Fayetteville Emigrant Trail.—This trail ran northwest and southeast from the Arkansas Post, located on the Arkansas river, in the state of Arkansas, to its junction with the Santa Fe trail at Turkey creek in McPherson county, Kan. Leaving Arkansas Post or Ozark, the trail bore northwest, passing through the town of Austin, a few miles northeast of Little Rock; thence northwest between the Arkansas and White rivers, being joined at Fayetteville by a road from Fort Smith on the Arkansas river; thence it crossed the northeast corner of Oklahoma, crossed the Neosho river and entered the state of Kansas in township 35 south, range 17 east, in what is now Montgomery county; thence it crossed the Verdigris about 2 miles north of the state line, traversed the site of Coffeyville and continued along the northeast side of Onion creek; thence in a northwesterly direction to its junction with the Santa Fe trail. In Kansas the trail crossed the counties of Montgomery, Chautauqua, Elk, Butler, Harvey, Marion and McPherson, intersecting the Santa Fe road in township 20 south, range 2 east.

This trail was of Indian origin and from the advent of the white man in that section was much used. During the Oregon and California travel it was a busy thoroughfare and the travel was only checked by the outbreak of the Civil war. When the Osage lands in southern Kansas were thrown open for settlement, the old trail was soon obliterated and abandoned, and now the only traces of it to be seen are upon prairie lands not yet broken by the plow.