This cache is part of the larger Santa Fe Trail GeoTour: santafetrail.org/geocaching
Be sure to visit www.santafetrail.org/geocaching to learn about the PASSPORT ACTIVITY to accompany this Geo Tour. The container for this location is a large “Bison” canister with a logbook and a few swag items. The Code Word for the Passport Activity is written on the inside of the lid of the container and also on the logbook – if it is missing, just contact us and we will provide.
Wagon Bed Springs, also known as Lower Cimarron Spring is on the north bank of the Cimarron River, approximately 11 miles south and 1.5 miles west of Ulysses, KS. Follow the signs and turn into the farm access road--the cache is located near the entrance. The landowner has granted access to view the historic interpretation at the Wagon Bed site, however, the road is very rough and should not be attempted unless you have a vehicle with high clearance and do not attempt if there has been rain/snow. If you attempt this, be respectful of livestock and close gates.
Lower Cimarron Spring was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and was listed under the name "Wagon Bed Springs." The National Historic Landmark boundary has been expanded to include the historic campground associated with the spring. In addition, changes were made to the name of the National Historic Landmark to "Lower Cimarron Spring" which, during the period of the Santa Fe Trail (1821-1880), was the historic name of the spring site. The label "Wagon Bed Springs," which refers to a later incident when a wagon bed was placed in the spring to serve as a water collector, remains as the secondary name, since the National Historic Landmark is popularly known by that designation. it is no longer a running spring. In 1914, a flood destroyed the spring site and greatly altered the Cimarron River channel bed in the vicinity of the spring. In addition, deep-well pump irrigation had dramatically lowered the water table and eliminated all possibility of the spring running again.
This spring was well known to all travelers who took the Cimarron route because it was the first reliable water source they encountered since leaving the Arkansas River. This 60-mile stretch between the two rivers was known as the “Jornada,” meaning a desert journey without water. The earliest written description of the spring was made by Joseph C. Brown, a civil engineer who was with a government survey expedition led by George C. Sibley from 1825-1827. Brown described it: "The spring is at the west edge of a marsh green with bull rushes. The marsh is north of the creek and near it, the spring is constant, but the creek is sometimes dry until you ascend it ten or twelve miles, where it will be found running."
In 1831, fur trader and noted explorer Jedediah Smith began a fatal trek along the Santa Fe Trail. Smith became involved in the Santa Fe fur trade with partners David Edward Jackson and William L. Sublette. They left St. Louis, MO in April of 1831 with 74 men and 22 wagons. By May, the caravan had progressed to the Jornada stretch of the trail. Smith, along with the famed mountain man Thomas Fitzpatrick rode away from the caravan in search of the spring and water. The two separated and Smith never returned. It was learned some weeks later that Smith had been killed during an encounter with the Comanche near the Cimarron River – his body was never recovered. Smith was 32 years old.
For more information on this site, visit the National Historic Landmark information at: https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/9a062d21-f216-44f1-932d-1174b6aa610c