When the Kansas Territory was created in 1854, it extended to the Rocky Mountains. The present state boundary, a few miles west of here, took effect in 1861 when Kansas entered the Union and Colorado Territory was established. Thousands of pioneers bound for Colorado passed through here along the Smoky Hill Trail by wagon and on the Butterfield Overland Despatch. Beginning in 1865, this stage line carried passengers, freight, and mail from the eastern end of the railroad to Denver. The Omaha Herald warned stagecoach travelers to expect annoyance, discomfort, and hardship, though Mark Twain found the journey adventurous and called the coach a great swinging and swaying stage, an imposing cradle on wheels drawn by six handsome horses. In 1865, Fort Wallace was established about 25 miles east of here as a U.S. Cavalry outpost. The stage line continued operating until the railroad was completed in 1870.