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National and State Registers of Historic Places

French Frank's Santa Fe Trail Segment

Picture of property Address Restricted
Lehigh vicinity (Marion County)
Listed in National Register Apr 3, 2013

Architect: N/A
Category: transportation
Thematic Nomination: Historic Resources of the Santa Fe Trail (Amended 2013)

French Frank's Santa Fe Trail Segment is located in Marion County, Kansas. The property was the location of a ranch established in 1861 by French immigrants Claude Francis (French Frank) Laloge and Peter Martin. Laloge and Martin most likely chose their location because of its proximity to other French-speaking settlers. The known list of provisions Laloge purchased and his previous experience as a cook at a station along the trail support the idea that French Frank's Ranch offered meals and small provisions to trail travelers. The ranch likely ceased operation in 1866 when trail traffic shifted away from this area of Marion County. Today, there are at least six visible swales that follow a northeast-southwest route that connected the Cottonwood Creek Crossing and the Little Arkansas River crossings along the main route of the Santa Fe Trail. In addition to the swales, the nominated property includes the "Cottonwood Holes" - a natural amenity noted in trail-era accounts, the site of a former trail-period ranch, and a 1907 commemorative marker erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution. It was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in the areas of transportation, commerce, and social history, and it has the potential to yield additional important information related to trail ranches.



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