Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
This historic trail passed a few miles north of Wamego. Wagon ruts from that time can still be seen in places. Other remnants of the trail include the Louis Vieux Cemetery. Vieux, a member of the Potawatomi Tribe, operated a ferry across the Vermillion River for travelers on the trail. Vieux and members of his family are buried at the cemetery.
The Cholera Cemetery consists of several stones marking the graves of travelers who succumbed to cholera. Just across the Vermillion River, the world’s largest elm once stood and no doubt provided shade for weary travelers moving along the trail. What is left of the tree has been preserved for future generations.
A few miles east of the Louis Vieux cemeteries, along Oregon Trail Road, is the Oregon Trail Nature Park, which offers hiking trails, picnic tables, a shelter house and panoramic views of the Kansas River Valley. The Jeffery Energy Center Lake sits just over the hill to the north and provides a year-round home for waterfowl.
The trail is open to the public.
