This location should be approached from the West. The trail head is located at N38 51.332 W94 51.469.
This old road is believed by the City of Olathe to be a section of the old Santa Fe Trail. Ruts are visible along this path and very well may be original. After you find the cache, you may proceed to N38 51.519 W94 51.413, to view what I believe to be the "Elm Grove Campground" or at least a nearby relative. You will see a lot of cactus on the ground there if you explore.
Here is some words indicating that this is the Elm Grove spot. Note that it says that it is 2.5 miles NW from Lone Elm.
I verified it with the GPS and it is exactly that distance.
Taken from the following web site.
http://www.stjohnks.net/santafetrail/research/fortlevenworthloneelmroad.html
On May 15, 1829, four companies of the Sixth U.S. Infantry under the command of Bvt. Maj. Bennet Riley were greeted by a 15-gun salute as they disembarked from the steamboat Diana at Cantonment Leavenworth. Dispatched from Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis, Riley's troops were to spend the next 19 days at Leavenworth in preparation for their assigned duty, the escort of the annual spring caravan to Santa Fe. While other officers were deployed to procure provisions and draft animals for the expedition, 2nd Lt. Robert Seiver was ordered to reconnoiter two routes from the cantonment to Round Grove, the well known campground on the Santa Fe Trail at which Riley's command was to rendezvous with the traders assembling at Independence. (1) Round Grove, known as Lone Elm after 1844, was located thirty-five miles southwest of Independence on the Santa Fe Trail. This campground is not to be confused with Elm Grove, another campground located two and a half miles northwest of Round Grove on the so called Westport Road branch of the Santa Fe Trail. (2) On May 28, Seiver made his report. The western route running south from Leavenworth through rough terrain crossed the Kansas River without the benefit of a ferry. The eastern route, some fifty miles further than its western counterpart, followed the east bank of the Missouri River to a ferry located twenty-five miles downstream from the cantonment. Regardless of the difference in distance, Riley chose the latter route.
Enjoy.
Cache originally included.
- Music casettes.
- Vibrating clip for cell phone.
- Serial port gender changer.
- Garmin patch from another cache.
- Coupons for KS State Fair.
- Other coupons.
- Logbook and pen.