May 15

First up for this day was Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The landscape of this continent has changed dramatically over the past 400 years. Millions of bison no longer roam the prairies. Of the 170 million acres of grassland which stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rockies, only 4% remains. The drive from Great Bend to Tallgrass was miles upon miles of straightness, with only farms and fields of cattle on both sides of the road. The previous day’s rains had followed me eastward. This put a big damper on the idea of walking through the grassland portion of the park. The bus tours have been cancelled, indefinitely. This just seems to be a new theme across the National Park Service, the cutting back of days/hours, cancelling tours, buildings being closed, timed-entry, etc. Therefore, I drove the car to the one area with private vehicle access that allows for viewing the resident bison herd, if they are inclined to be there. This morning they must have been off in the back section. But this area includes the park’s one-room schoolhouse. Every time I see one of these buildings, I wonder how a 16-year-old kid felt to be in the same room with a 7-year-old kid, frustrated that the teacher would be talking “Run, Spot Run” one minute and then explaining y=ax^2+bx+c the next. Back at the VC, I walked up to the Jones’ mansion. This family had money. The large 3-level barn would have been its own visual cue, but the Second French Empire style limestone house is a pure giveaway. An interesting point of this park is the NPS only owns 32 acres. The Nature Conservancy owns the remaining 10,800 acres of the park. A great example of co-sponsorship.

A quick drive up I-335 to Topeka had me at Brown vs Board of Education. This park is only about ten acres, if that, encompassing the lone school building and neighboring parking lot. The rain was coming down in droves, and the school is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. I took one photo from the dryness of the car. Most Americans have heard about the court battle involving these two litigants. The U.S. Supreme Court finally overturned the “separate but equal” education policy which had been in place for decades, allowing segregation in schools. This was one more positive step in trying to bring justice to civil rights in our country. The school is a couple blocks from I-70, so I was headed to Fort Scott NHS without pause.

US69 goes straight south from Kansas City to Fort Scott, acting like an Interstate. But, don’t blink once you see the signs for the city. The first exit is for the park, before the road stops being a limited-access route. The fort’s buildings are oriented in a square-shape. The four Officer’s Row buildings were considered to be some of the best in the U.S. Military west of the Mississippi River. Only two full houses plus one-half of another survive to this day. The exterior and interiors showed the relative opulence. Near those structures is the Dragoon horse stables, replete with plenty of straw on the floor. The Dragoons were akin to the modern Special Forces. The town of Fort Scott butts up against the park, so it is easy to stroll to a local shop for food and refreshment.

An hour and a half later I was at Harry S. Truman Home NHS. The park consists of four houses, the primary one being where President Truman and his wife, Bess, lived in Independence, MO. The Noland House is across the street, and two Wallace homes are next door to the Truman house. Bess’ maiden name was Wallace. The Truman Farm Home, 17 miles south in Grandview, is also part of the park. It sits in a commercialized area, next to a Subway restaurant. The park’s VC is in downtown Independence, not within the park’s boundaries.

The house was titled the “Summer White House”, from 1945 to 1953. Very few people were allowed inside the Truman’s private residence. With the park rangers not providing tours on Mondays and Tuesdays, I also was not permitted to enter. North of the home is the Truman Library, and the final resting place of President Truman and Bess. Bordering the library is McCoy Park. This was the jumping-off point for three trails of national historic importance. The California Trail, the Oregon Trail, and the Santa Fe Trail began their treks at this point in Independence.

On a side note, just 7 miles to the west from the Truman home is Arther Bryant’s Barbeque, one of the country’s most famous bbque joints. Mr. Bryant passed many years ago, but the restaurant continues. And it is just a couple blocks away from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, a must-see for any baseball fan. A point of opinion. Though Bryant is historically famous, many Kansas City residents have more favorite bbque places, such as Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. Joe’s is one spot I highly recommend.