Rock fence on the Flint Hills Scenic Byway near Matfield, Green, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.
Flint Hills Scenic Byway Map.
The 47-mile-long Flint Hills National Scenic Byway is a two-lane, paved road that crosses Morris, Chase, and Butler Counties. It leaves Council Grove on Highway 177 and continues south through several communities before ending in Cassoday.
The byway offers incredible views of the native grasses and flowers of the tallgrass prairie—one of the last remaining landscapes in America. Much of the land along the byway looks as it did thousands of years ago when the Kanza, Osage, and other native tribes lived here. Early settlers navigated the famous Santa Fe Trail through the area, some stopping to build the towns of Council Grove, Strong City, Cottonwood Falls, Matfield Green, and Cassoday.
Features along the route include:
Kaw Mission in Council Grove by Kathy Alexander.
Council Grove provides a vivid peek at its former Santa Fe Trail days at more than 24 historical sites, including the Hays House, the oldest continuously operated restaurant west of the Mississippi River, the Kaw Mission, Hermits Cave, remnants of Santa Fe Trail ruts, the Last Chance Store Museum, the 168-acre Kaw (Kanza) Nation Heritage Park/ Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park, and more.
The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is two miles north of Strong City, Kansas. It is the last large contiguous remnant of tallgrass prairie on earth, offering an unspoiled landscape of serene natural beauty. The preserve is also the site of the historic Spring Hill Farm and Stock Ranch, a virtually intact late 19th-century ranch headquarters compound. Since 2009, it has been home to the Tallgrass Prairie bison herd.
In Strong City, the Caboose Park offers an informational kiosk, and its 1903 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Depot still stands. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in June 2007.
Chase County Courthouse in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, by Kathy Alexander.
In Cottonwood Falls, Bates Grove Park has a walking trail next to the Cottonwood Falls River. The 1873 Chase County Courthouse, on the square at the southern end of Broadway Street, is the oldest operating courthouse in Kansas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in February 1971. The Roniger Memorial Museum, located on the south side of the Courthouse Square, houses the Roniger and Lenke collection of Indian artifacts and other Chase County historical items.
Three miles south of Cottonwood Falls on KS-177 is the Schrumpf Hill Scenic Overlook, which offers incredible views of the native grasses and flowers of the tallgrass prairie—one of the last remaining such landscapes in the world.
One and a half miles north of Matfield Green, the Crocker Ranch began extensive cattle and farming operations in 1866. Initially owned by Captain Erastus Bryant Crocker, a Civil War veteran, an 8.5-acre portion of the ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Only one building, a stone provision house, survives from the original 1860s farm. Erastus Crocker’s son, Edward Grey Crocker, built a house and various buildings in the 1880s. The main house was built in 1908-09 and was later remodeled. Other surviving structures include a barn built in 1906 and a grain elevator added in 1915-16.
Pioneer Bluffs Historic District, Chase County, Kansas, courtesy Wikipedia.
The Flint Hills Ranching Heritage Center at Pioneer Bluffs serves as a gateway dedicated to promoting and preserving the ranching heritage of the Flint Hills. Located on the historic 12-acre Rogler homestead just north of Matfield Green, the historic district features an iconic 1915 barn, restored to a one-of-a-kind event space; a 1916 granary/carriage house that hosts ranching exhibits and research library; a classic 1908 farmhouse; a log cabin; and mile-long limestone fence. It is one mile north of Matfield Green.
The old Matfield Station section house, a half mile north of Matfield Green, was built for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in 1924. The site also included cattle pens, a depot, and a foreman’s house. Matfield Station’s active railroad use ended in the 1960s. The railroad continues to traverse the site, but Mattfield Station’s restored section house now serves as an Airbnb, providing incredible views of the native grasses and flowers of the tallgrass prairie. Most of the 47 acres have never been tilled.
Matfield Green Stockyards, 1950.
The quaint little town of Cassoday is at the southern end of the byway. Visit the Cassoday Museum.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, November 2024.