 Picture courtesy of Jim Kuntz
Here, and for the next 300 miles west, Highway 56 roughly follows the old Santa Fe trail , and frequently crosses it. White settlement began in this area in 1854, the year Kansas became a territory, and in 1855 the town of Palmyra was founded. When Baker University was established on the outskirts in 1858 a new town sprang up. It was named for John Baldwin, an Ohio capitalist who in 1857 hauled a steam sawmill in over the trail. By 1863 Palmyra had merged with Baldwin. Local settlers were "Free-State" in the fight over slavery; several were captured in a Proslavery raid of 1856. Among Free-State leaders was Dr. Andrew T. Still, founder of osteopathy, whose theory of healing was developed here. Baker University, named for Methodist Bishop Osmon Baker, is the state's oldest four-year college. It houses the famous Bishop Qualye Bible collection, and its first building, the "Old Castle", is now a museum.
Erected by Kansas State Historical Society and State Highway Commission.
US-56, Roadside turnout, .5 miles east of Baldwin City Douglas County Kansas
|
Comments () |
|
|
|
|
|
Kansas 
