Butcher Falls near Sedan, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.
“There’s less to get in the way of you and the heavens out on the prairies of Kansas.”
— Bill Kurtis
Butcher Falls, Kansas Entrance.
Butcher Falls is a beautiful waterfall on the eastern edge of the Flint Hills of Kansas, in Chautauqua County.
Located on Pool Creek, various cascades begin the drop to the main waterfall before plunging 14 feet over a blocky rock ledge into a large, punchbowl-shaped waterfall. The rock was formed from sediment deposited in shallow seas during the Pennsylvanian Subperiod about 323 million to 299 million years ago. Just beyond the pool, Pool Creek joins Middle Caney Creek. During spring high water, it is the most impressive natural falls in Kansas. The pool is an excellent spot for swimming. During dry periods, however, the waterfall may not be flowing. The falls were named for Preston Butcher, who acquired the property in 1889.
Bill Kurtis, television personality.
Butcher Falls, on the privately owned Red Buffalo Ranch northwest of Sedan, is accessible to the public. Here, visitors can not only experience the waterfall but also a place that is purely prairie, with woodlands, tall grasslands, and endless skies.
Once sprawling across 10,000 acres, Red Buffalo Ranch is owned by television personality Bill Kurtis, who was raised in nearby Independence, Kansas, and has made significant contributions to the development and survival of Sedan and Independence. In Sedan’s historic downtown, he restored old commercial buildings to their former beauty and established The Red Buffalo gift shop.
Kurtis bought Red Buffalo Ranch in the late 1990s, which has since become a working ranch home to a 60-wild bison herd. Parts of the land are also leased for cattle grazing during the summer months. The ranch is a diverse piece of land that features scenic vistas of native tallgrass prairie, dotted with ponds, creeks, and patches of woodland. Kurtis said that it is not uncommon to find artifacts from both indigenous tribes and homesteaders when exploring the property.
At age 16, Kurtis began working as an announcer for KIND, a radio station in Independence. He graduated from Independence High School in 1958, the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science in journalism in 1962, and he earned a Juris Doctor degree from Washburn University School of Law in 1966. While in law school, Kurtis worked part-time at WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas.
“I was able to see the great grasslands of the world, the mountains, and the beaches. And the more I went back home, the more I realized that I am a flatlander and a tallgrass prairie person.”
— Bill Kurtis
Butcher Falls near Sedan, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.
During this time, he reported on a devastating tornado outbreak, which led to a position as an on-air news reporter. At about the same time, he passed the Kansas bar examination and accepted a job with a Wichita law firm, Kurtis. However, he decided not to pursue a career in law. Before long, he became a news anchor in Chicago, Illinois. He has been noted for his deep voice throughout his career. In the early 1980s, he anchored The CBS Morning News in New York City and became especially interested in investigative in-depth reports and documentaries. He returned to Chicago and, for a time, resumed his anchoring duties and founded a production company called Kurtis Productions.
In 2012, Kurtis sold 3,600 acres on the north end of his famed Red Buffalo Ranch. The following year, he permanently protected 4,700 acres of the ranch through the Kansas Land Trust.
In May 2022, 4,000 acres of the Red Buffalo Ranch were sold to the Delaware Tribe of Indians, based in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The newly designated Delaware Tribe Ranch is operated and maintained by tribal members.
The Delaware Tribe of Indians is a federally recognized Native American tribe with more than 10,500 members. The Kansas Land Trust maintains a conservation easement on 4,000 acres, with a mission to preserve native tallgrass prairie by operating a working cattle ranch. This property is located along both sides of Kansas Road, west of K-99 highway.
After this sale, approximately 1,500 acres of the Red Buffalo Ranch and its headquarters remain. While Bill now lives north of Chicago, Illinois, where he is active in restoring tallgrass prairie, his daughter, Mary Kurtis, lives in Sedan, where she manages Red Buffalo Ranch and runs the Red Buffalo Gift Shop at 107 E. Main in Sedan.
“We think the Delaware Indian Tribe will be wonderful neighbors.”
— Bill Kurtis
Arched bridge at Butcher Falls, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.
Butcher Falls is located off Highway 99, on Road 14, near Kansas Road. Public access to the falls is granted from dusk to dawn and is limited to 100 yards above and below the falls. Park just off the road, go through the gate, and follow the path about 250 feet to a natural stone-walled pool.
In addition to the waterfall, Red Buffalo Ranch offers nature trails, fishing, and a view of Prairiehenge, a modern rock sculpture stonehenge built by native kansan earthworks artist Stan Herd.
Red Buffalo Ranch provides lodging at a rustic river cabin located on the Red Buffalo Ranch and the Bull Building in downtown Sedan.
Sedan is located on the business loop US-166 and K-99.
Butcher Falls Trail by Kathy Alexander.
More Information:
Red Buffalo Ranch
Road 14
Sedan, Kansas 67331
620-725-4022
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated April 2025.
Also See:
Chautauqua County Photo Gallery
An old house at Butcher Falls, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.
Sources:
Explore Kansas
Kansas Geological Survey
Kansas Land Trust
Kansas Travel
Prairie Star Facebook
Travel Kansas
Wichita Eagle