Walk with Lincoln on the Kansas Lincoln Trail

Submitted by Roxie on the Road  

Follow Abraham Lincoln’s footsteps on the Kansas Lincoln Trail

“If I went West, I think I would go to Kansas — to Leavenworth or Atchison.” — Abraham Lincoln, 1860

Lincoln wasn’t blowing smoke when he said he’d go to Kansas. He had already visited the state before politics’ requirements take him back East permanently. In the 1860 election, Bleeding Kansas was the central issue. Why? Because if the government could force or induce Kansas to allow slavery, how could any part of the nation remain a free state? Lincoln came to Kansas to investigate the answer to that question. Let’s follow Lincoln’s footsteps on the Kansas Lincoln Trail. We’ll visit Elwood, Troy, Doniphan, Atchison, and Leavenworth.

In 1859, former Kansan and staunch abolitionist John Brown had attacked the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown saw the attack as a step toward slavery’s overthrow. Lincoln disagreed. Coming to Kansas, where Brown had earned his violent, radical reputation, could cast Lincoln in a more reasonable light.  Read more here..