Fall 2013 Trip to Kansas City - Kansas Prairie Adventure

Panoramic view from Coronado Heights

I am writing this blog in Terre Haute Indiana where we stopped for the night on our way back East.  We are headed to Morgantown WV where we will spend Halloween and a couple more days with Brendan, Eileen and the kids.  The highlight of our trip so far was the three days we spent in cousins Andy and Lois Sciolaro.  They live in Maize KS, just outside Wichita.

We spent Sunday touring around the prairie.  Our first stop was Coronado Heights, a hill where it i said that Coronado made his furthest trek East before returning to Mexico.  There are structures that were added by the WPA in the thirties.  It is a favorite picnic spot with great views and, at least on the day we were there, pretty high winds.  This is the prairie so the wind is a constant.

Marilyn, Andy and Lois in Linsborg

We then went to Linsborg where we had lunch in restaurant on Main street.  As the name suggest, the town was founded by Swedish immigrants.  We also visited several shops which contained the work of local artists, all very nice.

On our way to Coronado Heights we spotted a very interesting structure which we eventually named The Little House on the Prairie.  We promised our selves that we would return to it on the way home when the late afternoon sunlight would be perfect for picture taking.

Andy and Lois under a prairie mushroom.

But first we visited Mushroom Park.  I know it seems somewhat strange that there are mushrooms on the prairie but there they were!  These strange rock formations in the middle of nowhere are the setting for a small park which was being visited by a dozen people on that Sunday afternoon.

You can view more photos of that day on the prairie by clicking here.

Little House on the Prairie

The unexpected discovery of our day, however, was the aforementioned "Little House on the Prairie."  It was situated about 200 yards off the highway.  An old driveway, mostly overgrown, gave us access.  We parked just off he highway and walked up to the house.  It is surrounded by blue stem grass, the natural vegetation of the prairie.  In the afternoon sunlight it was golden and warm which belied its abandoned nature.  When you looked inside, multiple narratives of the lives that had unfolded there leaped into consciousness.  We had no idea how old it was.  A quick Google search didn't turn up anything.  It is a spectacular subject for photography and would be worthy of multiple visits at different times of the year, in different weather conditions, and time of day.  The house is made all the interesting by the lone tree close to it which is now dead and with no bark.  It is situated on the west side the house and must have been designed to provide relief from the blistering afternoon sun during prairie summers.

Interior of the house with prairie blue stem grass outside

We didn't enter the house since the floor was pretty much missing.  From natural disintegration or vandalism or salvage?  Who knows?  It must have been a moderately affluent family since it had a full basement and second floor with three or four bedrooms.  But again, who knows?

You can click here to see more photos.