Travel Guide Baxter Springs

The town, founded in the mid-19th century on the old Osage tribal trail, was named after a reverend-turned-innkeeper, John Baxter, who claimed the land in 1850. During the Civil War, the site of Baxter Springs (the town did not officially exist until 1868) was defended by several Northern military posts, including Fort Blair. On October 6, 1863, a violent confrontation took place between Northern soldiers (mostly African Americans) and a group of Southern rebels attacking the fortifications. After being repulsed, the rebels attacked a convoy of military wagons that were approaching the fort that they had been unable to seize. 103 Northerners were massacred in what became known as the Battle of Fort Blair, also known as the "Fort Baxter Massacre" or the "Battle of Baxter Springs. By 1870, the demand for meat had become very important in the northern United States. The town became the terminus of the Shawnee Trail, which brought cattle from Texas to Kansas. The town grew dramatically and by 1875 had an estimated population of 5,000. While some settlers built schools and churches, the town became a gathering place for cowboys, with stables and hotels opening as well as saloons and brothels. However, by 1872, when the railroad directly connected Texas to the north, the town began to decline. It was the discovery of lead and zinc that revived the economy at the end of the 19th century. In 1926, Baxter Street became part of Route 66, a real road link between Chicago and Los Angeles, and the beginning of a new prosperity for the city. Although the end of Route 66 also marked the end of the golden age of Baxter Springs, it remains the most important city in this part of the state. On the way to Route 66, we will stop at the Visitor Center, installed in an old gas station from 1930, then at 1101 Military Avenue in front of the building (ex-Café on The Route) which sheltered the Croweld Bank that Jesse James robbed in 1876, before going to the Baxter Springs Museum, the only real visit site of the city today. In April 2014, Baxter Springs was heavily damaged by a tornado that originated near Quapaw, Oklahoma, just a few miles to the southwest.