Council Grove Travel Guide

 BruceDunning Says:  This cave was a place that Father Francisco stayed after coming to the US from Novaro Italy. He lost the love of his life and then became celibate. What a shame, but he must have liked it. He was here in some years around 1850's and then moved on to Las Vegas New Mexico. He... 

 BruceDunning Says:  This depot was first built in 1869. It was destroyed by fire in 1894 and rebuilt to that period. Along with that is a jail that depicts where felons were housed until early 1900's on that site. 

 BruceDunning Says:  Of great ornate showing is the great building of the Government structure for the County. This, I believe the Lynn County Courthouse-due to the weighing of the hand held scales in the lady of Midwest for small towns. 

 BruceDunning Says:  There are a number of old and ornate buildings that deserve notice along the tour route. They do not all have a lot of history described here, but of note are used today and well as a century or more ago. 

 BruceDunning Says:  This is now a restaurant that once was for commerce and also feeding the settlers coming through town. Seth Hayes, an heir of Daniel Boone built this facility in 1857 and kept it going for years. It has been a mail distribution, court, church, and all along a restaurant.... 

 BruceDunning Says:  He was the main stay for the development of the community. Seth had commerce and then set up retail shops on the mains street. This home is one block off the main street and now under construction for the area to expand the school in town. In normal times it is open for... 

 BruceDunning Says:  This is the icon of the community and it still has the grand style and elegance from 1892, when first under construction. The building was in two parts, with the first being the date noted, and second was from 1902. The style is celled eclectic and due to the Romanesque... 

 BruceDunning Says:  This site in the middle of town was once a famed bank. It has experienced fire o the exterior in 1974 and inside 1978, but it is said the interior is restored to condition of late 1800's. The place did not seem to be open for tours or seeing, and was for rent. The bank... 

 BruceDunning Says:  This is a 3500 acre lake that is not used very much and seems to be a spot for serenity and peacefulness. Camping in allowed for a small fee and boating and docking is set up for various areas. 

 BruceDunning Says:  This was a home that became a retail store for settlers heading west. This really was the last chance for them to buy goods until they reached Santa Fe-many-like 1,000 miles away. Tom Hill built the home in 1857 and lived there as well as offered goods to sell to settlers... 

 BruceDunning Says:  This home has a lot of steeped history being built in 1861 by Abraham Rawlinson, it was the last house to pass for the settler movement going west. The home was purchased by William Terwilliger in 1870, who was a local entrepreneur in freight and livery. It had 80 acres at... 

 basstbn Says:  Madonna of the Trail, a memorial to the pioneer mothers of the covered wagon days. This is one of twelve such monuments placed across the country along the National Old Trails Highway by the Daughters of the American Revolution. 

 basstbn Says:  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this bank was built in 1887. The lobby has been restored. 

 basstbn Says:  The Hays House once sat right in the middle of the Santa Fe Trail. It's still a popular place to eat, serving nothing fancy - just good old fashioned, mid-western homestyle, hearty meals. On our last visit, a Sunday afternoon in September 2007, most of the patrons were there... 

 brdwtchr Says:  This is the giant stump of the Custer elm. General Custer owned land near here and camped under this tree when it was alive. To preserve the stump a canopy has been erected over it. There is a small park there now. 

 brdwtchr Says:  Guardian of the Grove statue is near the bridge down town. Behind the statue is a park along the river that has a path leading to the Kaw Mission. The guardian is a Kansa indian. He is authentic in many details. There are over 30 different symbols tied to the statue. As an...