In the vast expanse of the American Wild West, as the Union Pacific Railroad relentlessly pushed its tracks westward across Kansas, a new artery of transportation emerged: the Fort Wallace-Fort Lyon Trail. This crucial route, spanning parts of Kansas and Colorado, became a vital link for mail, passengers, and freight, battling harsh landscapes, lawlessness, and relentless Indian attacks during a transformative era.
The Genesis of a Frontier Lifeline
The trail’s origins are deeply intertwined with the railroad’s advance. In May 1868, the new end-of-track town of Sheridan in Logan County, Kansas, became the terminus for the Southern Overland Mail and Express Company. Shortly after, the stage line moved its headquarters to Pond Creek Station, near Fort Wallace. Initially, a route towards Bent’s Fort was proposed, but it never materialized. Instead, a second route was plotted from Pond Creek Station through Cheyenne Wells to Fort Lyon, Colorado, thus creating what would become known as the Fort Wallace-Fort Lyon Road.
Interestingly, this significant thoroughfare lacked an official name for some time, referred to variously as the “stage route to Cheyenne Wells” or simply “the trail between Lyon and Wallace.” Its establishment effectively circumvented a considerable section of the older Santa Fe Trail, specifically the stretch from Fort Dodge to Fort Lyon.
Forging the Path and Early Challenges
Legend has it that a military captain, intimately familiar with the terrain, blazed the trail without the aid of surveyors. Riding ahead of his cavalry regiment, he would signal their next stopping point, creating a discernible path as the supply trains and freighters followed. This method gave birth to the ‘Old Military Trail,’ connecting Fort Wallace on the Smoky Hill River with Fort Lyon on the Arkansas River.
Between Pond Creek and Fort Lyon, the Southern Overland Mail and Express Company established a series of essential stage stations, each strategically located near a water source. These included Cheyenne Wells, Sand Creek (Big Sandy), Rush Creek, Kiowa Springs, Well No. 1, and Well No. 2. However, life on the trail was fraught with danger. The threat of Indian attack was constant, particularly beyond Cheyenne Wells. Captain W. H. Penrose of Fort Lyon frequently reported hostile encounters, attributing most raids to the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa tribes. Despite repelling many attacks, the constant vigilance led the stage company to arm its employees and request military escorts for stages and stations.
Frontier Life and the Evolving Landscape
The burgeoning railroad towns like Sheridan, while offering economic opportunity, also grappled with pervasive lawlessness. A Topeka Commonwealth reporter described Sheridan in 1869 as a place where
