In 1858, William Greeneberry “Green” Russell led an expedition to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in search of gold. After weeks of disappointment gold was discovered on Little Dry Creek, about 10 miles south of their original destination. The discovery set off the “Pikes Peak” rush for gold.

Kansas Territory was relatively undeveloped at the time. The main routes to the new boom town of Denver City were the Santa Fe Trail and the California-Oregon Trail. In either case travelers had to leave the main trail to get to the gold fields. It was “Pikes Peak or Bust,” even though Pikes Peak was 60 miles south of the gold diggings.

Some travelers, anxious to get to the gold fields, noted that the Smoky Hill River led directly west through the Kansas prairies. But the way was not marked.

Many an unfortunate Smoky Hill traveler found himself lost on the barren high plains beyond the headwaters of the river. The Rocky Mountain News condemned the “fated Smoky Hell route.” The Starvation Trail was cursed with death and destruction.

Even so, Kansas settlers dreamed of a great thoroughfare through the Smoky Hill valley.

Calls for a designated safe route brought Green Russell to Leavenworth in the spring of 1860.

For $3,500 Russell proposed to lead a crew of men in an exploration of the route. Camp sites, water, grass and potential fuel sources would provide travelers a dependable reference as they crossed the boundless prairie.

Russell’s party crossed from Leavenworth to Denver City in 29 days.

His report sent to the mayor of Leavenworth on May 3, 1860, reached Leavenworth on May 15. The report was surprisingly short on detail.

Even so, supporters of the Smoky Hill route praised his findings, declaring time and again that the other routes were“ONE HUNDRED and FIFTY miles longer” than the Smoky Hill route.

Salina had been established in 1858 and the road was well marked to that point. Further west Russell’s descriptions were vague, but he noted that he found plenty of wood and water over most of the road to “Big Grove,” a grove of Cottonwood trees that native tribes identified as Big Timbers. There were many Big Timbers on different rivers. This location was on what would become the state line between Kansas and Colorado, northwest of present-day Weskan, Kan.

For the next 27 miles, water could be found, but wood was nonexistent. Smoky Hill boosters saw “only 25 miles.”

Skeptics read that water “probably would not be (found) during the dry season,” and that it was sometimes only found by digging into a dry streambed.

At Leavenworth Smoky Hill boosters put on a brave face but knew more needed to be done to make the Smoky Hill Trail a dependable route.

Not to be confused with Greene Russell, Henry T.

Green of Leavenworth was chosen to head up a road building crew of more than 40 workers.

Green was expected to bridge the larger streams, grade the sharp ravine banks while filling in the deepest part of the ravines and remove obstructions to travel (rocks, down trees, etc.).

Mounds of dirt were constructed to mark the way.

Green found in his report, published in the Sept. 10 Leavenworth Times, that although wood was scarce west of Big Grove, the immense herds of buffalo provided plenty of “chips” that served well as a substitute for a fine cooking fire.

From the camp at Big Grove, Green sent scouting parties west in search of sources of water over the 75 dry miles described by Green Russell. On a tip from Indians in the area they were told that water could be found under the sand of a “rush bottom with good feed,” 17 1/2 miles west of Big Grove. A well was dug to a depth of 10 feet and walled up. The well would become the famous Cheyenne Well and the namesake of Cheyenne Wells, Colo.

It was 22 miles to the Big Sandy River, the longest distance without water along the entire route. From the Big Sandy they followed the old government trail “used from time immemorial ... in passing from the Rocky Mountains to Central Kansas.” Another 45 miles brought them to the old Station No. 24 for the Leavenworth, Pikes Peak Express, and from there the route was well marked to Denver City.

Smoky Hill proponents celebrated. Manhattan merchant John Pipher summed up the moment in a Sept. 22 advertisement for his dry goods and provisions.

“The Crisis is past, the people are rejoicing...” But difficulty was never far away. Travelers returning east from Denver City praised the new road, but immense herds of buffalo were destroying the mounds of dirt that marked the way. The road was already in need of repair from many thousands of buffalo passing over it. It was feared that the road would soon be lost to the ravages of nature.

In the east, sabers were rattling. The election of Abraham Lincoln to the U. S. Presidency amplified simmering divisions. Admission to statehood for Kansas was the final blow. The coming war would place the dream of the great Smoky Hill thoroughfare on hold for another time on The Way West.

“The Cowboy,” Jim Gray can be reached at 220 21st RD, Geneseo, KS. Phone (785) 531-2058 or kansascowboy@kans. com.