Last updated: January 10, 2024
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Mill Creek Exhibits Audio Description
California National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail, Santa Fe National Historic Trail
NPS Exhibit
Mill Creek - Orientation Exhibit Audio Description
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Mill Creek - Orientation Exhibit Audio Description
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Listen to the audio description of the Mill Creek - Orientation exhibit.
- Date created:
- 08/30/2021
Mill Creek Orientation Panel
In front of you, is a panel 3 feet wide by 4 feet tall, and about 3 feet off the ground. This panel sits on one side of a paved pathway that winds through this park and continues south to McCoy Park. On the far side of the panels the view looks out over grassy lawns, playing fields and scattered trees in the park. Directly behind you there is an octagonal covered pavilion with picnic tables.
Text at the top of the panel reads, "Follow along the same path traveled by thousands of homesteaders, prospectors, and entrepreneurs. The Missouri River carried them to the Upper Independence landing two miles north of here. With their wagons loaded, they headed to town in Independence for final preparations. These were the first miles of the overland journey to California, Oregon, and Santa Fe."
End of Text
Down the right side of the panel is a map centered on this location and stretching from near the Missouri River in the north and into the town of Independence in the south. Dotted and dashed lines going from top to bottom mark the paths of the historic trails that passed within a quarter mile, or half a kilometer, on either side of this location. Four trail-related sites are indicated by small numbers with descriptions down the left side. Number one at the top near the river is the Upper Independence Landing, or Wayne City, Overlook. A small photograph shows an asphalt trail leading to the bank overlooking the river with several exhibits. Text to the right of the photo reads, "This was the closest landing to Independence for emigrants arriving by steamboat. The site is on private land, and is not open to visitors. The short trail leads to a scenic overlook of the Missouri River, and exhibits describing this starting point of the emigrants’ overland journey.
Site number 2 is your current location at Mill Creek Park near the center of the map. A photograph to the left shows the covered picnic pavilion just behind you. Text to the right of the photo reads, "This park is situated between the historic routes of the three overland trails. Today, visitors can enjoy sports fields, picnic shelters, and play areas. Follow the paved trail south to parallel the original trail routes established during the 1800s. The paved path remains relatively flat leading to McCoy Park."
Site number three is directly south of your current location in another green area on the map indicating another park. This is McCoy Park. A small photograph shows several benches and exhibit signs underneath a roofed pavilion. The caption identifies these as a Santa Fe Trail exhibit. Text to the left reads, "Wagons, loaded with freight bound for Santa Fe, once crossed this land. Today visitors can learn about the trails from exhibits here, while also enjoying this universally-inclusive park. Follow the trail to the hexagon shelter at the corner of W. College St. and N. Pleasant St. where you can view the Santa Fe Trail exhibits. Distance to the exhibit shelter: 1 mile (1.6 km)"
Site number four is near the bottom of the map and includes several sites in historic downtown Independence. At left are photographs of three of those sites. At the top is a picture of the Harry S Truman National Historic Site, a two-story brick building on a street corner. Below that is a photograph of Independence Square Historic Truman Courthouse, a large brick building with two main stories, a colonnaded entrance, and a white bell tower on top. To the right of that is the National Frontier Trails Museum, a brick building with white square pillars and horizontal beams in front. Text to the right reads, "Independence is the official start of the Oregon Trail. Travelers on all three trails outfitted their wagons here through much of the emigration era. Continue south from McCoy Park. Follow sidewalks to Historic Independence Square, where the historic trails come together on the map. Several sites are within walking distance of the Square. Distance to the Historic Independence Square: 1.6 miles (2.6 km)."
At the bottom left of the panel are images of the signs for each of the National Trails that pass through this area. The California Trail has a trail emblem with a yoke for a pair of oxen on it. The Oregon Trail emblem features a covered wagon. The Santa Fe Trail emblem has a covered wagon pulled by a team of oxen. The caption reads, "Look for these signs to follow the routes of the California, Oregon, and Santa Fe national historic trails."
Text in the bottom right gives information on the trail you are standing on. It reads, "The Trail Ahead. Surface: Asphalt/Concrete. Accessible: Yes. Activities: Walking, Running, & Biking. Locations: Connects Mill Creek Park. with McCoy Park. Total Distance: 1 mile (1.6 km). Continue along sidewalks for another 0.6 miles (1 km) to reach Historic Independence Square. For more information: visitindependence.com/things-to-do/" There is also a map of the United States showing the paths of the Oregon Trail (1841-1848), marked in yellow and going from Independence to Portland Oregon; The California Trail (1841-1869), marked in red and going from Independence to California with multiple branches extending into northern California and up in Oregon; and the Santa Fe Trail (1821-1880), marked in purple and going from Independence to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The caption reads, "The National Park Service administers the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California national historic trails to foster trail preservation and public use. Visit go.nps.gov/NationalHistoricTrails to find out more about trail sites you can visit."
Across the top of the panel is a black bar. At the left end text reads "Mill Creek." At the right end is the logo and text for the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe national historic trails. Other text reads, "City of Independence"
End of Description.
NPS Exhibit
Mill Creek - On to Oregon Exhibit Audio Description
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Mill Creek - On to Oregon Exhibit Audio Description
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Listen to the audio description of the Mill Creek - On to Oregon exhibit.
- Date created:
- 01/10/2024
On To Oregon – Description
On To Oregon Panel
In front of you, is a panel 3-and-a-half feet wide by 2 feet tall, and about 3 feet off the ground. This panel sits on a concrete pad under a large tree, facing West Jones Street running left to right. A paved pathway runs along the left side of the concrete pad before making an “S” curve in front of the panel, and crossing W Jones St. to the right as it continues to McCoy Park. The path behind you continues to Mill Creek Park. A second wayside panel sits immediately to the right and is also audio described.
At left, across the top of this panel, is dark text on a light blue background:
On to Oregon! Many of the travelers who moved through the Kansas City area were heading for the Oregon Trail. In 1845, about 5,000 emigrants walked and rode from Missouri to Oregon. These were hopeful families seeking land and opportunity. They came by steamboat on the Missouri River. Then they
made their way to town to stock up on supplies. For those who arrived at the Independence Landing, climbing the hill was the first of many challenges. Over the next 5 months, they would travel as far as 2,000 miles, or 3,219 kilometers. Many lost people, animals, and possessions along the way. Families felt both fear and excitement as they traveled the road to Independence.
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A color illustration of a winding trail fills the panel. The trail is filled with wooden wagons with round cream-colored canvas tops. The wagons are pulled by either a pair of mules or a team of 4 oxen. In the foreground, at the right, are 5 people and a brown and white dog. Among them, a boy and a girl run ahead of the first wagon with their gazes forward. 2 women in pale dresses walk behind them. 1 woman wears a wide-brimmed tan hat. In the bottom center of the panel, a girl in a blue dress runs ahead of the wagon. She is looking ahead and smiling. 2 women sit at the front of the first wagon. The woman on the left is wearing a purple top and holds the reins for the mules. The woman on the right is wearing a red top. A small yellow dog sits beside her. To the left of the first wagon, is another covered wagon stopped on the side of the trail. A man and a woman tend to the front pair of yoked oxen. A third person kneels by the rear spoked wagon wheel. Similarly sized wagons follow behind along the winding trail.
The dirt trail is bordered by ankle-deep green grass and meanders through a hilly green landscape. In the distance, along the horizon line, 2 steam ships are docked along a blue river. Steam billows from several buildings behind the ships. Light blue sky fills the top third of the panel.
In the top right corner of the panel, is an inset map. North is toward the top of the panel. Most of the map is green. Roads are gray and the blue Missouri River curves from the top of the left side, to the right side of the top of the map. The Upper Independence Landing, or Wayne City, Overlook, is identified near the top right corner of the map. 3 trails are shown in the right, or east, half of the map: the Santa Fe Trail in yellow, the Oregon Trail in orange, and the California Trail in pink. All 3 trails continue south through the Upper Independence Landing, or Wayne City, Overlook to Independence Square, near the bottom right corner of the map. The routes of the trails pass within a short distance east and west of your location, marked in the center of the map.
Below the map, is white text on a dark background:
It was about 3.5 miles, or 5.6 kilometers, from the boat landing to Independence. The first stretch followed switchbacks up a steep hill.
Across the top of the panel is a black bar. At the left end text reads "Upper Independence Landing." At the right end is the logo and text for the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe national historic trails. Other text lists partner associations.
End of Description
NPS Exhibit
Mill Creek - Jumping Off The River Exhibit Audio Description
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Mill Creek - Jumping Off The River Exhibit Audio Description
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Listen to the audio description of the Mill Creek - Jumping Off The River Exhibit
- Date created:
- 01/10/2024
Jumping Off the River – Wayside AD))) Transcript
In front of you, is a panel 3-and-a-half feet wide by 2 feet tall, and about 3 feet off the ground. This panel sits on a concrete pad under a large tree, facing West Jones Street running left to right. A paved pathway runs along the left side of the concrete pad before making an “S” curve in front of the panel, and crossing W Jones St. to the right as it continues to McCoy Park. The path behind you continues to Mill Creek Park. A second wayside panel sits immediately to the left and is also audio described.
In the top left corner of this panel, is dark text on a light blue background:
Jumping off the River. Two miles north of here, the riverbank once bustled with activity. It was the Independence Landing, a popular “jumping off” point for travelers on the overland trails. By the late 1840s, those bound for all 3 trails docked there. Traders unloaded commercial goods to sell in Santa Fe. Trappers calculated what price they might get for their furs. Prospectors dreamed of striking gold in California. Emigrants prayed their cows and children would survive the trip to Oregon.
End of Text
To the right of the text, is a quotation in brown text from Francis Parkman at the Independence Landing in 1846:
Parties of emigrants, with their tents and wagons, were encamped on open spots near the bank…1 or 2 French hunters from the mountains, with their long hair and buckskin dresses, were looking at the boat.
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A color illustration fills this panel and has an overall bluish tint. In the lower right corner, is a campsite with 3 off-white canvas tents. The campsite is on the banks of the river, which is to the left. In the foreground, 5 travelers gather around a glowing fire. Around the campsite, are stacks of barrels, uncovered wagons, oxen, and 2 other travelers. In the distance, near the center of the panel, are more campsites, wagons, and a dozen or more travelers. At the center right of the panel, about 10 travelers gather near a 1-story log building. Behind the building, to the left, another campfire casts a glow on the nearby wagons. Along the right side of the panel, is a steep, tree-covered hill. 2 wagons travel along a switchback trail on this hillside. In the river, at the left side of the panel, a steamship named Martha is docked while another steamship approaches from the right. People carry items to load and unload the docked boat. The other side of the river is hazy and fades into the horizon. A partly cloudy light blue sky fills the top half of the panel.
In the bottom right corner, is white text on a dark background:
“Independence. ‘Start of the Santa Fe Trail.’” by John Stobart. Image courtesy of The Stobart Foundation, 10 Colonial Road, Suite 23, Salem, Massachusetts 01970.
Across the top of the panel is a black bar. At the left end text reads "Upper Independence Landing." At the right end is the logo and text for the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe national historic trails. Other text lists partner associations.
End of Description
NPS Exhibit
Engines of Change Exhibit Audio Description
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Kansas City - Engines of Change Exhibit Audio Description
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Listen to the Kansas City, Engines of Change Exhibit audio description.
- Date created:
- 01/10/2024
Engines of Change Description
In front of you, is a panel 3 feet wide by 2 feet tall, and about 3 feet off the ground. The panel is installed along a winding paved path coming in from behind, and continuing across a metal bridge to the left. Behind the panel, are bushes and trees along a small creek.
At the top left, is dark text on a light background:
Engines of Change. When traders first traveled the Santa Fe Trail, the organized United States stopped at the Missouri border. To the west was Indian Territory. The US reserved this land for American Indian tribes, including those relocated from the southeast. The entire southwest belonged to Mexico. The overland trails transformed the map of North America. Change accelerated as the railroads expanded west in the 1870s. By the 1880s, the trails were obsolete.
End of Text
The background of this panel is a color photograph of a green grassy field. In the distance, is a body of water, and beyond that, is the horizon. Gray clouds fill the top of the photograph.
Overlaid on top of the photograph, are 3 maps of the United States from 3 different years. North is toward the top of the panel.
The biggest map covers the left half of the panel and shows land ownership in 1834. The east or right half of this map is green and represents the United States at the time. The middle of the map is dark blue and represents Indian Territory. You are in Kansas City, in the middle of the map, on the border between Indian Territory and the United States.
Travelers on the Santa Fe Trail, which is shown in yellow, passed through American Indian lands. The lower left or southwest part of the map is light brown and represents Mexico. The Santa Fe Trail was an international trade route between Mexico and the United States. The upper left or northwest corner of the map is olive green and represents Oregon Country. Before 1846, the United States and Great Britain made competing claims to the Oregon Country.
In the right half of the panel, are 2 smaller maps. The upper map shows land ownership in 1848 and 3 trails. Your location is in the middle of the map. The Santa Fe Trail in yellow goes from the middle of the map to the lower center. The Oregon Trail in orange goes from the middle of the map to the top left corner. The California Trail in pink goes from the middle of the map to the middle of the left side. The right half of the map is green for the United States. The top central part of the map is light blue for Minnesota Territory.
Indian Territory is dark blue to the left, or west. Indian Territory is smaller than it was in 1834 due to the creation of the Minnesota Territory and expansion of the United States. More than 300,000 people pushed west on to the Oregon and California Trails. They pressured the US government to open more American Indian land for white settlement. Below Indian Territory is dark orange for the Texas Annexation, which was created in 1845 from land that was previously part of Mexico.
The lower left or southwest part is light brown. This area was acquired from Mexico in 1848. During the US-Mexico War, the US Army used the Santa Fe Trail as a supply route. The upper left or northwest corner is olive green. In the 1840s, thousands of US settlers moved northwest on the Oregon Trail. In 1846, the British gave up their claim to the Oregon Country.
In the lower right corner of the panel, is a map of the United States in 2010. Your location is in the middle of the map. Almost all of the map is green because this land makes up the United States. Specks of dark blue dot the left, or western, portion of the map. They represent Federal American Indian Reservations. The overland trails sped the loss of American Indian land. By 1890, tribal land was reduced to scattered reservations.
Across the top of the panel is a black bar. At the left end text reads "Upper Independence Landing." At the right end is the logo and text for the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe national historic trails. Other text lists partner associations.
End of Description
NPS Exhibit
From Missouri to the West Exhibit Audio Description
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Kansas City - From Missouri to the West Exhibit Audio Description
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Listen to the Kansas City, from Missouri to the West Exhibit audio description.
- Date created:
- 06/28/2021
From Missouri to the West – Description
In front of you, is a panel 3 feet wide by 2 feet tall, and about 3 feet off the ground. The panel is installed along a winding paved path coming in from behind, and continuing across a metal bridge to the left. Behind the panel, are bushes and trees along a small creek.
In the top right corner of the panel, is white text on a green background:
From Missouri to the West. The Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails have a big national story to tell. They spread across half of the present-day United States. They pushed America’s expansion to the west. Yet this also is an important local history. The shared route of these three historic trails began right here in the Kansas City area. Travelers starting out on all 3 trails followed the same paths through the Kansas City area before the Oregon/California route split from the Santa Fe Trail near Gardner, Kansas.
End of Text
A map of the western half of the United States covers this panel and shows 3 trails: the Santa Fe Trail is in yellow, the California Trail is in pink, and the Oregon Trail in orange. The states are green, and the state borders and names are light green. The country border is dark green. The Santa Fe Trail, used from 1821 to 1880, begins in Franklin, Missouri, on the right side of the panel. It continues westward via Kansas City, Kansas, to Santa Fe, New Mexico in the lower center of the panel. The California Trail, used from 1841 to 1869, starts in Kansas City on the right side of the panel. It continues westward and ends in Sacramento, California, which is in the center of the left side of the panel. This trail also has starting points in Saint Joseph, Missouri, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, which are on the right side of the panel, slightly above, or north, of Kansas City. The Oregon Trail, used from 1841 to 1848, extends westward from Kansas City on the right side of the panel to Portland, Oregon, which is in the top left corner of the panel. Each trail has multiple branches.
In the lower left corner of the panel, is a light green inset map. North is towards the top of the panel. This map shows your current location near the center of the map, north of Independence, Missouri. The left half of the map is dark green and represents Indian Territory as of 1840. Indian Territory became Kansas Territory in 1854. The curvy blue Missouri River meanders along the top of the map.
To the right of the inset map, is white text on a green background:
Trail travelers followed various routes through the Kansas City area. Many of them arrived by steamboat. They outfitted for the journey in Independence and Westport.
Across the top of the panel is a black bar. At the left end text reads "Upper Independence Landing." At the right end is the logo and text for the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe national historic trails. Other text lists partner associations.
End of description