From the Amazon Ditch headgate, 4 miles east on River, then 2½ miles south and east on J (River). Or from Main in Lakin, 5½ miles west on Railroad (becomes 358 and River). From the parking lot look north to see a sharp rise (not far from an irrigation canal bridge). This natural occurring formation was used as a waymark, first by American Indians and later by travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. It was significant because this location was the last opportunity for travelers to choose between following the trail’s “mountain route” (longer but with more water) or the “dry route” (shorter but with less water). By 1870, when the Kansas Pacific Railway reached Kit Carson, Colorado, this section of the trail was abandoned. A sign between the bridge and the rise provides details about Indian Mound, and a DAR marker commemorating the trail stands on the hilltop. The mound is on private property but the public is welcome. (NRHP)