Efforts to establish a new historical marker at the former Lost Spring station in Marion County contributed to some national awards received by a McPherson couple at the biennial convention of the Santa Fe Trail Association held Sept. 25-27 in Arrow Rock, Mo.
Steve and Glenda Schmidt of McPherson received the Heri?tage Preservation Award for the ?preservation, protection and promotion of the Santa Fe Trail remnants on their property in Marion County, Kansas,? which they purchased in 2000.
Steve Schmidt also received an award of merit for publishing the booklet, ?Lost Spring, Marion County, Kansas: A Historical Perspective,? for promoting and preserving the Santa Fe Trail, and for his service on the SFTA board of directors.
Copies of the booklet have been placed in the McPherson, Hillsboro, Marion and McPher?son libraries.
Schmidt is president of the Cottonwood Crossing Chapter of the SFTA. That chapter focuses on the Santa Fe Trail in Marion County. In addition to its work near Lost Springs, the chapter recently placed signs across Marion County where the Santa Fe Trail crosses county roads.
