“The Cimarron Cut Off” is the third book in the “Woodblocks of The Santa Fe Trail” Series illustrated with original woodblocks by Leon Loughridge.  The 64 page book was printed using hand presses at Dry Creek Art Press and illustrates the historic sites along the Cimarron Route which runs from Cimarron, KS to Wagon Mound, NM. Excerpts from “Commerce of the Prairies” by Josiah Gregg, 1846, accompany the illustrations and give an actual account of travelling the trail. An introduction and a few site descriptions were written by Leon.

The book has been printed and bound at  Dry Creek Art Press in an edition of 60. The hand printed end sheets display a map of the sites along the trail. The book is finished with a fabric wrapped hard cover and slip case.

The woodblocks that illustrate the book are designed from the original watercolor sketches completed along the trail. In all, there are over fifty woodblocks used to illustrate the book. The character sketches were created during a pioneer re-enactment at the Bents Fort in Southern Colorado which is along the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail. The woodblocks vary in size, from the small character studies to the larger full illustrations. The character studies consist of two to four color runs and the mid-sized landscapes consist of 5 to 6 color runs. The six full page illustrations consist of eight to twelve color runs and illustrate the more noted historic sites. Many of the woodblocks are available individually, though the quantities vary depending on the image over runs from the book.

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24 watercolor sketches are now on display at the Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe.  

Preview the watercolors