Kansas on the Net   Fort Hays-Fort Dodge Trail


 
        Established in 1867, the Fort Hays-Fort Dodge
Trail, which passed near this spot, was first used
by the military and some civilian traffic in 1868.
The following year Alexander Harvey, a former
member of the Sixth Cavalry, built a trading post
on the trail on the north bank of Walnut Creek
near here, and provided a place to ford the creek.

        A few years later, the town of Alexander was
founded nearby, taking its name from Alexander
Harvey, the original owner of the trading post.

        The bulk of the military usage of the Fort
Hays-Fort Dodge Trail was over when the Santa Fe
Railroad reached Dodge City in 1872.   However,
it continued to be used for several more years
regularly by civilian traffic--hunters, freighters,
traders, and settlers.


Historical marker on K-96 near Alexander

Rush County

January 3, 1999 / Bob Walter / Wichita, Kansas / history@kslib.info
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