Day 13 - Sept. 9, 2011 (Steve & Regional History)

After our first night at the Ball of Twine Inn in Cawker City, Kansas, we wandered over to the site of the restoration of an architectural and historical gem, the original limestone Hesperian Library built in 1884. The Victorian building is now being restored as the Cawker City Museum. Missing ornamentation of chimney, roof and ornate gables are being faithfully recreated using historic photographs. The goal of the restoration is to return the building to its original condition and adapt it for the preservation of historic artifacts of local interest.

As you look at the photo above, you will see the ladder at the front door. What you can't see is the man behind the ladder who stepped out to greet us as we approached the building. It was Steve Richardson, third generation Cawker City resident, local historian, and primary restorer of the museum. Steve invited us in to the building and showed the photo below as he shared some of the details and challenges of the restoration.
This photo was taken about 7 years after the library was built. I'm impressed by the Woman’s Hesperian Library Club dressed in their finest clothing posing proudly in front of the lovely building. When asked how he gained his skills in historic restoration, Steve told us he had watched every episode of the television show, This Old House! I would say there is more in his background than being an avid do-it-yourself television viewer...

Recognizing our interest in the city history, Steve asked if we wanted to see something really special in the United Methodist Church located next to the library/museum.
We were stunned when Steve led us into the sanctuary and showed us the oldest church organ in Kansas built in 1884. Henry Pilcher's Sons of Louisville, Kentucky built the organ for the Congregational Church in Kinsley, Kansas. In 1931, the Cawker City Methodists bought the organ and placed it in their native limestone church. In 1976, a new sanctuary was built, and the organ was restored by Reuter Organ Co., Lawrence, Kansas.
Steve Richardson is the church organist, European-trained master builder of pipe organs, and owner of Richardson Pipe Organs in nearby Downs, Kansas. After changing into his organ-playing shoes, he sat down and played a familiar hymn on this marvelous 127 year-old organ.
Steve told us he was in high school in 1976 when the organ was restored. He was fascinated by the restoration, and it prompted his life's work. I said, "Who knew?" and Steve replied, "God."
Sid looks on as Steve plays the pipe organ with masterful skills. This beautiful organ literally fills the front of the sanctuary. Such an unexpected treasure. My photos don't do it justice.
This close-up shows the oil lantern on one side of the organ. There's another lantern on the opposite side.
When Sid asked Steve about getting one of the native limestone blocks, Steve said there were some good ones at his home. We drove a few blocks to this old home being restored which Sid and I had noted earlier in the morning. The lot adjoins Steve's lot. He has purchased the home and is gradually restoring it with the same attention to detail he is using with the library restoration. Steve gave Sid an excellent example of the historic limestone.
When we asked about the unusual native limestone, Steve showed us this book, Land of the Post Rock, and explained that when towns in the Great Plains were settled, there were no trees for making fence posts. So, the resourceful settlers quarried the native limestone (aka post rock), which was plentiful. The photo above shows a barbed wire fence using post rock as fence posts. This rock was also used for many buildings as settlers moved out of their sod homes and dugouts to homes made of stone.

Steve generously gave us a grand tour of the town and Waconda Lake, sharing fascinating history about the early founders, Lincoln Park, Waconda Springs, famous former residents, and changes in the land brought about by the dam in the 1960s. We even saw the two town mansions...built next door to one another for the same family...but that's a long story. In case you are interested, the mansion made of post rock is currently for sale. We felt blessed to have met Steve who spent so much time with us sharing treasures we would never have seen on our own! He was one of the highlights of our trip. Thank you, Steve.
Here's another interesting building, now it is Lakeside Liquor Store.
It used to be a gas station. This building is just a few hundred feet from the limestone home Steve is restoring. So much history in this small town.

Day 12 - Sept. 8, 2011

We were greeted with this sight when we awoke in Valentine, Nebraska...foggy and chilly...not very good weather for kayaking on the Niobrara River. So we shelved our plans for getting on the river.
However, we drove out to the Fort Niobrara Wildlife Refuge to learn about this unique refuge and its history. It is located in the old Fort Niobrara Military Reservation, which was established in 1879 to keep peace between the settlers and the Sioux Indians and to control cattle rustlers and horse thieves. The army closed the fort in 1906, but used it to supply fresh horses for the cavalry until 1911.

In the early 1900s, President Theodore Roosevelt and private conservation organizations were becoming increasingly concerned with the exploitation of wildlife and their habitats on the Great Plains and elsewhere. As a result, an Executive Order was signed on January 11, 1912, establishing Fort Niobrara as a "preserve and breeding ground for native birds." Later that year, the Refuge's purpose was expanded to include the conservation of buffalo and elk herds representative of those that once roamed the Great Plains.
As the fog cleared, we were pleased to see one of the 350 buffalo who live in the refuge. Sid said when the buffalo exhaled, he could see a large cloud of foggy breath. We were disappointed that I didn't capture that in any of my photos as we drove by. We also encountered a flock of turkeys and many different kinds of birds. What a lovely oasis in the midst of the Great Plains.
One of our destinations was Smith Falls State Park, just 18 miles east of Valentine. We met Nicki in the park office. A part-time employee who grew up around the privately-owned park property, Nickie gladly shared information about the unique climate and native trees in the park, including Aspen trees and Paper Bark Birch trees. We hiked to spring-fed Smith Falls, the highest waterfall in the state of Nebraska. In fact, a recent university study of 20 miles of the Niobrara River catalogued nearly 200 waterfalls in the area...all of them spring-fed.
On our way back through picturesque downtown Valentine, I captured this shot of detailed brickwork/carving on the front of the bank building...quite the eye-catcher.
On our way out of Valentine, the road ran parallel to the Cowboy Trail, a trail from rails being developed along 321 miles across the state. This quarter mile bridge is really attractive.
US Highway 83 took us through the famous Nebraska Sandhills, the largest sand dune formation in the Western Hemisphere, spanning nearly 20,000 square miles. Precipitation allowed grassland plants to take root in the shifting sand, eventually stabilizing the dunes and holding them in place. Another unique aspect of the Nebraska Sandhills is that it is resting on one of the largest aquifers in the world. The Ogallala Aquifer consists of 1 billion acre-feet of ground water and comes above the surface at the base of many dunes. Thus the Sandhills is a region of dry and sandy grassland dunes with many thousands of lakes and wetlands scattered between them.
After passing near the geographical center of the continental United States, we arrived at Cawker City, Kansas, home of the World's Largest Ball of Twine! When we first started riding our motorcycle, we promised ourselves that we would stop to see roadside attractions as often as possible, including the world's largerst ball of twine. We were so excited to learn that we would be passing near this famous sight.
Of course, I made reservations for two nights at the "Ball of Twine Inn." The Inn has only one room, a large space with a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. This homey little place is in downtown on Highway 24 and has its own courtyard with a pergola and several attractive birdhouses.
Naturally, I had to take a photo of the ball of twine during the golden hour just before sunset. Don't worry, I have more photos to share during Day 13's post. I know you can hardly wait!
Here's a shot of Sid in the courtyard enjoying the evening and our special view of of the ball of twine just across the street! We were in heaven.