September 2009 .............

Council Grove: One of the last stops on the Santa Fe Trail heading southwest. The first settler was Seth Hays,a grandson of Daniel Boone. He came to the area in 1854 to trade with the Kaw Indians. The town was incorporated in 1885. Hays opened a restaurant in 1857, the Hays House, which is said to be the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River, and a wonderful place to eat. The town was incorporated in 1885, and has 13 sites on the National Register of Historic Places. A few of the places to visit are: The Cottage House Hotel, built in 1867 as a blacksmith shop, each room with a different theme . The Kaw Mission State Historical Site, built in 1851 to educate Kaw Indian children, but turned into a school for white students, is the region's oldest stone structure. The Terwilliger House, built in 1861 along the Santa Fe Trail was the last house the freighters passed as they traveled west leaving the city. It is currently a cafe and museum. The food is excellent. The Neosho River Crossing, where the wagons cross the Neosho River on the Santa Fe Trail. The Post Office Oak, was a huge bur oak that served as a post office for travelers from 1825 to 1847. Passing caravans could leave a cache in the base of the tree for other travelers. The tree was 270 years old when it died in 1999. The stump remained until it rotted and was taken down. I believe they are trying to preserve it and put it back on display. One can still see the base, it's on land with a statue called Madonna of the Trail, a tribute to the pioneer women of the covered wagon days, and a museum. One other impressive building is the Farmers and Drovers Bank. It was built in 1892 and is still in use today. A short way out of town you can view the ruts in the prairie on the Santa Fe Trail. Put all the history together with two lakes, one Federal (with several very nice large campgrounds) and one State and you have many reasons to visit the area and spend some time. Pictured below: the Farmers and Drovers Bank, the Kaw Indian Mission, the Cottage House Hotel and the Hays House Restaurant.

September 2009 .............

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve: The headquarters lies two miles North of Strong City, Ks on H-177 (the Flint Hills Scenic Byway). If you are on I-70 get off at the Manhattan Exit and go South. Tallgrass prairie once covered more than 140 million acres of the US, from Indiana to Kansas and Canada to Texas. Today less than 4% remains, most in Kansas. The preserve covers over 10,000 acres, however the park service owns only a small portion. The rest will remain under the ownership of the Nature Conservancy, which purchased the land in 2005. The Flint Hills were once covered by a shallow sea, 200 to 300 million years ago the gray and white rock limestone and steel tough chert commonly called "flint" began to form. The result was shallow, rocky land considered unsuitable for plowing but excellent for pasture. The house on the preserve is an 1880's limestone mansion and, you can tour the main floor and the basement. The barn is the office and is sort of a museum. There is an old school house and several trails. There is also a 90 minute ranger guided tour on an air conditioned bus. Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem and Indiangrass, plus many other grasses and wildflowers make up the prairie. Some grass grows to over eight feet tall. The range is managed by burning to keep the weeds and trees out. The preserve is part of the Flint Hills, and has been voted one of the eight wonders of Kansas.

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