immemorial. At the beginning of this century it was first used as an
artery of commerce. Over it Zebulon Pike made his well-known Western
trip, and from it radiated his explorations. The trail lay some distance
south of Leavenworth. It ran westward, dipping slightly to the south
until the Arkansas River was reached; then, following the course of this
stream to Bent's Fort, it crossed the river and turned sharply to the
south. It went through Raton Pass, and below Las Vegas it turned west to
Santa Fe.

Exploration along the line of the Salt Lake trail began also with this
century. It became a beaten highway at the time of the Mormon exodus
from Nauvoo to their present place of abode. The trail crossed the
Missouri River at Leavenworth, and ran northerly to the Platte, touching
that stream at Fort Kearny. With a few variations it paralleled the
Platte to its junction with the Sweetwater, and left this river valley
to run through South Pass to big Sandy Creek, turning south to follow
this little stream. At Fort Bridger it turned westward again, passed
Echo Canon, and a few miles farther on ran into Salt Lake City. Over
this trail journeyed thousands of gold-hunters toward California,
hopeful and high-spirited on the westerly way, disappointed and
depressed, the large majority of them, on the back track.
Freighting outfits, cattle trains, emigrants--nearly all the western
travel--followed this track across the new land. A man named Rively,
with the gift of grasping the advantage of location, had obtained
permission to establish a trading-post on this trail three miles beyond
the Missouri, and as proximity to this depot of supplies was a manifest
convenience, father's selection of a claim only two miles distant was a
wise one.

The Kansas-Nebraska Bill, which provided for the organizing of those