Starvation Trail and Smoky Hill Road: A Historic Wagon Route

History of Starvation Trail

The Smoky Hill Library is located in Arapahoe County at the northeast corner of South Biscay Circle and Smoky Hill Road. This road was once part of and known as the “Starvation Trail,” a branch of the historic Smoky Hill Trail. The Smoky Hill Trail was a 19th-century wagon route that crossed Kansas and eastern Colorado, connecting the Missouri River at Atchison, Kansas to Denver, Colorado during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush and early westward migration. It was named for the Smoky Hill River, which it paralleled for much of its length.

The Starvation Trail (also known as the Middle Smoky Hill Trail or Middle Branch) was a roughly 60-mile section of the Smoky Hill Trail that branched off from the North Smoky Hill Trail about five miles south of Agate, Colorado, along the Union Pacific railroad line just north of Cedar Point. This stretch crossed dry, exposed prairie with very little water, food or timber. The terrain was mostly flat to gently rolling, covered in short grass, with long distances between reliable streams. The most dangerous portion of the trail was a roughly 22-mile waterless stretch where travelers endured relentless sun, scarce water, and almost no shelter across the open prairie. Many emigrants underestimated its severity, particularly in the summer heat. Slow-moving wagons and scarce game meant that parties often ran out of supplies before reaching the safer areas near the Front Range. The suffering caused by hunger and thirst is what gave this route its grim name.

Starvation Trail veered off the North Smoky Hill Trail near the site of what later became Godfrey Station (later Buick). The trail turned west, crossing the East, Middle and West branches of Bijou Creek. It then crossed Comanche Creek and Kiowa Creek where the trail turned in a northwest direction. The trail continued across Hay Gulch and Running Creek. After passing Coal Creek the trail crossed near the point where Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert counties meet. From there, it followed the north side of Sampson Gulch and eventually reached Cherry Creek near the 9-Mile House, a small log cabin that once stood near today’s Swim Beach area of Cherry Creek State Park. 

At 9-Mile House the Starvation Trail joined the South Smoky Hill Trail, and the combined route continued northwest along Cherry Creek, passing the 7-Mile House before connecting with the North Smoky Hill Trail near 4-Mile House. From there the Smoky Hill Trail continued directly into Denver. A historic marker for the Smoky Hill Trail (noted as including the Starvation Trail section) is located at 23890 E. Smoky Hill Road.

Here's an interesting 1995 article found via the Colorado Historic Newspapers database and is accessible any time.

Reference Books

Stop in at the Smoky Hill Library to view these two titles, available in the reference collection for in-library use.

The Smoky Hill Trail

Trails of the Smoky Hill

Historic images were found at:

Colfax Avenue, opens a new window

National Archives Catalog, opens a new window

Visit Aurora, opens a new window

Douglas County News-Press, Volume 103, Number 87, July 29, 1995 via Colorado Historic Newspapers)