Ft. Larned, KS/Stone PostsMay 28, 2005
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Sunrise
Fort Larned, KS
Officer's Quarters,Ft Larned, KS
| Got up early (to beat the heat), and saw swans on the lake, a rabbit, and numerous "tweetie" birds (there are 2 kinds of birds....game birds and "tweetie" birds!) We passed right by the "largest hand dug well in the world" (sounded like a "Chief Yellow Hands" place.....$5.00 to see a hole in the ground, and you end up buying $50.00 worth of t-shirts the grandkids will never wear!!) We wanted to stop at Ft. Larned, Kansas, and we were glad we did (someone at Bent's Fort, CO recommended it). It is the largest and most complete historical fort in existence (the buildings were on private property for a number of years and were not cannibalized for the bricks and timbers.) It was Memorial Weekend, so there were actual people there dressed in period costumes to give you a tour and information of the fort in its hayday. It was constructed in 1861 as one of the forts on the Santa Fe Trail to assist the huge freight trains (Conestoga wagons) that came through on their way to Santa Fe. We got to watch a blacksmith make a horse shoe out of a straight piece of iron, and talked to "the baker" who was making pies in a woodstove (some things are a lot better today....give me gas or a microwave anytime!), and an "officer's wife", and a "supply sergeant". We also got to see a troop muster on the parade ground. They were getting ready to go into Larned for a parade. Neat place, glad we stopped. We left there, and up the road in La Crosse, KS, we stopped at the Barbed Wire Museum. Would you believe there are at least 25,000 DIFFERENT patterns of barbed wire, and at least 6,000 different patents. A different sort of place. Right next-door was the Stone Post Museum, which we by passed. We later on drove through huge fields of wheat that were fenced with stone (local limestone) posts. Stone posts came about as limestone is more plentiful in this area and lasts longer than wood posts. We stopped for the night in Russell, KS as it looked like rain and we needed to do laundry. #1 Where not to stop....busy highway! |
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