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Do not miss Great Bend from the Santa Fe trail, the wetlands,the Court House,to the coffee shops on Main Street.Stop by th...
Richard
Vancouver,Washington
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SC Kansas
Great Bend Explorations
Learn more about Great Bend by following the links below:

Santa Fe Trail

Address:
Great Bend, KS 67530
Telephone Number: 620.793.5125

Website: www.visitgreatbend.com

About this Exploration:

 
The Santa Fe Trail brought oxen-pulled Conestoga wagons to the big bend of the Arkansas River (from which Great Bend was named) carrying people with a vision.  The Plains Indians, primarily Cheyenne, Pawnee and Quivira, brought early civilization to the Arkansas River Valley and early white settlers wrote of driving their wagons through throngs of buffalo.
 
The Great Bend Town Company was organized in 1871. Less than a year later, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad laid track into Great Bend.  Like the hub of a giant wagon wheel laid on the prairie, Great Bend's commerce attracted people from all around the area, including cowboys who brought cattle to ship out on the train.  Cowboys also had money to spend in the end-of-the trail towns.  Money allowed the town to grow and attracted other merchants and settlers.

To learn more about the Santa Fe Trail in this area, visit the Barton County Historical Museum & Village just south of town on U.S. 281.
contact info
Great Bend Convention & Visitors Bureau
3111 10th Street / P.O. Box 1168
Great Bend, KS 67530-0274
Phone: 620.792.2750 or 877.427.9299
Fax: 620.792.7959
 
 
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Kansas Sampler Foundation   Kansas Department of Commerce - Travel Kansas   Get Rural Kansas