Continuing with Churches of the Prairie
Historic Baptist Church – Downs, KS
Church – Osborne, KS
St. Boniface – Tipton, KS
Grotto at St.Boniface – Tipton, KS
Bunker Hill, KS
Upper Fall River Evangelical Lutheran Church – Greenwood County, KS
Today marks the one year passing of my precious mother. It’s so hard to lose the one who loves you the most. Thanks for always being there for us and thanks for loving us Mom.
Love and Miss you Mom †
While traveling along the back roads not too far from where my mother grew up, I saw a little building, abandoned but still proudly standing on the prairie, it was an old schoolhouse. I never knew where she went to grade school, but I knew the name of the school was Victory.
District 56 was organized in 1872. Twenty seven students attended the first three month school term. The school was moved from the original location as more students lived in the western part of the district.
In 1877, District 56 was known as Liberty School. They were competing in a spelling bee with four other schools and the only two remaining students, both from District 56 didn’t have to compete against each other, their school became known as Victory School.
Undated photo of Victory School from private collection
The school board voted in 1882 to move the school house once again. Not everyone on the board was in favor of the location. A group of patrons decided to move the school a mile west to the side of the district that they thought was more populated. At night they hitched four yoke of oxen to the building, then notified the opposition that they were going to move it. By the time the sheriff from Abilene arrived in the middle of the night, the school had been set on its new foundation.
April 29, 1949 the board of Victory school decided to close the school. My Aunt was one of the 5 students attending the final school term at Victory.
Students of Victory School Dickinson County, KS
My mom is second from the left, her little sister is the first one on the right.
Undated photo from private collection
Some information on Victory School was taken from a booklet composed for the Victory School Reunion
Churches of the Prairie, some of these churches are still offering services others are not.
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church – Solomon, KS
St. Paul’s Lutheran – South of Junction City, KS
Gem, KS
Neosho Falls, KS – Methodist Church
Catholic Church – South of Manhattan, KS
Named after the Osage Orange Tree which is common on the Plains, Bodarc or Bois d’ Arc, KS was an unofficial community founded in 1875. The community had a mill, general store, school house, church and cemetery.
General Store
Rock Fence
Founded in 1880 Covert is now known as a Ghost Town. Located in Osborne County, it was named after John Covert, who was on a buffalo hunt and was killed at his camp along the creek. During its prosperous years the population was 150, supporting a high school, bank, two general stores, churches, blacksmith and a hotel. Covert is know for having a winning high school coach, John Locke, who when the school couldn’t afford a basketball coach, the senior asked if he could coach and play. He took them to the state playoffs in 1926. The School burnt in 1951 and never re-opened. The Covert Meteorite was found in 1923. The unsolved murders of the Kaser family in 1928 are also part of Covert’s past.
The Albert Kaser family is laid to rest in the Covert Cemetery.
Albert, his wife, Nellie and their six children were found in the ruins of their burnt home. It was later determined that the family had been murdered, and the person who was the suspect, Albert Kaser’s brother Fred, killed himself.
On a hilltop in the Flint Hills of Greenwood County, stands a mammoth 16′ tall slab of rock that over looks the valley below. In 1920 oil was discovered and the boom town of Teterville was born. At one time it was home to more than 600 residents, supporting two general stores, a school, post office and housing for oil field workers and their families. By 1960 – everyone and almost everything is gone. All that remain is a few foundations.
It’s hard to imagine the vast prairie with wooden oil derricks towering around the countryside and the bustling town of Teterville.
Remains of a foundation in Teterville.
Located on a high point stands Teter Rock. In the 1870’s James Teter used a pile of rocks to mark the way for pioneers to the Cottonwood River, those rocks were later used as building material. In the 1950’s the Greenwood County Historical Society erected the present day monument. A majestic tribute known as Teter Rock. It was amazing standing by the monument looking out over 1,000’s of acres of beautiful Flint Hills.
Residents of Teter Rock
Wild mustang in the adjoining pasture
Thank you Dad for coming along with us on this adventure! It was nice to finally have a break from the 100 degree temperatures and we could enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Flint Hills. Enjoyed our lunch at Our Cassoday Country Store, we will have to go back on Catfish Friday!! Thankful for our time together♥
On a hot summer day I can’t think of a better place to be than on the back roads of Kansas, (well maybe out on a lake or high on a cool mountain top) but here we were temperature 105, heat index 112, on the back roads.
Off the beaten path in a remote pasture in north Ottawa County, KS stands a sentinel over looking the vast prairie. Known as the Smithalo, it is a 60 ton monument to the American Bison, built by Ray Smith with the help of his brother Chester in 1977-1978.
The monument can be seen from miles away. It is on the right side of the hilltop.
Bull and Cow
Cow and calf
The monument is constructed out of steel, stone, and concrete. There are lightning rods attached to the monument since it is the highest point for miles.
Mr. Smith started breeding buffalo in the 1960. He also was know for at one time having lions, bears and camel. He passed away in 1999. He is buried by his beautiful monument to the American Bison.
All photos were taken with my Sony camera and zoom lens from the road. I can only imagine how awesome it would be to stand by the monument and see the world from there!! Hopefully I will get the chance to see it up close someday.
Neosho Falls, Woodson County, KS is located along the Neosho River in the southeast part of the State. Settlers arrived in the early 1850’s settling on land that was part of the New York Indian Reserve. It was never occupied by the Indians and in 1860 the US Government put it up for homesteading.
Neosho Falls was a transportation center being located at the junction of 2 railroads and the Neosho River. Retail business at one time were banks, motels, flour mill, saw mill and sorghum mill. The city suffered numerous set backs as electricity replaced water power, disastrous flooding, and the Depression.
Prosperity returned when oil was discovered in 1937. Anticipating new growth a large elementary and high school was built. But another flood destroyed much of the town in 1957.
This looks like a quiet street, but I was amazed at the traffic that was in town. They were mostly headed to the river, where they would drive out to the gravel bars, park and then float around or fish. I saw a fisherman out standing in the river in water up to his neck, only his head and arms holding his pole were visible, one way to keep cool! The residents do not need a big pool or spray parks, they have the beautiful river!
Current population is 141. One resident is quoted as saying “Neosho Falls may not be the boom town that is once was, but, we like it just the way it is”. I can understand why they like their town!
Continuing with the series of Churches of the Prairie we are in Piqua, KS. Located in Woodson County, Piqua had it’s start in 1882 with the building of the railroad. Population now is 107.
St. Martin’s Church 1920 – Piqua, KS 1920
Located west of Lindsborg, KS is the Freemount Lutheran Church. Built in 1927 to replace the 1880 church that was destroyed by a fire caused by lightning.
Freemount Lutheran Church – Lindsborg, KS 1927
Excelsior Lutheran Church – Wilson, KS
In the middle of a wind farm along I-70
The unique design of the cross, no matter where you view it from, it’s a cross! When I first photographed this, I though they were having services, but I couldn’t find any information on if they are still worshiping here.
St. Michael’s – Chapman, KS
This is a series of post about abandoned, rural, and small town churches through out Kansas. Sadly some are beyond repair, some are struggling to continue offering services and others are a vibrant part of the community.
St. Ann’s Catholic Church – Olmitz, KS 1889
On the day that I visited the church a company was removing some the stain glass and windows to reburbish the windows. That has to be quite an expense, it speaks highly of the parishioners who are willing to commit to such a financial obligation to preserve their beautiful house of worship.
Stain glass and Stations of the Cross
The company restoring the windows is doing a great job.
St. Catherine’s – Dubuque KS 1901-1907
Even thou I just posted this one last week, I could never go past St. Catherine’s at Dubuque without stopping! Services are no longer held here.
Lutheran Church and Sunday School Building
I had been looking for this church for sometime, I was so happy to find it.
Cemetery across the road from the church
Farmer Days 