Kansas is a window into America’s not so distant history for better or worse. It is once great cattle towns that are a reminder of how America got it’s start out West. The brutal building of this country didn’t happen over night and it happened on the backs of the native and African American population.
Many of these once great towns are little more than small suburbs where the locals are trying to make ends meet and keep history alive. Trying to honor the memories of all those that came before. I was honestly surprised by the candor with which most of the people spoke about trying to preserve the memories of the Native tribes and pay tribute to the people’s whose lands were stolen from them.
I thought traveling thru Kansas would be a different experience. That I would find people unwilling to see what had really happened or be small minded about the past. What I saw were people fighting hard to educate and make a difference. Not whitewashing history or trying to make it prettier.
What I also saw were communities who were being affected by recent policy changes (rural hospitals closing, beef industry in peril) who were banding together and being there for one another. In these small towns in middle America, I saw communities who really knew each other. When something went wrong, they worked quickly to have each other’s backs. When I showed up at a museum or historical site, entire towns came out to greet us. It meant something to share their town and history, to preserve it but also to take responsiblity and make amends.
2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. What a better way to celebrate the anniversary than a roadtrip through Kansas. A state that boasts the Sante Fe Trail and the original Cow Towns that helped make America what it is today.
Both pre and post the expansion of railroads out West, cow towns served as crucial points where cattle drives ended. These towns were trading posts, social outlets and economic drivers for the times.
Santa Fe Trail
What is the Sante Fe trail?
A 19th century trade route that stretches approximately 900 miles from Missouri thru New Mexico. Now it is a part of the US National Park System and has many historical landmarks along the way. You can retrace the steps of history and learn who built this country. Since the trail runs 900 miles you can choose which parts you want to explore. My roadtrip consisted of towns in the Northwest area of Kansas.
This itinerary departs from Wichita. Starting in the morning after breakfast it is about 1 hour 45-minute drive to Council Grove.
Council Grove
Located in the Osage Nation, this area was integral for wagon trains passing westward. It was often the last supply point. You can still visit The Last Chance Store, built in 1857, where travelers would load up on goods before heading off.
Other sites of major note are the Kaw Mission Site which tells the story of the Kansa or Kaw people. Originally built as a Methodist boarding school it was used to forcibly assimilate Kaw boys into white traditions before ultimately the Kaw were removed from their land by the U.S. Government to Indian Territory (which is now Oklahoma) in the 1870’s. The Kaw were never able to come back and claim their land.
The people running it today did say that they have made it their mission to bring back the Kaw to Kansas. They have used grants and special funding to build new grounds for their yearly sacred Pow-Wow at Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park, that brings in visitors and tribes from all over. You can visit this park year-round as well.
We can’t ever make up for what happened, but we can try every day to be a little bit better.
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Then I headed to Abilene which is about an hour’s drive from the Council Grove area.
Abilene
Home to former President Dwight Eisenhower you can visit his Presidential Library if you want and see the world’s largest, I Like Ike! Pin you’ve ever seen. While we are talking about the “World’s Largest” you can also see the World’s Largest Belt Buckle and the 2nd Largest Spur. It used to be the largest but now the largest one resides in Texas.
If you’re interested in Presidential history you can visit the home and burial chapel of Eisenhower. The library consists of a museum dedicated to WWII as well.
One of the best stops is Old Abilene Town. A nod to cow towns of the past, this historical village is recreated with some original buildings and some replicas. They have reenactments, events and their very own saloon. But the real showstopper is taking a ride on the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad.
Founded in 1993 and completely volunteer run this ride takes you all the way back to experience Kansas when the lines were originally laid in 1886. You can explore the whole train, and the conductors and engineers know their stuff. Ask a lot of questions. Round trip tickets will start around $30 USD.
From Abilene it will take you about 2 hours to get to Larned.
Larned
Fort Larned and the Sante Fe Trail Center are must stops along the way. The Fort is a well-preserved army post from the 1860’s that was used during the “Indian Wars”. It has a one mile loop trail that takes you past all the important structures and teaches you the history of the area.
The Sante Fe Trail Center is a museum dedicated to early prairie life and indigenous history. It has indoor and outdoor exhibits. The indoor exhibits take us all the way through history even having a display on Gunsmoke. The popular TV show from the 1950’s is set in Dodge City Kansas and well, they are still pretty proud of it today.
The outside area preserved and reproduced buildings dating back to the late 1800’s. The structures include a sod house and dugout home to show visitors what type of dwellings people lived in during the early days of prairie life. The church and the schoolhouse are originals dating back over a 100 years. I found the school particularly interesting since I had no idea that single room schools were common until the 70’s in Kansas. Children from ages 5-17 would all attend school in the same room due to the ruralness of the areas and the lack of attendance since most children spend at least most of the year helping on the farms.
This can be a full day stop on your way to Scott City. It will be about 2 hours to Scott City from here.
Scott City
Start at the Lake Scott State Park. It is a stunning park with lots of opportunities for hiking and fishing but if you’re a history buff it is even better. This park is one of the most historic locations in Kansas. It has more than 26 archeological sites. I was told that they know there are even more structures yet to be unearthed, they just don’t have the funds to excavate all of them yet. It is incredibly exciting to think I could go back in a few years and there will be new discoveries made!
One of the main highlights is the El Quartelejo which is the remains of Native American Pueblos. They believe these were built somewhere between 1630-1660. Well before the United States even became a country and the Declaration of Independence was even signed.
El Quartelejo Museum
Additionally you can visit the El Quartelejo Museum and Jerry Thomas Gallery. I would highly recommend making this a stop. This place is so much more than just a history museum and an art gallery. Yes it takes you through the Native Americans living in the Lake Scott State Park area but this place has its own fossil lab and an onsite Paleontologist, Kristopher Super. When I was a kid I wanted to be a Paleontologist. All the way until I was in 6th grade and I realized I was terrible at math and science. Hence the writing and media degree. It was really exciting to be on an active excavation. Thousands of years ago Kansas was underwater. Scientists have uncovered many fossils of underwater creatures from the area and currently Kristopher is working on a Plesiosaur that was found.
It is a unique experience to have a Paleontologist on hand at a museum to watch them work.
The Jerry Thomas Gallery is also quite stunning. He is a local artist and historian who focuses his art on the American West. He uses his art to honor the local tribes of the Northern Cheyenne and Crow reservations. Through his art and efforts, he has brought attention to the sacred and historic site Punished Women’s Fork (located in Lake Scott State Park) and for this these tribes have formed a friendship with him.
Duff’s Buffalo Ranch
This fun little excursion takes you up close and personal with the Buffalo. You take a ride on a flatbed out into the fields and sit among the buffalo. The farm even has rare albino buffalo. Farm tours can be set up through the museum and vary in price depending on whether you want a private tour or if you want to join one the museum is running.
The farm is run by husband and wife Richard and Susan Duff. Their goal is to create a sustainable farm while honoring the heritage and history of the Native Americans who once called these lands their home.
As quoted from their website because I am not sure I could say it better “The remembrance of the exploitation of this animal and the native tribes who depended on them has inspired our journey to develop a natural habitat on the very land traveled by the Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Kiowa, Sioux and other nomadic tribes who coexisted and traveled with the massive bison herds of yesteryear.”
Another example of why I fell in love with Kansas.
It is approximately 45 mins to your pit stop in Finney County
Finney County Museum
World’s Largest Hair Ball & a True crime Exhibit
Maybe not totally worth the stop unless you want to check off another “World’s Largest” item. I do find them exciting. The true crime exhibit within the same museum is a bit small. It only focuses on two specific crimes in Kansas. One I had never heard of and the other the most famous, the Clutter Family murders. Which were made infamous from Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood.
It is about another hour to your next stop
Meade
Dalton Gang Hide Out
As far as Wild West history goes this is a fun one. After their famous shoot out after a botched bank heist, they hid out on their sister’s property. It wasn’t until the 1940’s that the tunnels leading from the barn to the main house were discovered, making people believe they were used for the fugitives to move around without anyone noticing. Now they are dug out for tourist use. It is a neat little stop and the historians who run the museum are ultra knowledgeable about all things Wild West.
Now it is just a 45-minute ride to your final destination.
Dodge City
The quintessential Wild West town of the late 1800’s this was the major cattle driving hub of Kansas not to mention a hot bed for lawlessness. It is particularly famous for the iconic lawmen Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday among others, the inspiration behind the long running series Gunsmoke and the city that spawned the famous American phrase “Get out of Dodge”
There is a lot to do in Dodge City.
Highly recommend starting with the Historic Trolley Ride. It is a great way to cover more ground and get to harder reach sites. The trolley even takes you outside of the city to the agricultural sites. Dodge City is still one of the largest beef producers in the U.S., nearly 30% is processed here.
After the trolley ride you can do a walking tour – Dodge City Trail of Fame – to check out all of the medallions and monuments to its famous residents of the past.
Boot Hill Museum – more than a museum. It’s a complex. Set up to look like the original main street on the outside the series of buildings houses a pretty elaborate museum. The self guided tour can easily take about 2 hours. They also have reenacted gunfights daily and an evening variety show.
Home of Stone (The Mueller Schmidt House) – The oldest residence in the city is a museum that offers a peak into what Victorian life was like with original furnishings and all.
Boot Hill Distillery – housed in a historic municipal building with fun features (an event space made from a converted jail cell with original inmate graffiti) you can do a tour and tastings of locally made spirits. Or just grab cocktails at the bar.
Restaurants
No roadtrip is complete without food. Here is everywhere I ate along the way!
Day 1
Breakfast at Doo Dah Café Wichita – diner style comfort food.
Lunch at Hays House – built in 1857, it is the oldest restaurant West of the Mississippi. Serves “elevated” Kansas cusine in a historic tavern. Known for its award winning fried chicken and I can vouch for it being excellent.
Dinner at Legacy Kansas – inside the old Brookville Hotel is also known for its fried chicken dinners served family style. I may have passed on fried chicken at lunch if I had known.
Day 2
Breakfast at Susie’s Deli – an assuming deli that serves great biscuit sandwiches.
Lunch with The Smoking Barrell – Fantastic BBQ, great side and sauce variety. I didnt visit the location it was brought to us but it was so good.
Dinner at Louie’s Bar and Grill – a very local place with a decent burger/sandwich menu. Not a ton of options when passing through this town.
Day 3
Breakfast at Tru North Cafe – another little gem with great breakfast sandwiches and coffee
Lunch at Cabana Mexican Grill – decent Mexican and reasonable prices
Dinner at Central Station – An old train station turned restaurant, you can even eat in converted train cars! Also boasting the only mesquite grill in town it has been voted best steaks 6 years in a row.
Day 4
Breakfast at Miss Kitty’s Cafe – a little kitschy but great diner style food.
Lunch at Boot Hill Museum – there is an onsite restaurant and ice cream parlor. They also have a dinner and a show option.
Dinner & Drinks at Dodge city Brewing – Local brewery serving tasty pizza
Day 5
Breakfast at Red beard coffee – small coffee shop also serving breakfast sandwiches
