Sign in with Facebook- Join for free
- Sign In
Sign in with Facebook
Those who have in interest in barns will enjoy seeing the 1913 round barn, east of town on state highway 9. It is a large barn, measuring 92 feet in diameter. Remember, however, this is on private property. I obtained permission to take photos.
Updated Jun 26, 2009
The State Bank of Blue Rapids, a family-owned bank has occupied this native limestone building since 1870, and has maintained the architectural and aesthetic integrity of this stately structure.
Written Jun 26, 2009
Blue Rapids boasts the oldest library west of the Mississippi which has been in continuous operation in the same building. Built in 1876 of native limestone.
National Register of Historic Places #72000514; added to registry in 1972
Written Jun 26, 2009
Address: 14 Public Square
Oak log cabin built in 1876 by Swedish emigrants Frank and Augusta Sjoholm* at a spot eight miles from town. In 1996 it was restored and moved into town by the Chamber of Commerce.
*Finding their friends and neighbors could not pronounce their Swedish name, the family changed their name to Holm.
Updated Jun 26, 2009
Emigrants on the trail destined for Oregon wrote of this spot's beauty and serenity. A few contemplated ending their journey here, only six days after crossing into Kansas Territory. Some groups, including the ill-fated Donner-Reed Party, had to camp here for several days after rains swelled the nearby Big Blue River beyond its banks making it impassable. But eventually they moved on. Settlement would not come to the region for several more years.
Little is left from those visitors. A few travelers carved names and dates into rocks and trees. One 70 year woman in the Donner party, Sarah Keys, died of illness while camped here and was buried. Her actual burial site is not known, but a Daughters of the American Revolution monument honors her memory.
Admittedly there is little to see here in the way of relics or artifacts - although some of the wagon ruts (known as swales) are still visible in some spots. But it is interesting and worthwhile to view the location, and to better understand the rigors of the westward march. It is also a beautiful area - especially in springtime when the wildflowers are in bloom and water is flowing over the ledge.
National Register Historic Places #72000513; added to list in 1972.
Updated Jun 25, 2009
Website: http://www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/site3.htm
If you ever go to the Blue Valley Cafe, I hope you make a less auspicious entry than I did. I couldn't get the door open, then figured out how easy it was and went crashing in. This guy must be from out of town. OK - what was your first clue? But of course, this being the kind of town it is, everybody was friendly and the food was really, really the home-made kind of stuff, and it was very decently priced. They had already run out of vegetables when I arrived so I couldn't get the roast beef dinner, but they accommodated me by making a hot roast beef sandwich (with real, not instant, mashed potatoes). I know because they had actual pieces of potato. The folks that came in before me had to get fries with their fried chicken special because they were out of mashed potatoes. It makes sense for a small-town place like this to not make an over-abundance of anything, then make waste by throwing away leftovers.
Best of all - they had sour cream raisin pie! I can never resist sour cream raisin pie, no matter what kind of diet I am on. And it was rich, rich, rich. Deliciously so.
Sitting here afforded me the opportunity to catch up on the status of the wheat harvest, too. The locals are itching to get into the fields, but the ground is still too wet for the combines. The moisture has been great for the corn, though.
Favorite Dish: Pie ~ PIE ~ pie ~ pIe
Made at home by the server's mom. But the hot roast beef sandwich was exceptional, too!
Updated Jun 25, 2009
I was told there used to be rapids caused by a dam which no longer exists on the Blue River. And yes, the town square is round. Kind of like a huge traffic round-about, except this one has businesses...
Build your own Blue Rapids page
Comments