Historic Council Grove, Kansas the last outpost for pioneers on the Santa Fe Trail, boasts the oldest continuous restaurant in operation west of the Mississippi--Hays House--and over six historical sites. The Neosho River cuts the town in half and when the town was first settled, a ferry boat took pioneer wagons across for a toll. This view is looking east. The downtown street east and west is U. S. 56, which is the actual Santa Fe Trail.