In the video above (circa 1995), see Ralph talking about his ruts and area landmarks (@ about 2:40).

Ralph Hathaway was born in 1914 on the farm in Rice County, Kansas, that was homesteaded in 1878 by his grandparents John L. and Mary E. Hathaway. He was a 1938 graduate of Kansas State University and enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1942 where he served in the Philippines, New Guinea and Japan. He returned to his family farm and married Marjorie Folger in 1945. They had three children: Martin, Carolyn and Marlene. Following Marjorie’s death in 1956, he married Beth Briggs in 1962. Beth died in 1994, and Ralph continued to live in the house he had built on the family farm until his death in 2009, just two months shy of his 95^th birthday. The homestead is now the home of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th generations of John and Mary's descendants.

Ralph always knew the swales in the pasture were the remnants of the Santa Fe Trail, but they became more significant to him as he grew older. After retiring from farming, he became an avid “trail buff” and local historian. He was both a charter member and a life member of the Santa Fe Trail Association through which he was designated a Trail Ambassador for his work in preservation. “Ralph’s Ruts” are listed with the National Park Service as a Santa Fe National Historic Trail site, and appear on most official maps of the trail. Ralph was featured in many publications with stories about the trail, most notably National Geographic in March of 1991.

Click to read an authorized re-write of Ralph's "From the Little to the Big Arkansas."