Horseshoe
Date: between 1800 and 1870
Small horseshoe (hind shoe, or possibly mule shoe) of hand-wrought iron. This shoe was found on the Santa Fe Trail at or near Council Grove.

Horseshoe
Date: between 1800 and 1870
Large horseshoe of hand-wrought iron. This shoe was found on the Santa Fe Trail west of Council Grove, Kansas.

Horseshoe from the Mine Creek Civil War Battlefield, 14LN337
Date: 1864
This horseshoe was recovered during the 1990 survey and excavation at the Mine Creek Battlefield by Kansas Historical Society Archeologists and crew. This horseshoe style is called "regular" and is what was used on most horses use to support the hoof. It is complete with a groove, called fullers, that allow for the nail to be driven into the hoof. One nail is present. The horseshoe was cleaned by electrolysis which passes an electrical current through a liquid solution to separate the rust from the artifact. The site was the location where on October 25, 1864 Union and Confederate forces fought one of the largest cavalry battles in the Civil War.