Editing Oregon Trail (section)

===Kansas===
Starting initially in Independence, Missouri, or [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] in Missouri, the initial trail follows the Santa Fe Trail into Kansas south of the [[Wakarusa River]]. After crossing [[Mount Oread]] at [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]], the trail crosses the Kansas River by [[ferry]] or boats near Topeka and crosses the Wakarusa and Black Vermillion rivers by ferries.  West of Topeka, the route paralleled what is now [[U.S. Route 24 in Kansas|U.S. Route 24]] until west of St. Mary's. After the Black Vermillion River, the trail angles northwest to Nebraska paralleling the [[Little Blue River (Kansas/Nebraska)|Little Blue River]] until reaching the south side of the Platte River.  Destinations along the Oregon Trail in Kansas included [[St. Mary's Mission (Kansas)|St. Mary's Mission]], [[Pottawatomie Indian Pay Station]], [[Louisville, Kansas#Oregon Trail crossing|Vieux's Vermilion Crossing]], [[Alcove Springs]] and the [[Hollenberg Pony Express Station|Hollenberg Station]] which was built for and used concurrently in 1860 and 1861 by the Pony Express. Travel by wagon over the gently rolling Kansas countryside was usually unimpeded except where streams had cut steep banks. There a passage could be made with a lot of shovel work to cut down the banks or the travelers could find an already established crossing.{{Citation needed|date=October 2017}}