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The Santa Fe trail ran from Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Passing through Kansas, it split into 2 separate paths in western Kansas. The Cimmaron route (northern route) was considered favorable because of the resources like water and good grazing grass, but was also considered dangerous because of the nearby native communities, the southern route lacked access to resources. The military opened Fort Dodge near the Cimmaron route to protect travelers from attacks in 1865.

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Fort Dodge, Kansas – Serving the Santa Fe Trail – Legends of America

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Found on Google from legendsofamerica.com

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In October of 1867, the local Native communities were forced to sign a treaty handing over the rights to their land to build a railway. In exchange, they were promised land elsewhere to establish a reservation and were permitted to hunt for bison above the river (if there were any). The natives never received a reservation and were forced to live on less hospitable land. Soon after, the Fort Hays-Fort Dodge trail was formed, and a military supply point for Fort Dodge was established near the natives' winter camp. Resources were not shared with the natives.

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5 miles west of Fort Dodge, the first sod house was built. This was to be a cow camp and a resting spot for buffalo hunters (a common sport). Soon after, a buffalo hunter opened a trading post nearby. The area soon came to be known as Buffalo City; the postmaster general recommended it be renamed Dodge City because there were already registered towns named after buffalo.

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Railroad construction established their headquarters in the town side and began planning their construction. In August, the town became official, and by September, the Railway had made its way from Missouri to Dodge City

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Finding food when the settlers first arrived was easy in western Kansas. Millions of bison roamed around, prairie chickens and other fowl, and a river and wheat fields were available. Buffalo hunting became excessive and was done for food, sport, and trade purposes. By 1773, the prairie fields were covered in bison carcasses, and the stench of rot and decay reeked. By 1775, the overhunting of the settlers caused bison to almost become extinct. This furthered tensions between the settlers and the natives, as one of their primary sources of food became mostly unavailable.

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Due to a disease known as 'Texas Fever', importing cows from Texas became banned in most of eastern Kansas. With Wichita not being an option for cattle drivers to rest their herds, Dodge City became the primary location to travel through. Although the ban eventually spread to affect Dodge, the City was bustling with business for the 10 years that it transported (and farmed) cattle. The city became known for its cowboys, even forming the famous "Dodge City Cowboy Band" in 1876, who later performed across the country.

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thousands of oxen, wagons, and livestock crossed the paths of the Santa Fe Trail. The earth still shows where they travelled. The land is vast, but if you look hard enough, you may be able to find other remnants, like bones from the buffalo hunts, arrowheads/bullets from the fights with the native peoples, or other things lost along the way