Kansas Explorers Club
Kansas Explorer Newsletter
NEWSLETTER #86, June 2010 issue
AROUND THE STATE WITH THE ELEMENTS!
If you don’t have a brochure for a particular town or area, just look for the 8 rural culture elements in the town. Following is a sampling of each element from around the state.
~ ARCHITECTURE ~
Randolph Bridge, K-16, Riley County
The Randolph bridge, between Randolph and Olsburg, was completed in 1960 and stretches one mile, making it the longest bridge in the state!
~ ART ~
Vi Fick’s Fossil Art,
Fick Fossil & History Museum, Oakley
During the 1960s-1970s Earnest and Vi Fick found thousands of fossils and shark teeth in Logan County. Vi began using fossils, fossil pieces, oyster shells, fish vertebrae, and snails to create her own art form, an art so unique it was written up in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Fabulous fossil art! Open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m. 785.672.4839.
~ COMMERCE ~
Denton Post Office (Denton, population 185)
Buy stamps at a great old-fashioned post office, located in Doniphan County. Make your purchase over the brass plate covering the counter. Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-noon, 1-4 p.m.
~ CUISINE ~
Boondocks Bar & Grill, 306 Main, McCracken
Classic comfort food and upscale bar food. Eric Davis served as a chef in Omaha and North Carolina for 13 years before moving home to McCracken to open a restaurant with his wife Melisa. Grill is open Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 785.394.2264.
~ CUSTOMS ~
Screen doors, Main and Hersey, Beloit
It’s a classic Explorer experience to walk into the Mitchell County Courthouse through the screen door entrances. The 1902 John Holland-designed courthouse is known as the Queen Mary of Kansas courthouses because of its Romanesque Revival design.
~ GEOGRAPHY ~
Camp Horizon, near Arkansas City
Follow Madison (County Road 12) east of Arkansas City 3 1/2 miles. At the fork, turn right onto 296th (County Road 6) for 2 1/2 miles. Turn right at the Horizon United Methodist Center sign, then one mile south.
To reach Inspiration Point, walk south between the cabins about 100 yards. You’ll come to a cross at the overlook. From the deck you have a fabulous view of the valley and the Arkansas River as it snakes from Arkansas City. Hike the one-mile trail to the river.
~ HISTORY ~
Duncan’s Crossing, Hodgeman/Ness county line
Duncan’s Crossing was a significant point on the Fort Hays-Fort Dodge Road. John O’Loughlin established a toll bridge here in 1867, and in 1872 George Duncan bought the land and built a trading post on the site. Eventually the bridge washed out, and Duncan let people ford the Pawnee River at no charge, thus the name. You’ll find a substantial marker seven miles north and three miles east of Hanston near the Hodgeman/Ness county line. It’s an adventure to find the sign—and a thrill to feel the history here.
~ PEOPLE ~
Frank Bellamy, Pledge of Allegiance, Cherryvale
There is some confusion about whether Cherryvale’s Frank E. Bellamy wrote the “Pledge of Allegiance,” but it’s certain he was involved in bringing it to national attention in 1892. One theory holds that at the age of 10, Frank entered the “Pledge of Allegiance” in a contest sponsored by Youth’s Companion. He won, but Francis Bellamy, an adult staff member at the Companion, claimed credit. Cherryvale’s Bellamy, a Spanish-American War veteran, died in 1915 and is buried in Cherryvale’s Fairview Cemetery. A plaque about Bellamy is near the veterans memorial in Logan Park.
Featuring the rural culture element of history...
WHAT ABOUT THOSE STREET SIGNS?
AZTEC INFLUENCE
Explorers notice all sorts of clues that tell the story of a town. In Montezuma, (29) a town in Gray County, the street signs are directly related to the city history.
The town founder called the site Montezuma after the emperor of the Aztecs, and he named the streets for historical figures associated with the conquest. Some street names are Cortez, Mesita, Maldoanodo, Mexitli, and Escalanta.
ARGENTINE STEPS ARE A STREET!
At 13th and Ruby in Kansas City, Kansas, a street sign is found at the base of 169 concrete steps. The steps actually are a street (nearly a block long and comprising three or four tiers). When it was built it was the only access to many of the homes along either side, and it is the only street in Kansas made from a series of concrete steps! A sign wisely discourages climbing.
Featuring the rural culture elements of geography, customs...
PARK YOURSELF AWHILE
Scenic, historic, and recreational value can be found in many of our parks!
PETER PAN PARK, W. Randolph and Neosho, Emopria
William Allen White and his wife, Sallie, donated this land to
the city in memory of their daughter, Mary, who died at the age of 16 in
a riding accident. They named it Peter Pan Park because Mary, like
Peter Pan, never wanted to grow up. At the south edge of the lake is a bust of White along with his
moving editorial to his daughter. A statue of Peter Pan can be found at
S. State and Kansas near the wading pool.
In the park you’ll find an overlook atop a bluff and next to a historical marker. A great view of the expansive Neosho River Valley can be seen from here. Narrow roads lead vehicles through the wooded park. Look for the embankment steps and an old-time “tourist park” sign etched on the stone entrance.
JOHN BROWN PARK, 10th & Main, Osawatomie
The Battle of Osawatomie was fought on this site on August 30, 1856, when abolitionist John Brown and his men tried to defend Osawatomie against proslavery Border Ruffians. The antislavery forces were unsuccessful and the town was burned. A life-sized statue of John Brown, sculpted by George Fite Waters, stands near the entrance of the park, which was dedicated in 1910 by former president Theodore Roosevelt and later designated a national historic site. The Pledge of Allegiance is etched in stone below the flagpole, and the Gettysburg Address appears on a plaque on the pergola outside wall. A limestone pergola was built over the Adair Cabin.
CENTRAL PARK, 6th and Main, Marion
The centerpiece of this charming, shaded, and historic park is the 1884 fountain and a wooded walking path along Luta Creek. In the park’s southeast corner you’ll find an 1860 historic spring, still running. Now beautifully landscaped, the spring once was a watering site for passing pioneers. Today the park’s old-fashioned and well-maintained playground equipment provides good fun for children.
Featuring the rural culture elements of people, history...
AN UNDER APPRECIATED PLACE
First Power Pole, 600 block of E. 15th, Horton
The first electric power pole in Kansas was erected in Horton (20) on November 10, 1937, for the Brown-Atchison Electric Cooperative. It was the first rural electric project to energize Kansas and was financed by a loan form the Rural Electrification Administration (REA).
A NOT-SO-BIG BIG THING
CORONADO’S BRIDLE BIT
Coronado Museum, 567 E. Cedar, Liberal
Coronado and 36 soldiers came through the Liberal area during their search for Quivira, the legendary kingdom of gold. A bit used on one of the expedition’s horses was found near Liberal and is on display at the museum. Open Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m.Sewardcountymuseum.com.
EXPLORER QUEST UPDATES
An explorer quest is choosing to visit a certain type of place in every county, or every city in a region. One of our first questers, Larry Woydziak, bowled in every county that had a bowling alley! Having a quest takes you to locations in Kansas you wouldn’t likely visit otherwise. And, it’s fun! If you’re a Quester, come to the Kansas Explorer Club tent at the Kansas Sampler Festival to get your button!
Here are some recent Quest examples:
KE’s #1918 Diane and Larry Rapp have a quest to photograph the courthouse in every county, and old movie marquees and barns along the way. They have been to 49 counties now.
KE #552 Sharla Krenzel has geocached in every county so her next quest is to visit EVERY quilt shop and winery in the state! What a combination!
KE #1033 Bill Bunyan has completed a second quest — to photograph every county courthouse. He’s also working on his third which is to eat a steak in every county. The first quest he completed was to eat a hamburger in every county! Most recently, he has eaten steaks at the Caney Kitchen, the Broiler Barn in Scott City, Poplar Pizza in Howard, and Mr. D’s Bar and Grill in Garnett.
KE #5383 Julie Roller and #5450 Heather Robinson were inspired by something in their own backyard in Pottawatomie County — the state’s second largest hand-dug well. Their quest? To make a wish in a hand-dug well or fountain in every county! You can follow their quest at www.kswellwishes.com.
NEWSLETTER #84, February 2010 issue
Featuring the rural culture elements of customs, architecture, art...
WHILE YOU'RE OUT AND AROUND
Here are some ideas of things to see and do when you're out and around Kansas!
KIRWIN's ALMOST-ROUND TOWN SQUARE: Kirwin, the Goose Capital of Kansas with a population of 218 in Phillips County, was first settled in 1870 and platted to include a square. The lone brick building on the almost-round square was erected in 1916 as a city office and fire department (you can still see the FD above the door). Today it houses the city office and library. The big grassy area in the almost-round square with the picturesque brick building is the centerpiece of the town. Nearby is the 10,000-acre Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge.
WELL-ROUNDED ART in Dodge City: The Carnegie Center for the Arts in Dodge City (701 2nd) is located in a 1907 Carnegie Library that has rounded architectural features and stained-glass windows. See local, regional, and special art exhibits and a display on the history of the building. Open Tues.-Friday noon-5 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 620.225.6388; dodgecityarts.org.
A MURAL THAT GOES AROUND: Find a seven-foot-tall panorama of 1907 Colby that wraps around the interior of the unique Colby Visitor Center (I-70 Colby exit 53). It’s shaped like a corn bin! Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday 12-5 p.m. 785.460.0076.
PLAY A ROUND OF GOLF...at Cow Paddy Golf Course in Grinnell5. It's a par-three grass-green course operated as a self-pay operation.
Featuring the rural culture elements of history, people, art...
CEMETERIES ARE ALIVE WITH EXPLORING VALUE!
A whole guidebook could be written featuring cemeteries. Sometime they are interesting because of the notable people buried there, sometime it's the design of the gravestone or the history told.
OUTDOOR PULPIT, Salemsborg. 3 miles south of Smolan on Burma Road. Head for the twin steeples of the 1926 Salemsborg church. Near the cemetery find a sandstone pulpit made by Swedish artist Anton Pearson. It stands at the exact spot of the pulpit for the first sod church.
PRAIRIE LAWN CEMETERY, Peabody. Take East 9th to Prairie Lawn. It's unusual to see a red-brick street out in the country, but you’ll find it on your way to this cemetery. The street was once part of Old Old U.S. 50. This beautiful rural setting is the final resting place for more than 140 Civil war Union veterans.
Featuring the rural culture elements of history, people, art...
ALL IS WALL IN KANSAS
Visit the walls of Kansas! Here is a sampling.
NEWSLETTER #83, November 2009 issue
See a historical marker about Rogers and his liberal well at the west end of North Blue Bonnet Park, just east of the middle school at 7th and Western.
A small renovated stone building stands where the first Democratic Headquarters operated from 1854 to 1861. During this time Lecompton was known as the birthplace of the Kansas Democratic Party.
When Nathaniel Grigsby, a Union veteran, died in 1890 he left a unique epitaph on his headstone for all to read: "Through this inscription," he began, "I wish to enter my dying protest against what is called the Democratic party." To read what else Nathaniel had to say, see his grave. Go straight ahead at the cemetery's main entrance and turn left at the first sand crossroads. His grave is on the right.
(KE = Kansas Explorer) Explorers love reading about where other explorers have ventured. Please send specific recommendations to marci@explorekansas.org.
KE's #2904 Robbie and Chuck Thomas found the Cafe on the Route in Baxter Springs and said it was a delightful place for lunch! They said the turkey sweet potato soup and chicken salad were outstanding and that everyone was so friendly and nice. They also enjoyed a stop at Eisler Bros. Old Riverton Store on historic Route 66.
KE #2553 Beverly Aiken made a stop this summer in Ellis to travel on K-247, the shortest state highway (649 feet) and see the amazing big sunflowers in the middle of the downtown intersections! They also drove by the Kingman County Museum to see the 80-foot high cotton hose drying tower.
Robert & Rosetta Bartels, KE's #220, enjoyed many group tours this summer. Some highlights were a tour of the Fuller Brush Factory in Great Bend, the Enersys plant in Hays, and the wheelchair factory in Ellis. Another highlight was a trip to Concordia. Rosetta gave high marks to tour guides Susie and Tammy, the food at the Huckleberry Tea Room and the Whole Wall Mural.
KE #838 Jill Gustin, Martha, and McKynley had homemade beef and noodles at the Whiting Cafe recently. "Delicious," they said. Dessert included coconut cream, chocolate cream and apple pie. McKynley weeded the flower garden on the side of the building that she had helped plant.
KE #3128 Frank Thompson bought some of Joyce Blaske's Harmony Hills Wild Plum Jelly at the Blue Rapids Mercantile. Frank is nuts for wild plum jelly and says Joyce's is right up there at the top with this mother-in-law's jelly!
KE's #2696 Elaine and Greg Miller are back on the road again. After buying Jim Gray's book, Desperate Seed, in Ellsworth they moved on to Mo's Place in Beaver for a steak sandwich and fish sandwich.
KE's #4415 Milton & Velda Riddiough stopped at Effie's Cafe in Rush Center for a cheeseburger and French Fries. The reported that the servings were generous and that Effie does the cooking. She's 83!
KE #1592 Randy Harmison recommends the house salad with grilled chicken at the Main Street Family Restaurant, 8 E. Main, in the historic Tioga Hotel in Chanute.
KE #705's John and Debbie Divine went to Grimms Garden east of Morrill in July where you can pick your own berries. They gave it high marks! Cut flowers, fruit, herbs and honey are also sold. The #705's and grandkids had a great day eating at the Whiting Cafe as well as Heavy's in Concordia. They also stopped to admire the "moving" tile art at the Pony Express Plaza in Marysville.
KE #1809 Del Ruff enjoyed a trip to northeast Kansas including a stop in Troy at the Home Place Restaurant Bakery, home of very good square pie. During the Kansas Missouri border wars a reference was sited, "No free-stater would eat round pie."
KE #1973 Sue Bitel enjoyed an 11-hour ghost-towning trip. Stops with live bodies included Annie's Variety Store in Mount Hope (can buy fresh farm eggs here) and the soda fountain in Graves Drug in Arkansas City. She had a delicious sandwich at the Latham Bar and Grill.
NEWSLETTER #82, August 2009 issue
Featuring the rural culture elements of geography, customs...
FLORAL DELIGHTS IN KANSAS
NEWSLETTER #81b from June 2009
Featuring the rural culture elements of geography, history...
THINGS TO SEE & DO IN WALLACE -- and in the area
FORT WALLACE MUSEUM
U.S. 40, just east of Wallace. Open Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (MT); Sun. 1-5 p.m. (MT) 785.891.3564
Established in 1865, Fort Wallace was first called Camp Pond Creek and was founded to protect travelers on the Smoky Hill route and workers on the Union Pacific Railway. The name was changed in 1866 to honor W.H.I. Wallace, a Union general. When guarding the High Plains was no longer needed, the fort was abandoned in 1888, and settlers carried away its remains to use as building materials. Because no physical evidence of the fort remains, the artifacts and photographs in the museum are a must-see. An interesting timeline intertwines the lives of Wild Bill Hickok, George Custer, and Buffalo Bill Cody.
Outbuildings include the 1865 Pond Creek Stagecoach Station, the Weskan depot, and a pioneer and agricultural equipment shed.
FORT WALLACE CEMETERY
From the museum, go 1/4 mile east (to first road south), then 1 mile southeast.
A marker beside the first flagpole provides the Fort Wallace timeline and layout. The Post cemetery, surrounded by a stone wall, is to the back of the larger city cemetery. Although the soldiers' remains were removed to the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery after this fort was abandoned, graves of civilians and scouts remain. You'll see headstones for two 1868 scouts of Major George Forsyth, a gravestone for the German family massacred in 1874, and a tall stone cenotaph (now under a metal shelter) erected by the men of Custer's 7th Cavalry in memory of comrades lost during the Indian battles of 1867.
CLARK-ROBIDOUX HOUSE
Northwest corner of town
This 1880 wooden house was built in the Gothic Revival style by Peter Robidoux, an early and influential Wallace businessman.
SECTION HOUSE
Southwest side of town, north of the grain elevators
Described as the finest superintendent’s residence on the railroad, this stone 1879 building is one of only two remaining original Kansas Pacific Railroad structures.
RIVER VALLEY SCENERY
The unpaved road from Wallace to Russell Springs in Logan County parallels the Smoky Hill River Valley in the High Plains.
CLIMB THE HIGHEST POINT IN THE STATE
Take U.S. 40 twelve miles west of Sharon Springs to Weskan. From Weskan, go 3 miles west on U.S. 40, then 11 miles north, and 1 mile west. Cross a cattle guard and continue north on a pasture driveway and head toward the tall dead branch. When you arrive at the sunflower sculpture you’ll have made it to the summit of Mount Sunflower! Remember to sign the notebook.
Featuring the rural culture elements of geography, history...
FIND LOST SPRINGS
SANTA FE TRAIL MARKER: Two-and-a-half miles west of Lost Springs you'll come across plaques and monuments on both sides of the road. One tells about Lost Springs Station (1822-1872) and the other points you to wagon ruts in the pasture. It's a great find along the road. From Lost Springs continue east (becomes BB Ave. in Morris Co.). Take a detour into Burdick and shop at the Burdick Meat Locker. About 8 miles east of Burdick on BB you'll come to Diamond Springs, another great stop on the Santa Fe Trail.
AL'S CAFE: Now located in a metal building, the food is good at this popular out-of-the-way spot in Lost Springs. Al's special is a tostado on a soft flour shell. Open Wed.-Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. 785.983.4824.
POST OFFICE: The post office is located in a former one-room schoolhouse. Open Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-12 and Saturday 8:30-9:30 a.m., this throwback post office could use our business. Stop and purchase or send check for stamps to 125 Berry, Lost Springs, KS 66859.
A Sampling of what is in the April 2009 81a newsletter.
THE ROAD LEADS TO CONCORDIA
There are dozens and dozens of small cities to explore on your way to the Kansas Sampler Festival, no matter which direction you're coming from.
Explorers learn to not judge a town but just soak it up as it is and realize it's been through an ongoing and longtime drama. With that approach, there is always something to appreciate.
Here are just a few highlights in some small cities in counties that border Cloud County.
1) MAHASKA, pop. 101, Washington Co. The 1856 Surveyor's Monument can be seen 1/2 mile west of town on 29th, then 1 mile north on Meridian. Originally marked in 1856, this site was the beginning point for all land surveys in Kansas, Nebraska, much of Colorado and Wyoming, and a small part of South Dakota. The marker came about in 1854. More than 200 million miles of land have been surveyed from this point.
2) HADDAM, pop. 165, Washington Co. See the historic limestone jail on south main. A 1901 election produced an all-woman city council along with a female mayor, city clerk and police judge, even though women were not given the right to vote until 1912. One of the council's first acts was to build a limestone jail "for containment of Haddam's unruly men."
3) STRAWBERRY, ghost town, Washington Co. A gray stone marks the site of Strawberry (10 miles north of Clifton on Eagle Road, then one mile east on K-148 to Fox. This settlement, named for the wild strawberries that grew here, existed from 1868 to 1951.
4) GREENLEAF, pop. 337, Washington Co. Find the words "Community Clubhouse" on one of the limestone buildings on 4th Street. This building and the jail next door are 1939 WPA projects.
5) MORGANVILLE, pop. 194, Clay Co. The sunken amphitheater on main street is a 1939 WPA project. Many of its concrete walls, stage, and eight levels of seats and steps are intact.
6) GREEN, pop. 141, Clay Co. North of Green at Utah and 22nd Streets, look for limestone entrances to the remains of a city park built with 1938 WPA labor. You'll see stone structures in this wooded area including a stone walking bridge across a little creek. It's like exploring a secret garden.
9) SCANDIA, pop. 387, Republic Co. Meet Harley the Dog at the hardware store and ask the owner to have him pick up certain supplies. Check out the Riverview Cemetery north of Kaffe House, across U.S. 36 on the hill overlooking the Republic River. Many concrete tree fences surround family plots in this cemetery, which holds many Scandinavian names.
10) JEWELL, pop. 447, Jewell Co. The downtown Scoop is in a red-brick corner bank building with a limestone arch. Get your ice cream scoop here! Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. 785.428.3411.
13) TESCOTT, pop. 343, Ottawa Co.: The town is named for T.E. Scott. A mural on South Main features Scott. The sandstone band shell is a 1936 WPA project.
Don't you wonder what #7, 8, 11, and 12 were? Join the Kansas Explorers Club today!
NEWSLETTER #80 from January 2009
A DOZEN KANSAS DANDIES
After you visit each of these you might say, "That sure was a dandy!
DALE SHIRLEY's GARDENS & ORCHARDS: 1650 30th Road, Vermillion (Marshall Co.) With crop land all around, the sea of flowers is a delightful surprise! For example, imagine seeing 4,000 petunias in the summer! Call to make arrangements. 785.382.6357.
There are 11 more "dandies" in the newsletter.
ROARIN' 20's IN KANSAS: Then and Now
A sampling of what is in the newsletter
World War I had ended in November of 1919. Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart were making aviation history while Al Capone was causing trouble in Chicago. The NFL, Winter Olympics, Miss America, Grand Ole Opry, NBC, and Readers Digest were all getting started. Then, in 1929, the stock market crashed.designation, and Victory Highway and parts of other roads became U.S. 40. In 1927 U.S. 40 was completed (but not all paved) from Kansas City to the Colorado border. A Victory Highway marker and bronze sculpture stand at 4th and Ash in Wamego.
While all those things were going on around the country, what was going on in Kansas? Here are a few highlights from each element.
ARCHITECTURE
Publisher Frank MacLennan was building Cedar Crest mansion in Topeka at 2nd and Fairlawn in 1928 as a private residence. In 1961 it became the official residence for the current Kansas governor. Public tours Monday afternoons, call ahead.
ART
After 22 years, S.P. Dinsmoor finally completed the Garden of Eden and his limestone and concrete log-cabin home in 1929. Folks in Lucas were trying to run him out of town. Now it is one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Art and a main attraction in Lucas!
GEOGRAPHY
Another road! Great news! Route 66 from Chicago to California opened in 1926. The southeast corner of Kansas caught 13.2 miles of the highway that would become famous.
COMMERCE
Leo Williams Grocery opened in the 1920s in Riverton (Cherokee Co.) to provide Route 66 travelers with a place to get a sandwich and groceries. Now named Eisler Bros. Old Riverton Store, it continues to refresh modern travelers. 620.848.3330.
CUISINE
In 1922 the public was ordering "sliders" by the sack at the newly-opened Cozy Inn, 108 N. 7th in Salina. Today -- same burger, same location. 785.825.2699.
CUSTOMS
Jim Brown, a Native American, was laying 150 bricks per minute or "as fast as five men could bring him the brick" for the streets in Goodland in 1921. Five years later he was in Baldwin City laying the bricks for High Street and around the Baker campus.
HISTORY
In 1924, workers disassembled the 40-foot high 1879 Schonhoff Mill and moved the stones 12 miles to Wamego's city park and put it back together. It is famous now as the Dutch Mill.
PEOPLE
Orphaned, abandoned, and homeless children from the New York City area were riding the Orphan Trains to the West to be taken to new families. Between 1854 and 1929 an estimated 200,000 children rode the Orphan Trains. Today you can learn more about this dramatic story at the Orphan Train Heritage Society of America at Concordia's 1917 Union Pacific depot, 3rd and Washington. 785.243.4471. www.orphantrainriders.com.
NEWSLETTER #79 from October 2008
Featuring the rural culture element of geography...
CUSPING KANSAS!
Cusping? What is that? Well, in Explorer terms let's say it is a discovery of where the physiographic regions transition from one to another. For example, when you're driving U.S. 50 between Garden City and Dodge City, the north of the highway are the High Plains and south, along the river, is the Arkansas River Lowlands. You can definitely notice cusping here. Cusping is when you figure out that you're at an edge of a region and that the vegetation, soil, and landscape is changing. It takes keen observation to cusp but once you figure it out it starts to come naturally.
If you have a 2003-2004 Kansas map you'll see the regions color-coded on the map. On current Kansas maps they have a small inset in the top right corner that color-codes the regions. Maybe we should all clamor at Kansas Department of Transportation and ask them to go back to color-coding the regions.
The eleven regions are:
Arkansas River Lowlands
Chautauqua Hills
Cherokee Lowlands
Flint Hills
Glaciated Region
High Plains
Osage Questas
Ozark Plateau
Smoky Hills
Red Hills
Wellington & McPherson Lowlands
An online site that explains the regions is www.kgs.ku.edu/Physio/physio.html
Cusping is part of the explorer mindset. It involves observation powers, curiosity, and a trait of gaining pleasure out of the little things.
Featuring the rural culture elements of customs, people, history,architecture, art, geography...
FOUND IN THE NOOKS & CRANNIES
ARGENTINE STEPS, Kansas City: Argentine Steps at 13th and Ruby. Why is a street sign at the base of these 169 concrete steps? The steps actually are a street (nearly a block long and comprising three or four tiers). When it was built it was the only access to many of the homes along either side, and it is the only street in Kansas made from a series of concrete steps.
NEODESHA CEMETERY: North end of town on 8th, then turn northwest over the railroad viaduct at Cobalt Boats. One of the interesting gravestones, shaped like a drum, is that of Frank "Cutty" Cartwright, an orphan who became known as the Little Drummer Boy during the Civil War. He later was killed in a freak train accident and ironically is buried next to the engineer who ran over him. To find Cutty's grave, enter through the formal brick pillars at the northeast end of the old section and head straight back. Look for the short round drum on the left just past the drive to the GAR memorial.
IRELAND HALL, 2nd and Central, Arkansas City: Identified by its arches, gargoyles, lion heads, dragons, rock-faced masonry, and colorful facade, this former high school is now home to a cosmetology school. Constructed of local Silverdale limestone, the building's contractor used a vermillion mortar that was not waterproof, and it eventually resulted in the exterior's rosy hue.
INTERESTING SWING, Herington: In Father Padilla Park on N. Broadway you'll find a fascinating tree swing; it looks as if the tree grew support cuffs for the bar that joins them. In the southwest corner stands a memorial to Father Padilla, a martyr killed in Kansas in 1542. The swing is not far from this memorial.
MORE TREE SWINGS, Hays: Climb aboard the two tree swings in the city cemetery at 26th and Vine. The seats are made for two!
VI FICK'S ART, Oakley: During the 1960s-1970s Earnest and Vi Fick found thousands of fossils and shark teeth in Logan County. Vi began using fossils, fossil pieces, oyster shells, fish vertebrae, and snails to create her own art form, an art so unique it was written up in Ripley's Believe It or Not! See her art at the Fick Fossil and History Museum, 700 W. 3rd. Open Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 785.672.4839.
CARVER HOMESTEAD, Beeler: One mile south of K-96 at Beeler in Ness County will take you to a memorial rock on the west side of the road erected in 1953 to honor George Washington Carver. No buildings stand today at his homestead site but the view is magnificent. It's a nice pull-off area.
ROCK IN THE ROAD, McLouth: If you drive on Granite Street between Cynthia and Lucy Streets in McLouth, watch out! There's no warning sign, no caution light, just a big glacial boulder parked in the middle of the road. You're welcome to stand on it, kiss it, take pictures of it! It's one of the darndest sights you'll ever see! Apparently the rock was there long before the town, and when time came to build the street, the stubborn boulder simply couldn't be moved. The asphalt around it has built up over the years making the rock look much smaller than it really is.
UTILITY PARK & ZOO, 4th & Pomeroy, Clay Center: During the Great Depression customers of the city-owned power plant who couldn't pay their utility bills were given the opportunity to work off their debt. Their work resulted in Utility Park. In 1934 Better Homes and Gardens awarded the park its highest community honor with a More Beautiful America Achievement Award. A bronze plaque commemorating the award is found on a large red glacial rock. The zoo was added in the early 1950s.
Every town has these little known places.
Stay observant you'll find them. Make it a game!
NEWSLETTER #78 July 2008
In order for you to find where all the fun places are we've visited in the stories below here's a map to help. Just use number next to the name of the location and find it on the map.
This wooden 1940 restaurant isn't very big but your appetite better be! WenDee had one of the best cheeseburgers she's ever had. ERIE (4), pop. 1,150
SCOTTY'S CLASSIC CAR MUSEUM 302 N. 9th, ARMA (7), pop. 1,521PITTSBURG (9), pop. 19,536
POST OFFICE, CRESTLINE (10), unincorporated
BAXTER SPRINGS (12), pop. 4202
CHETOPA (13), pop. 1,224 WenDee was fascinated with the pecan groves as we neared Chetopa, the Pecan Capital of Kansas. The soda fountain is still operating at Rigg's Drug, 426 Maple. A number of soda fountains have closed along with local pharmacies so it's always a relief to find ones that are still open. (Buy your prescriptions at your local pharmacy!) 
COFFEYVILLE (14), pop. 10,349
We hoped that the downtown Tavern on the Plaza, 902 Walnut, was still open and it was Historic murals and photographs, wood floors, pressed-tin ceilings, arches, and a stairway leading to upstairs balcony seating are some of the restored features in this 1872 building. It's open Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and Tuesday-Saturday 5-10 p.m.
Just outside of the restaurant is the view of the historic Condon Bank building. The bank was one of two banks robbed during the 1892 Dalton Gang raid. On one side of the bank is a
A tour of the Brown Mansion, at Eldridge and S. Walnut on U.S. 169 was next. This finalist for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture was the magnificent 1904 home of
dle of the street-laid into the asphalt. It shows the exact survey point for the original town. We went to three places to see Caney's signature wedding ring quilt design - the park gazebo, a house on 3rd Street, and a mural on W. 4th. 
Luciano came to America for love and now anyone that goes to his restaurant falls in love with his Italian food. I had the Pasta con Salsiccia which is pieces of Italian Sausage simmered with carrots, spring onion, tomato, cream and parmesan cheese sauteed with Fettuccine pasta. It's such a delightful place!
That was our two day road trip. There were so many other stops we could have made but we ran out of time. If you have an explorer's mind set, Kansas is a never-ending source for adventure.
The following stories are from Explorer issue #77a, from April 2008.
TOPEKA: The Buck O'Neil exhibit can be seen in the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, 1515 SE Monroe, until April 30. Buck O'Neil was one of the outstanding players in the Negro Leagues. Daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 785.235.3939.
WICHITA: The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, 238 N. Mead, has a baseball display featuring Kansas Hall of Famers Walter Johnson, Joe Tinker, and Fred Clarke - as well as many others. Open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m. Admission charge. 316.262.2539; kshof.org. While in Wichita, drive by Wichita State University's Eck Stadium to see bronze statues and murals portraying WSU greats.
MUSCOTAH, Atchison Co. Signs at the town entrance announce that this is the home of Joe Tinker, part of the famous Chicago Cubs triple-play of "Tinker to Evers to Chance". He played from 1902 to 1916. A large stone at the city park entrance, 6th and Kansas, pays tribute to this Hall of Famer
HUMBOLDT & COFFEYVILLE: Baseball fanatics will want to stop at Walter Johnson's birthplace, 2 1/2 miles north of Humboldt on the county road, then 2 miles west on Iowa. Look for an inscribed stone monument in the corner of a field and a home plate in cement on the site of his birth site. In Coffeyville, see a plaque to him at Walter Johnson Park (from U.S. 169 turn east on 8th); see a Don Sprague mural at 223 W. 9th honoring Johnson; and enjoy exhibits in the Dalton Defender's Museum, 113 E. 8th.
BAXTER SPRINGS: Is this ever a baseball town! See exhibits at the historical museum 740 East Ave. (620.856.2385), that tell about Mickey Mantle playing there. Call 620.856.3903 to see the Little League Baseball Museum or go to W. 14th & Grant just to see one of the best Little League stadiums anywhere!
Featuring the rural culture elements of geography, customs...
NURTURE THESE TREES!
Below are three invitations for Explorers to help "grow" these one-of-a-kind trees!
THE SHOE TREE, Wetmore (Nemaha Co.)
Explorers are invited to add shoes to the official shoe tree of Kansas located near Wetmore! The KE #4729 Kissel family started the Shoe Tree in 1985 and by now there are more than 300 shoes on the cottonwood tree. Have an extra shoe lying around? Add it to the shoe tree! Bring a nail and hammer. From Wetmore, go 1 mile west on K-9, then 5 miles north on W Road (blacktop) to the old Davis Ranch sign, then 1 mile west on 80th to V Road.
Inspired by the Shoe Tree and Chair-y Tree, KE #108 Jay Yoder decided to have a Car Tag tree! It now has over a dozen car tags on it. All Explorers are welcome to come add their old tag to Jay's cottonwood tree. Located at the end of his driveway, he has a mailbox at the tree complete with nails, hammer, notebook and Explorer information! From K-61 at Partridge go 4 miles south on Partridge Road (a blacktop just east of town), then west (right) on Lake Cable Road for seven-tenths of a mile to 11613 West Lake Cable Road.
MORE TREES TO VISIT!
WAKEFIELD: Kansas Landscape Arboretum, 2 miles south on Utah in Wakefield. More than 1,000 species of native and exotic woody plants are represented here. Visit the memorial tree section and walk the primitive nature trails through prairie and woodland habitats. Daily 8 a.m.-dusk.
ATCHISON: International Forest of Friendship.From K-7 south, turn right on Patriot, then immediately left on Price, Price veers west and becomes 278th Road. Go south on 278th Road for 1/4 mile, then west for 1/2 mile on 274th to Warnock Lake entrance. Amelia Earhart, in the form of a life-sized bronze statue, welcomes you to the Forest of Friendship, filled with trees from all 50 states and more than 35 countries. In this beautiful park founded by the Ninety Nines, an international organization of women pilots, plaques are embedded in the sidewalks each year to honor those involved in aviation and space exploration.
TORONTO: Cross Timbers State Park at Toronto Lake. Southwest corner of Woodson County, south east of Toronto. The cross timbers of the Chautauqua Hills are an old (ancient) forest of post and blackjack oaks, the oldest post oak dating to the 1720s. You will become familiar with the vegetation of this rare forest by hiking one of its trails. The Ancient Trees of the Cross Timbers Trail (trailhead adjacent to the gate house at Toronto Point off K-105) is an easy one-mile trail through the forest. State park entrance charge. 620.637.2213.
Phone: 620-585-2374