Buffalo Bill Mathewson Well and Cow Creek Crossing

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SANTA FE TRAIL

Buffalo Bill Mathewson Well and Cow Creek Crossing

From U.S. 56, 1 mile south on 12. A simple, modern pavilion protects the site of Bill Mathewson's 1860s hand-dug well on the east side of Cow Creek. He also operated a trading post nearby for Santa Fe Trail travelers who crossed Cow Creek at this point. A 1906 DAR trail marker is nearby. Mathewson earned his nickname because of the number of buffalo he killed to feed drought-stricken settlers in 1860-1861.

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