Riley County Historical Trails and Tours

The most recognizable trail through Riley County is the military trail from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Riley. Other better-known trails, such as the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, did not pass through our county. The Oregon Trail passed through Pottawatomie County, as did the Military Trail. The Santa Fe Trail was south of us in Morris County. More information on the military trail: https://www.rileychs.org/walking-driving-and-virtual-tours.cfm

There is the Ponca removal trail that came through our area in 1877 as the Ponca Tribe were being removed from Nebraska to Oklahoma. While this is not a trail that we provide programming through (yet), there is an organization in Nebraska that is working to have the rail formally recognized: https://chiefstandingbear.org/trail-map/