After dropping Mindy and Tenley off at the lake house, we tootled into Council Grove, stopping at the Hays House. The picture below is Seth Hays, great-grandson of Daniel Boone.
He came to Council Grove in 1847 and traded with the Kaw (Kansa) Indians. He was the first white settler to this town. It was already a place where wagon trains rendezvoused on the Santa Fe Trail.
Hays built a log cabin and began to serve food and traded goods to those heading west. He built the Hays House Tavern and Restaurant in 1857. The Hays House is one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants west of the Mississippi River. Its customers included Jesse James and George Armstrong Custer.
Looking at the Santa Fe Trail map. We had a little bite to eat then drove around.
"The Last Chance Store was built in 1857 along the Santa Fe Trail at Council Grove, Kansas. Located where the trail crossed the Neosho River, it was the last store in the settlement before the river. It was operated by Tom Hill as a trading post, as well as a post office and a polling place."
There really is a lot of history in this town and would be worth a day or overnight. We noticed it has a nice river walk also. We didn't take the time to spend there this day. We wanted to explore the area between here and home.
To the west of town -
We should have brought our pickup. We talked to a rancher who told us not to go on one road as there was a big drop off. Good to know that.
My friend, Sheryl, grew up out here in the Flint Hills east of Lincolnville. A newer house has been built there, but her brother lives on the homestead.
We swung by Hillsboro to drive by the kids' old place. Wish they still lived close by, but the Lord had other plans for them. We noticed the tree that Sophia fell out of was chopped down.
