Council Grove, Kansas was the last stop for 625 miles along the Sante Fe trail. Pioneers would gather their provisions at The Last Chance store, gussy up, and perhaps mail a final letter to their loved ones before the trek to New Mexico and beyond. With no formal post offices, letters were placed in the knobs and holes of the 80-foot tall tree that shaded the main drag of Council Grove. From 1827 on, travelers would leave trail condition information and more upon the oak, so “The Post Office Oak”…
