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Gene and Candy Schmits are the owner of the farm with these old wagon cover their land. They purchased the land in 1970 from Edward and Bertha Kien, the daughter of William and Addia Maxwell. William and Addia purchased the land in 1891. The military trail also came very close to the east of their farm on the ridge which in the begin crossed the Nemaha at Richmond Crossing some two miles north. It is also likely that many of the wagons stopped at the springs for water as it is the best of water. Today those Springs which were name the Maxwell Springs after William and Addia Maxwell who purchased the land on which it is located in the year 1910. The crossing on the Nemaha was changed from Richmond to Seneca in about 1858 and the traffic after that time came through Seneca. From that time to 1870 or perhaps even a few years later this land was used by those on the trail as one of the ways into Seneca. It is also likely that these trails were used by local farmers in the area for their way to Seneca or at least until fences were put around farms and they were compelled to travel around the farms. Gene and his parents Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Schmits first purchased the land in 1970. The farm was cover with trees and brush when first purchased and Gene spend many years cleaning up the land with a chain saw without disturbing the trails. The land has never been plowed and this is why many of the trails still remain in tact as they were in the mid 1800s. . It would be my estimate there over three miles of trail that can be easily defined as being from that time period in our history. The satellite map show many trails that are hard to see when the grass is tall. See trails from the top of hill on Tom Kramer's Home Development. See these trails as they appeared
from a Satellite photo in 2002 . See all the trails on this farm highlighted with red pen.
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