Council Grove, Gem on the Santa Fe Trail

Road trip!

Last Saturday was a perfect October day. My friend Vicki and I drove two hours to explore Council Grove, KS, the setting for my next novel which is the continuation of “Lila’s Song” my short story published last year.

Our knowledgeable and entertaining host for the day was Kelley Judd, treasurer of the Morris County Historical Society. I soon knew I would need more than one day–or one blog–to tell the story of this historic town on the Santa Fe Trail.

We started in the Historical Society building. Council Grove is situated in the heart of tall grass prairie and not being a native Kansan, one of my first questions was, “What is tall grass?” Thinking it might be waist high, you can imagine my surprise when I saw the real thing. Now that’s tall!

Next we strolled down Main Street past gift shops, book stores, the ornate Farmers and Drovers Bank (1892), and the Hays House Restaurant. Built in1857 it lays claim to being the oldest, continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River.

At the end of Main Street we came upon the Neosho River which meanders through the area.  “Neosho” is generally accepted to be of Native American (most likely Osage) derivation, meaning “clear, cold water.” The rendezvous for wagon trains heading west was in the campgrounds on the other side of the river.

Lunch was at the Rawlinson-Terwilliger home built in 1861, the last Council Grove home Santa Fe freighters passed on their journey west. Beautifully restored and operated by Ken and Shirley McClintock, our authentic meal was accompanied by more stories and history of Council Grove from the McClintocks.

We made three more stops after lunch: Seth Hays’ home (the town’s first settler), the Last Chance Store, and the Post Office Oak.

Built in 1857, Last Chance Store for a time was the last place to purchase supplies en route to Santa Fe. Don’t you love the name? The limestone glows, the floorboards are original.

Santa Fe travelers left messages in a cache at the foot of this tree giving it its name, Post Office Oak. The tree died in 1990, and the stump has been preserved on the site adjacent to a stone house with its own fascinating story which is now operated by the Morris County Historical Society.

Thank you again to Kelley and the McClintocks for a wonderful day. As we drove home through the beautiful rolling flint hills, I thought to myself that Lila will enjoy discovering her own adventures in Council Grove along the Santa Fe Trail.

Until next time . . .