Our Chapter Name
Our chapter is named for the three wagon trails that wound from Johnson County, Kansas, to westward destinations. The story of America's westward movement is the story of the men and women who helped shape the character of a nation. From the Missouri-Kansas border, three trails pointed west. The Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails all had their origins in the Kansas City area.
The Santa Fe Trail was approximately 800 miles long, with one-half of it in Kansas. It was primarily a highway for commerce and rapid travel. The Oregon and California Trails were slower and were considered the "homesteaders" highways. Traveling about twenty miles per day, the journey took most immigrants four to five months.
The Oregon Trail was approximately 2,000 miles long. It headed west to Oregon City on the Willamette River.
The California Trail was an offshoot of the Oregon Trail and ended in Sacramento. Its eastern half followed the Oregon Trail.
At the peak of migration in 1850, approximately 55,000 pioneers traveled the trails. Although most immigrants merely swept through Kansas country with their eyes on the West, they indirectly affected the region. Civilization was now both west and east of Kansas and played a major role in helping Kansas emerge from obscurity.
The Mission of DAR and Our Chapter
As the three trails west shaped the character of our nation, our nation's character is still being shaped by the women of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., DAR is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women's service organization. Our chapter is proud to join nearly 165,000 other women in furthering the objectives of the Daughters of the American Revolution:
- Promoting Patriotism
- Preserving American History
- Securing America's Future Through Better Education for Children
If you are interested in learning more about DAR, visit the links to the national and state societies of DAR.
If you are interested in joining DAR and live in the Stilwell area, contact us! We would love to have you visit us. If you find that you share a patriot ancestor with one of our members (see the Ancestors page), we may be able to help simplify your membership application for DAR.
