-foot-in-1859), in 1859, wrote, [...]
May California Trail Social Media Posts: Week 2
May 8 – A 5-month virtual road trip along the California Trail The California Trail crossed the Wakarusa River in at least three places just south and southeast of Lawrence, KS. There are no historical markers at this site that I am aware of, but you can drive across a bridge on east 1400 road [...]
The Watchmaker's Pulse 