In Brief:
- Black Jack Ruts are located on the Ivan L. Boyd Memorial Prairie Preserve, three miles east of Baldwin City, Kansas, (US 56 and E. 2000 Rd)
- The ruts were made in the area of Black Jack Crossing where Santa Fe Trail wagon trains crossed the creek.
- Construction done by team of volunteers beginning April 2020
- Collaborative effort – Santa Fe Trail Historical Society of Douglas County, Kansas, working with local, state, and national organizations
- Project goal: improve visitor access to viewing five most prominent wagon ruts, up to four feet deep as they come down a hill and educate
- First portion of trail: ADA accessible, 350 feet long, ends at first rut
- Rest of trail: 1,250 ft. long, loops around and through ruts
- Entire trail – out and back: 2,200 ft. long
- Stone pathway runs through the ruts – can stand in them yourself
- Three interpretation signs for education
- Audio Tour Available – First of its kind for any site along the Santa Fe Trail!! (Scan QR code at site for access)
- A dedication ceremony will be held June 5th, 2021 at 2:00.
- Please join us in thanking those listed below for providing funding, advice, materials, and/or labor.
Come experience the look and feel of traveling the tall grass prairie on the Santa Fe Trail for yourself!!
Photos/Images: Click HERE to view; Click HERE for Drone Video
(Drone Video used with permission of Dave Kendall of Prairie Hollow Productions)
More Information:
In a collaborative effort organized by Dr. Roger Boyd, president, the Santa Fe Trail Historical Society of Douglas County, Kansas, working with local, state, and national organizations, created a new walking trail at the nearby Santa Fe Trail wagon ruts. These Black Jack Ruts were made in the area of Black Jack Crossing where Santa Fe Trail wagon trains crossed the creek. They are located on the Ivan L. Boyd Memorial Prairie Preserve, just three miles east of Baldwin City, Kansas (US 56 and E. 2000 Rd). The site consists of 18 acres, with half remaining unplowed native prairie, and is owned by Douglas County. Trail construction was done by a team of volunteers beginning April 2020.
The five most prominent wagon ruts, which are up to four feet deep as they come down a hill, were the focus of the project. The goal of the project was to improve visitor access to viewing these ruts and provide education about them and the prairie. The entire site is accessed from a curved drive on the south side of US 56 marked, “Historical Marker”. From the drive, a wide, ADA accessible trail points you south to the ruts. You will also notice a historical replica of a log cabin, Black Jack Cabin, built on the site by the Society in 1970. Several Historical Markers are available for reading. Detailed description of work done is coming soon.
The first portion of trail is also ADA accessible. It is 6 ft. wide and 350 feet long, comprised of compacted fine gravel and ending in a 25 ft. diameter circle located at the first major rut or swale. Two large stone benches are on this site. These heavy rectangular stone benches are actually window lintels (supports) rescued from a west rural Baldwin home constructed in the 1860s. The lintels would have gone above or below the window frame.
The rest of the ruts are viewed from a 1,250 ft. long, 3 ft. wide trail that loops around and through them. This trail is made of compacted dirt, topped with compacted gravel, and winds though the native prairie. A stone pathway has been constructed through the ruts so you can stand in them yourself! Many Trail travelers walked alongside the wagons as they moved along. You can imagine yourself traveling back in time and walking along the prairie as you walk on this trail. Over 230 species of native grasses and wildflowers on the site were documented by Dr. Roger Boyd site during his tenure at Baker University.
Three interpretation signs were designed by the National Park Service staff and are located on the site to educate visitors about the site. Along the new trail are 6 sign posts indicating Audio Stops. By scanning a QR code you can gain access to this Audio Tour, the first of its kind along the Santa Fe Trail!! A dedication ceremony will be held on June 5, 2021. This ceremony is part of the nationwide commemoration of the 200 year opening of the Santa Fe Trail in 1821.
Since the completion of the walking trail, almost continual visitors have been seen at the site each weekend. The chapter’s hope that access to these ruts would be beneficial to the community appears to be met at this time, and we are so pleased!
We recommend you revisit the walking trail at various times of the year as the prairie changes throughout the season. The grass grows to be very high. Various flowers come out at different times, so the beauty of the prairie changes. The air stillness, temperature, and humidity change as well. The time of day can make a difference, with animals, sounds, and air movements (birds, breeze, coolness, may hear coyotes at dusk) changing throughout the day.
We would like to thank the following for providing funding, advice, materials, and/or labor to the project:
- Ad Astra Alpacas & Bob Hey
- Douglas County Department of Public Works
- Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council (HCC)
- Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA)
- Kansas Department of Transportation
- Kansas State Historical Preservation Office
- National Park Service, Santa Fe, New Mexico – Cory Donnelly and Carol Clark
- Santa Fe Trail Association (national)
- Over 60 volunteers and 750 hr.
