Most of our exposure to history is limited to museum tours and history books, with small amounts of time actually thinking about what history means for the future. This one spot in Kansas is unique, in that it plainly displays the effects of our history right on the ground for us to view. You can actually see for yourself the remnants of those who traveled here. You might not be able to run your hands across it's surface, but to see it this closely as a definite mark is a wonder of its own.

Nine miles west of Dodge City is the longest and best preserved section of the Santa Fe Trail. While you might not be able to see it when the grass is high, it becomes much more visible as the grass dies, and even better if you have a drone camera to get a better angle.

They run alongside US hwy 400/50, through the remains of the Soule Canal, which was an attempt at an irrigation ditch, put in shortly after we stopped using the trail. At the site are helpful kiosks with photos from when the ruts were more obvious, and not weathered away by the wind and rain.

To this day, you can see the ruts closer to the walking path and running perpendicular to it on either side. But, what did they use this trail for?

Missouri folk made their way across Kansas to the west in order to trade goods of all kinds. The trail branched off near our southwestern corner into two separate paths, one headed to Colorado and the other headed towards New Mexico, where new settlements were popping up like popcorn kernels in hot oil.

In 1846, the war with Mexico turned the trail into an invasion route, and later a military supply route. Hundreds of wagons loaded with goods made their way across this important trail, all in the name of the west.

By 1865, the Union Pacific Railroad became the main route between Lawrence, Kansas and Kit Carson, Colorado, eliminating the need for animal-drawn wagons. They were shipped by rail, and then delivered by wagon, cutting a lot of shipping time. This route lives on as an important trade and travel pathway for many in the 1800s, and it's amazing to see it still here today, no matter how faint.

Since it's hard to see them with the grass growing, check out this aerial image below, where you can see the literal path of history running through the prairie. You can almost feel the ground rumbling with wagon after wagon headed on its way.

It's amazing to see something so tangibly there, even if you can't touch them yourself. The Santa Fe trail was deeply important to many settlers, and to see these marks from hundreds of years ago is incredible.

Want to check out another cool historical landmark here in Kansas? Try this short hike to hand-dug caves from the 1880s.