Spring Meeting
Eighty-three members and guests attended the spring meeting of the Wet/Dry Routes Chapter on April 13, 2008. Participating were families from Santa Fe, New Mexico, McPherson, Lehigh, Winfield and Spearville, Kansas. Following a fine meal catered by the ladies of Larned's Episcopal Church, the business meeting included reports on two books recently reproduced by the chapter and the approval of a summer day camp to be conducted for fourth graders at Larned's Little Red House. Subsequently, George Elmore and other Fort Larned staff presented a well received program on frontier artillery.

Summer Meeting Photo's
The summer meeting of the chapter will be conducted on Sunday, June 22 at the lake home of Bob and Rosie Rein. The location is south of Zenith, Kansas. Directions are as follows. From the intersection of Zenith (Highway 50 and 140), drive south to 40, right (west) 1/2 mile, and left (south) 1/2 mile to the entrance. Signs will be placed in this regard. Dinner will be served at 4:00 p.m. with the program to follow. However, please make plans to come as early at 2:00 p.m. Bring your fishing gear. There are some fine channel cats in the lake. The chapter will provide hamburgers, drinks and table service. Members are asked to bring a covered dish (preferably with something in it) and lawn chairs. Harry Myers, manager will present the program. As an added attraction, Mike Seymour will give a demonstration on shoulder arms of the 19th century which will include flintlock, percussion, and cartridge weapons. Don't miss this meeting! It promises to be a great one.

Marker Update
The limestone marker at the Larned Cemetery as reported in the last issue of Traces was found to be tilting. Thanks to the ready hands of George Elmore and Mike Seymour, the problem has been solved.

Still another problem has been discovered. The cedar posts of the interpretive marker at the Dry Route Crossing near Larned State Hospital have rotted off at the ground..New posts have been purchased and Mildon Yeager has graciously agreed to rebuild the marker. By the time of this newsletter is published, the marker will hopefully be back in place.

DAR Convention
The Wet/Dry Routes Chapter was well represented at the 110th convention of the Kansas Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution conducted at Topeka on May 2-4. The Chapter had on display two exhibits. The Village and the Villa, Franklin, Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. A Tale of Two Cities and Freighting Artifacts of the Santa Fe Trade. Chapter President David Clapsaddle was speaker for the May 3 luncheon, his topic of Frontier Technology was illustrated by the artifacts included the exhibit previously mentioned. Over two hundred members were in attendance including Shirley Coupal, Regent of the Kansas Society and member of our chapter.

Books, Books, Books
Barbara German has donated a large number of books to the chapter. Her wishes are for them to be sold and the proceeds used for Chapter projects. They will be available at the June meeting. Donations will be accepted in lieu of pricing. Thanks Barbara.

Faye Anderson Award
Nominations are now open for the annual Faye Anderson Award given each January Applications may be obtained from Alice Clapsaddle. The Chapter only gives one award each year with the recipient receiving a plaque and a lifetime membership to the chapter. Faye Anderson was a charter member of the organization and dearly loved Santa Fe Trail history. We remember her also as the maker of the famous Buffalo Chip Cookies.

Another Republication
The Chapter has republished Reminiscences of Ten Years Experience on the Western Plains, originally printed by James Brice in 1905. The twenty-four page booklet with six nice sketches tells Brice's story of his years with the mail companies, several of which involved his tenure as manager of the mail station at Fort Larned. The booklet is available from the Last Chance Store, Box 31, Woodston , Kansas 67675, $2.25. It like the previously republished Rules and Regulations By Which To Conduct Wagon Trains is also available at the Barton County Historical Museum, Great Bend, The Fort Hays Historical Museum, Hays, The Cornado-Quivira Museum, Lyons, and the National Frontier Trails Museum, Independence, Missouri.

Get It Right
Recently, your editor had the opportunity to visit the site of Fuller's Ranche in McPherson County. There, a marker identifies this location as the site of the ranche where later the town of Empire was established. Also inscribed is the following, 1825 Santa Fe Trail 1878. This is only one of many markers inscribed with inaccurate dates of the Santa Fe Trail. The Daughters of the American Revolution Markers are incised 1822-1872. The Madonna of the Trail Marker at Council Grove states that the Santa Fe Trail was established at Council Grove on August 10, 1825. These are only a few of such erroneous dates which have been made public with regard to the tenure of the Santa Fe Trail. With the slightest research effort, the fifty-nine year period of the Santa Fe Tral can easily be documented as occurring between 1821 and 1880. Hopefully, the national Santa Fe Trail and National Park Service will address this issue.

Day Camp
Fourteen fourth graders have been selected to participate in the Little Red House Day scheduled on June 3. The next issue will give details of the event.

Dues are always Due to the
Fastest Hand in the West
Chapter dues in the amount of $10.00 per family, are due at the Winter meeting or may be mailed to Alice Clapsaddle, 215 Mann, Larned, Kansas, 67550. Checks should be made out to the Wet/Dry Routes Chapter. Dues and email addresses are welcome.
"Printable Dues Form".
Do Not send our dues to the Santa Fe Trail Center

Thank you for supporting all our Wet/Dry Routes Chapter projects!

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