History

The history of the western Kansas region is as vast as the horizon. Whether you are interested in Indian stories, accounts of settling this area, or millions of years of geologic history, present day sites tell this region’s story.

Keystone Church History

The Keystone Church section contains information collected over thirty-six years, including a ministerial timeline and anecdotes about parishioners’ lives. There is a listing of cemetery and death information.

Keystone Renovation

Barbara and Chuck had a huge task when they bought the property: fixing it up. Find out what they went through on the Keystone Renovation page. They also added wind and solar power systems, which are detailed in the Alternative Energy section.

C.K. & O. Railroad

The C.K. & O. train page has anecdotes, timetables, and published newspaper accounts of why there was a railroad in this area and its relationship to the Keystone Church.

Smoky Hill Trail

The Smoky Hill Trail was an early day route across the prairies to the gold fields in Colorado Territory. This section contains a timeline detailing the rise and fall of the trail and the dreamers who crossed a region unexplored by the white man. Ft. Monument and Monument Rocks were landmarks on the trail.

Indian History

El Cuartelejo is a National Historic Site located at Lake Scott State Park. The foundation of the ruins is all that remain of the northernmost pueblo site in the United States, but it is rich in Indian history.

Battle of Punished Woman Fork was the last Indian battle in Kansas between the U.S. Cavalry and the Northern Cheyenne.

Sources

The history sections have codes to indicate which sources provided information.

(FM) – Fick Fossil Museum

(LC) – Logan County History Book

(NC) – New Chronicle, Scott City, KS

(RS) – Russell Springs Museum

(SC) – Scott County History Book