Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/349

332 332 MA JOB INMAN'S ROUTE. Dear UeadeFi one of the aims of thii, narraUon of the ezpeditioa attepipteii to describe is to keep trae to. history the names of the characters, dates„-river8, countries and location of placed visited, in order that it wonid not be time and effort uselessly expended. But although everything has been searched, which the humble position of the compiler permitted, vrhich vrere meagre, it must be frankly acknowledged that on reaching the confluence of the Kansas river, there is doubt as to which direction the party took. Major Henry tnman, an authority on the route of Cor- onado, has thirty-six Spaniards take the following course from the City of the Twenty-four: "Following the Missouri south to the mouth of the Kansas; thence westerly along the northern bank of the north fork of the Smoky Hill, where it crossed the Kansas, and continued along the north bank of the Smoky Hill to Big Creek, and thence turned directly south to the Arkansas river." Quite considerable time was de- voted in looking over the various old and new maps of Kansas to endeavor to trace the way taken, but the words "The North Pork of the Smoky Hill," was a kind, of a puzzle, as no map shows the North Fork of the Smoky Hill until after the mouth of Big Creek is passed; but if a continuation of the Smoky Hill is kept up, it reaches Big Creek which empties into the Smoky HiU about eight miles southwest of the city of Russell, in Russell county, Kansas; and nearly due south from there would bring the party to the great bend in the Arkansas river. But C'>cuins back to the mouth of the Kansas from whencM our party are to be conducted to Bates county, Mistiiouri, to the village of the Grand or Great