You’ll find Ash Point’s remnants northeast of Axtell in Marshall County, where ash groves still crown the prairie hills. Look for Ash Point Cemetery roughly two miles from where Smith station once stood—though headstones have vanished, the location marks where 300 pioneers lived from 1857 to 1872. Modern maps won’t show the name, so you’ll need to navigate by landmarks and rolling terrain. The surrounding area offers several other ghost towns like Bigelow, Barrett, and Irving, each with their own stories waiting beneath Kansas’s endless skies.
Key Takeaways
- Ash Point is located northeast of Axtell in Marshall County, marked by Ash Point Cemetery and ash tree groves.
- The ghost town served as an Overland Trail stage station from 1858 to 1870 before economic decline.
- Visit Marshall County Courthouse in Marysville to access historical records and documentation about Ash Point.
- Combine your trip with nearby ghost towns including Bigelow, Barrett, McAllaster, Irving, and Marietta for fuller exploration.
- Ash Point vanished after railroad routes bypassed it and the Potawatomi Pay Station closed in 1858.
Ash Point’s Role as an Overland Trail Stage Station
In 1857, a simple trading post rose from the prairie at what would become Ash Point, anchoring itself along the dusty ribbon of the Oregon Trail where the Nemaha and Marshall County lines meet. You’ll find remnants of stage station operations that once connected pioneers to westward dreams.
By 1862, when Ben Holladay established the Overland Trail system, this outpost transformed into a crucial hub. The traveler accommodations here weren’t fancy—a sturdy hotel offered separate sleeping quarters for men and women, while a multipurpose room served meals by day and fiddle music by night. Outside, a massive barn sheltered exhausted horses and mules. The location featured a large grove of ash trees on high ground, marking it as an easily recognizable landmark for weary travelers. Stations approximately every 10-15 miles dotted the trail, with larger home stations positioned at fifty-mile intervals to support the demanding journey.
From 1858 to 1870, this junction hummed with activity until the transcontinental railroad‘s completion rendered such stations obsolete, leaving only whispers of freedom-seekers who passed through.
How to Find Ash Point North of Axtell in Marshall County
Although modern maps won’t show Ash Point’s name, you can trace its location by heading northeast from Axtell along the rolling prairie where Marshall County’s farmland stretches toward the horizon. You’ll find yourself searching high ground crowned with ash groves, roughly two miles from where Smith station once stood near Little Vermillion Creek. The Baileyville area holds the key—Ash Point Cemetery marks your destination, though headstones were removed after property changed hands.
Don’t expect remnant foundations from the hotel, barn, or general store that served Pony Express riders. Locating historical markers proves equally futile here. Instead, you’re chasing ghost coordinates along the old Oregon and California road route, piecing together a settlement that vanished into Kansas soil, leaving only cemetery records as proof it existed. Marshall County is one of several counties nationwide sharing this name, a reality that can complicate historical research across different states. For county records and historical documentation, the Marshall County Courthouse in Marysville serves as the administrative center at 1201 Broadway.
What Caused This Pioneer Settlement to Disappear
You’ll notice the grasslands here tell a story of abandonment—Ash Point vanished when its purpose as an Overland Trail stage station became obsolete. The settlement couldn’t survive after westward trail routes shifted and the railroad chose a different path through Marshall County, leaving this once-vital waypoint stranded.
What remains now is empty prairie where travelers once stopped for fresh horses and provisions, a landscape that erased nearly all traces of the buildings that stood here. Marshall County reported 6 extinct towns to the Kansas Historical Society when officials surveyed the casualties of early settlement speculation in 1902. Pioneer settlers like Joseph L. Crawford faced constant threats from prairie fires, hail storms, locusts, drought, and rustlers as they tried to establish their homesteads in the harsh Kansas territory.
Stage Station Role Ended
When the Potawatomi Pay Station shuttered its doors around 1858, Uniontown’s economic heartbeat flatlined. You’re looking at a settlement that survived repeated cholera waves in 1849-1850 and 1852, yet this economic role’s closure delivered the knockout punch. The pay station tied directly to tribal payments, sustaining the trade that kept merchants, blacksmiths, and wagon makers in business.
Without federal money flowing through for Potawatomi transactions, there’s no reason for travelers or traders to stop. The epidemics’ decisive impact had already weakened the town, reducing its peak population of 300 residents. Ash Point served as a stage station on the Overland Trail, providing crucial services to westbound travelers. But communities recover from disease when economic foundations remain solid. Strip away that foundation—the pay station’s purpose—and you’re watching a ghost town take shape in real-time. By 1858, Uniontown fundamentally ceased existing.
Trail Routes Shifted West
Ash Point’s fate reversed when iron rails replaced wagon wheels as the region’s transportation lifeline. You’ll find that economic factors sealed this settlement’s doom in 1872 when Axtell sprang up along the new railroad corridor.
The old Oregon-California road that once channeled thousands past O’Laughlin’s well suddenly became obsolete—travelers chose speed over scenery. Population shifts followed the tracks westward, abandoning the ash grove’s reliable water source for railroad convenience. Within months, the thirty inhabitants packed their belongings and followed the commerce.
Those grain sheds stood empty, the hotel doors swung shut, and the Pottawatomie found new trading posts along different routes. The arrival of rural free mail delivery eliminated the need for the local post office, severing one of the community’s last institutional ties. The region’s landscape transformed as settlers moved away from the rolling prairie that had once sustained their livelihoods. By the mid-1870s, nothing remained but memories of a junction where three ranches once thrived at the crossroads of western migration.
Railroad Bypassed the Area
The iron horse’s route determination spelled life or death for Kansas settlements in the 1870s. Ash Point’s fate was sealed when railroad companies pushed westward along different corridors, leaving this military road station isolated from commercial lifelines.
You’ll find the settlement’s demise wasn’t unique—economic challenges and negotiation failures created ghost towns across Kansas:
- New Cresson was bypassed by over a mile when tracks veered northwest
- Motor lost its depot after town site price disagreements pushed the station three-fourths mile west
- Cedar Point watched the rail line relocate a mile north along the river valley
Without cattle shipping access or passenger service, Ash Point couldn’t compete. The sparse population made building branch lines financially impossible, and by the 1880s, this once-vital stage station had vanished into prairie memory. Before the railroads transformed Kansas settlement patterns, the Lane Trail provided an overland route that helped free-state settlers reach the territory while avoiding Missouri River blockades controlled by pro-slavery forces.
Other Abandoned Towns to Explore Near Ash Point
Your journey beyond Ash Point leads to a constellation of vanished communities scattered across the surrounding prairie. Within a day’s drive, you’ll find Silver Spring’s brief three-year existence, Sother’s railroad terminus with its solitary section house, and the skeletal remains of Woodlawn where W.L. Challis’s four-story mill once dominated the landscape.
Each site offers weathered markers, forgotten cemetery plots, and traces of the trail stations that connected these ephemeral settlements to the westward migration routes.
Marshall County Ghost Towns
You’ll discover five distinct sites worth exploring:
- Bigelow (1881) – Stone marker at Zenith and 17th Roads marks quarry town demolished for Tuttle Creek Dam construction
- Barrett (1858) – Cemetery preserves indigenous, French trader, and pioneer histories spanning multiple eras
- McAllaster – Standing buildings reflect three separate post office periods (1887-1953) documenting population fluctuations
Irving maintains its roadside marker, while Marietta‘s few remaining structures offer glimpses into northeastern Kansas’s territorial expansion. Each location provides tangible connections to frontier commerce and community building without tourist crowds constraining your exploration.
Regional Trail Station Sites
Beyond Marshall County’s concentrated cluster, Ash Point anchors a wider network of trail-era settlements where wagon ruts and station foundations still mark the landscape. You’ll find trail station history woven throughout Nemaha County, where the Overland Stage and Pony Express carved routes between 1859-1870. Ash Point itself served travelers from 1858-1870, while Baker’s Ford welcomed California Trail emigrants at the Nemaha River crossing. These early settlement patterns reveal why communities sprouted along predetermined routes—water, shelter, and commerce converged at strategic crossings.
Plymouth’s 300 free-state settlers chose Pony Creek in 1856, while Price connected the Kickapoo Reserve to broader trail networks. Taylor-Baker’s Ford operated through the late 1880s, enduring testimony to routes that outlasted their founding purpose. You’re tracing America’s westward pulse, one abandoned station at a time.
Nearby Cemetery and Landmarks
While Ash Point itself preserves minimal physical evidence, the surrounding ghost towns form a constellation of abandonment worth documenting. You’ll find Shang’s weathered bank building standing sentinel at the corner, with memorial plaques commemorating its railroad-era prosperity. The town’s garage and scattered structures create photo opportunities against prairie horizons.
Within reasonable driving distance, explore these vanished settlements:
- Swifton (1896-1898) — two-year experiment in failed town planning
- Ayersville — Overland Trail stage station north of modern Axtell
- Capioma Township Mill — ruins of four-story operation with stone basement
Though specific tombstone inscriptions aren’t widely documented at Ash Point, the Capioma settlement’s closure in 1906 represents the region’s gradual population drain. You’re chasing shadows here—fragments of ambition scattered across windswept Kansas grassland.
Best Times and Routes for Visiting Kansas Ghost Town Sites
Kansas ghost towns reveal themselves differently with each turning season, and timing your visit shapes everything from the quality of light catching weathered barns to your ability to navigate unpaved rural roads.
Each season writes its own story across abandoned main streets, transforming how these forgotten places speak to those who listen.
Spring waterfall views transform living ghost towns into unexpected oases, while fall’s cool air makes full-day loops from Cedar Point through Clements, Elmdale, Diamond Creek, to Dunlap completely manageable.
Winter landscapes offer dramatic sunsets under big skies—perfect for photography when the air’s crisp and clear. Summer brings warmth for extended exploration, though you’ll need to plan around heat on exposed routes.
One ideal circuit starts at Cedar Point (founded 1862, population 28) and winds through Morris County to Diamond Springs and Dunlap, where over 400 residents once thrived in the late 1800s.
What to Look for When You Arrive at the Ash Point Location
When you pull off the road near Axtell in Marshall County and scan the horizon for traces of Ash Point, you’re searching for whispers rather than monuments. The prairie has reclaimed nearly everything, leaving you to interpret subtle clues in the terrain.
Look for these remnants of the Overland Trail stage station:
- Faint depressions marking foundation outlines where log structures once stood
- Shallow wagon ruts cutting through grassland where traders hauled supplies
- Scattered stone fragments or weathered metal pieces half-buried in soil
Natural landscape features dominate—rolling prairies where buffalo grazed and wild grasses still wave. Local tribal influences linger nearby through Potawatomi and Kansa Indian sites. You’ll need imagination and patience here, piecing together stories from fragments the land reluctantly surrenders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Any Original Structures or Buildings Still Standing at Ash Point?
No original buildings remain—Gage’s Hotel, the settlement’s most historically significant structure, was demolished in 1902. You’ll find only farmland where pioneers once debated freedom’s meaning. The site’s coordinates mark memories, not monuments, awaiting your discovery.
Do I Need Permission to Access the Ash Point Site?
No formal permission requirements exist for this prairie ghost town, but you’ll want to respect nearby landowner guidelines. Check for posted signs and ask locals in Axtell before exploring the open countryside where Ash Point once stood.
What Supplies Should I Bring for a Ghost Town Road Trip?
You’ll need spare tires because civilization’s overrated anyway. Pack emergency supplies: water, first aid, food, camping gear, and navigation tools. Ghost towns don’t offer conveniences—that’s the point. Embrace self-reliance; you’re escaping the grid, not joining it.
Are There Guided Tours Available for Ash Point or Nearby Ghost Towns?
Ash Point doesn’t offer guided tours—you’ll explore independently using historical markers scattered throughout. However, nearby Atchison provides excellent guided tours like the Sallie House and Haunted Trolley, perfect for combining your ghost town adventure with professional paranormal experiences.
Can I Camp Overnight Near Ash Point or Surrounding Ghost Town Sites?
Limited information exists about Ash Point camping options. You’ll likely need camping permits required for nearby public lands. Check surrounding towns for nearby overnight accommodations instead. Always verify current land access rules before exploring Kansas’s remote ghost town territories independently.
References
- https://octa-trails.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ellis-Uniontown-and-Plowboy–-Potawatomi-Ghost-Towns.pdf
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBXINX0xqnU
- https://usgenwebsites.org/KSGenWeb/archives/1912/e/extinct_towns.html
- https://legendsofkansas.com/marshall-county-extinct-towns/
- https://axtellks.com/our-history
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overland_Trail
- https://www.hmdb.org/results.asp?Search=Series&SeriesID=129
- https://expeditionutah.com/featured-trails/pony-express-trail/kansas-pony-express-stations/
- https://kspatriot.org/index.php/articles/34-kansas-commerce/756-overland-freighting-history-of-atchison-county.html
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-overlandstage/
