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Driving across Kansas: A Guide to I-70
In his introduction to Dan Dancer's The Four Seasons of Kansas , bestselling author William Least Heat-Moon reflects upon the Great Kansas Passage of those who race their cars westward across Interstate 70 without trying to understand the truth of the place. Ted Cable and Wayne Maley come to the rescue of those bored and blinkered speed-driven travelers with a new guide that will expand and enrich their understanding of a state whose history, in Heat-Moon's words, is "a tumbling of guns, torches, hatchets, and knives."
Guided by Cable and Maley, the historical landscapes of I-70 come back to life, recalling landmarks and legacies relating to pioneer movements and Indian dispossession, army outposts and great bison hunts, cowboys and cattle trails, the struggles over slavery and women's rights, and the emergence of major wheat, beef, oil, and water industries. Their guide parcels out information, mile-marker by mile-marker (in boldface), in a way that's equally accessible to westbound and eastbound users alike. For
85 Grinnell — In 1872, Grinnell had two large sod buildings for drying buffalo meat. The air was so dry here that meat could be stripped off in layers and hung to dry. The dried meat would be preserved and not spoil. This was critical in the days before coolers and refrigerators. People called this meat "jerked" meat because of the way it was torn from the buffalo's carcass. Today at gas stations or convenience stores along I-70 you have the opportunity to buy similar jerked meat in the form of beef "jerky."
117 Capturing an Iron Horse — In this area, along the railroad track paralleling I-70 to the north, Indians tried in 1868 to capture a locomotive "alive" by taking telegraph wire, doubling it back and forth several times, and stretching it across the track with an Indian or two holding each end. Needless to say, the "iron horse" running at full steam, tore through the snare like a rampaging buffalo through a spider web.
126 WaKeeney — WaKeeney was named by combining the names of Albert Warren and James Keeney, owners of the Chicago real estate company that surveyed and plotted the townsite in 1878. These men chose this spot along the proposed route of the Kansas Pacific railroad exactly halfway between Kansas City and Denver. They had big plans for their "Queen City of the Great Plains," including 80-foot-wide brick streets.
298 Fort Riley — Ft. Riley's cavalry school became the only one in the United States and largest in the world. Horse soldiers were trained until 1950 when all the units became mechanized. Because of the emphasis on horses, the fort produced the U.S. Olympic equestrian team for every Olympics between 1894 and 1947.
194 The Clock House — The house was built from a kit in 1905. The initial owners ordered the kit from Sears Roebuck. All the parts, including window glass and doors, were shipped by rail to Lecompton, then hauled the final six miles by horse and wagon to this site. . . . In 1908 it won the national Farm House of the Year award.
Like the ever popular Roadside Kansas , Driving across Kansas will reward the observant traveler with a treasure trove of details sure to increase his or her appreciation for the great Sunflower State.
Guided by Cable and Maley, the historical landscapes of I-70 come back to life, recalling landmarks and legacies relating to pioneer movements and Indian dispossession, army outposts and great bison hunts, cowboys and cattle trails, the struggles over slavery and women's rights, and the emergence of major wheat, beef, oil, and water industries. Their guide parcels out information, mile-marker by mile-marker (in boldface), in a way that's equally accessible to westbound and eastbound users alike. For
85 Grinnell — In 1872, Grinnell had two large sod buildings for drying buffalo meat. The air was so dry here that meat could be stripped off in layers and hung to dry. The dried meat would be preserved and not spoil. This was critical in the days before coolers and refrigerators. People called this meat "jerked" meat because of the way it was torn from the buffalo's carcass. Today at gas stations or convenience stores along I-70 you have the opportunity to buy similar jerked meat in the form of beef "jerky."
117 Capturing an Iron Horse — In this area, along the railroad track paralleling I-70 to the north, Indians tried in 1868 to capture a locomotive "alive" by taking telegraph wire, doubling it back and forth several times, and stretching it across the track with an Indian or two holding each end. Needless to say, the "iron horse" running at full steam, tore through the snare like a rampaging buffalo through a spider web.
126 WaKeeney — WaKeeney was named by combining the names of Albert Warren and James Keeney, owners of the Chicago real estate company that surveyed and plotted the townsite in 1878. These men chose this spot along the proposed route of the Kansas Pacific railroad exactly halfway between Kansas City and Denver. They had big plans for their "Queen City of the Great Plains," including 80-foot-wide brick streets.
298 Fort Riley — Ft. Riley's cavalry school became the only one in the United States and largest in the world. Horse soldiers were trained until 1950 when all the units became mechanized. Because of the emphasis on horses, the fort produced the U.S. Olympic equestrian team for every Olympics between 1894 and 1947.
194 The Clock House — The house was built from a kit in 1905. The initial owners ordered the kit from Sears Roebuck. All the parts, including window glass and doors, were shipped by rail to Lecompton, then hauled the final six miles by horse and wagon to this site. . . . In 1908 it won the national Farm House of the Year award.
Like the ever popular Roadside Kansas , Driving across Kansas will reward the observant traveler with a treasure trove of details sure to increase his or her appreciation for the great Sunflower State.
260 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2003
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 7, 2009
I picked this up in Salina, since I love stopping at the historical, quaint, nonsensical, intriguing, refreshing, and/or bizarre roadside attractions that Kansas has to offer. In fact, doing so is the only way to maintain a sincere and light-hearted appreciation for that I-70 trek. It's fun because it goes with the mile markers, and while I would wish for a bit more depth about many of the book's mentionings, they're just long enough to keep you pretty occupied without a break between markers.
Upside:
I-70 in Kansas is straight enough to make it fairly safe to read this book while driving. Whoopee!
Downside:
Even though you're reading the book, the KC-Denver drive still takes a pretty solid 9 hours.
When traveling East-West, the Colorado border should feel a bit more gratifying, but there are 2-3 more hours of Kansas-like terrain to endure, with no book to help you. Although the book has raised your optimism and appreciation, so by this point, those final hours into the Rockies should be much more pleasant.
Sometimes you find yourself getting excited to learn about fences, dirt, and birds, which jolts you into remembering where you are.
Also, if you're reading it from West to East, it requires a lot more cross-referencing and jumping around. I definitely recommend and East to West read for the first time you use it, if you have such a luxurious choice.
My recommendation for the author:
Consider a book on CD that would narrate the trip. Also, don't hesitate to go more into cultural history and little stories about certain towns that have so much to share in a book like this. Also, figure out a way to make the West-East trip less frustrating.
Upside:
I-70 in Kansas is straight enough to make it fairly safe to read this book while driving. Whoopee!
Downside:
Even though you're reading the book, the KC-Denver drive still takes a pretty solid 9 hours.
When traveling East-West, the Colorado border should feel a bit more gratifying, but there are 2-3 more hours of Kansas-like terrain to endure, with no book to help you. Although the book has raised your optimism and appreciation, so by this point, those final hours into the Rockies should be much more pleasant.
Sometimes you find yourself getting excited to learn about fences, dirt, and birds, which jolts you into remembering where you are.
Also, if you're reading it from West to East, it requires a lot more cross-referencing and jumping around. I definitely recommend and East to West read for the first time you use it, if you have such a luxurious choice.
My recommendation for the author:
Consider a book on CD that would narrate the trip. Also, don't hesitate to go more into cultural history and little stories about certain towns that have so much to share in a book like this. Also, figure out a way to make the West-East trip less frustrating.
April 16, 2012
If you are looking for somewhere different to visit, then venture off of Interstate 70 while driving across Kansas. I recently drove across Kansas and ventured into Goodland, then turned east and visited Colby, Oberlin and Norcatur. Had a great time and did not miss the Interstate traffic one bit :)
More about the author, Ted Cable can be found at www.tedcable.com
More about the author, Ted Cable can be found at www.tedcable.com
September 30, 2015
i loved this book. Since moving to Kansas we have been driving all over the state to see every historical thing we can. It is so great to drive here without all the freeways I grew up in. Every place you drive here is beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews