Tall Tales from Kansas

This week, with only a wee bit of planning in advance, Chris and I hit the road, headed in a southwesterly direction towards Council Grove.

Council Grove is a town of just over 2,000 folks in the heart of the flint hills. Lots of stuff happened here a while back. It was a meeting up place for folks headed out on the Santa Fe trail. There were treaties signed between the native Americans tribes and settlers on the stump of an old tree. I am not going to begin to try and give you a history lesson. How about a few photos instead?

Gosh our history is fraught with so much injustice against the indigenous peoples of this land. As I walked through the Kaw Mission it was disheartening to read all the statements about how treaties were signed and yet it was never enough. More was always taken. As with many things in our history, this is not how we were educated about it in school (at least when I was taking American History). We must do better.

There is a wonderful bookstore in town. Flint Hills Books is in the old national bank building right on the main street and it has a wonderful selection of every single thing you did, and did not know you needed.

I have given Chris the assignment of choosing our next backyard field trip. I will let you know how he does.