Freedom’s Frontier

All-AmericAn

Adventures

Journey through the parks of kansas and the Missouri Border

Content was Created by aaa in Collaboration with the national Park serviCe

For generations Americans have set out to reach new frontiers. Whether driven by duty, opportunity, ideal or hope, these pioneers have forever

changed our history and our prospects for the future. From the time when westward expansion meant a pursuit of happiness, to the struggle to attain liberty and equality that continues today, the stories that can be found on this land are a living testament to the resilience of the American spirit, a stark reminder of the turbulent relations of the peoples of the continent, and an enduring message that where we have gone is but a starting point for where we have yet to go.

Come share in and experience this history in a way that can only be found in Kansas.

Fort Scott

tallgraSS Prairie

Fort larned

nicodemuSBrown v. Board oF education

Freedom’S Frontier

Harry S truman

• Walk among bison in the last remnants of a prairie landscape that once dominated vast stretches of North America. • Explore how this landscape shaped America, and was forever reshaped by Americans. • Visit forts that once marked the edge of expansion for an ambitious nation. • Consider the conflicts that arose when the progress of some threatened the tradition of others. • Stand in the “promised land” built by people once enslaved and visit the buildings that represented not just freedom but hope for what the future held. • Walk through the home of the American President who guided the country into the uncertainty of the atomic age. • Come face to face with the realities of education in the Jim Crow era and learn how the courage of everyday people changed history.

DAY ONE Harry S Truman naTional HiSToric SiTe, ForT ScoTT naTional HiSToric SiTe

TrAvEl INfOrmATION: 111 miles, total drive time of 2 hours

Begin your journey in the greater Kansas City area. Your first stop will take you to the historic downtown of Independence, Missouri and to the modest home of the 33rd President of the United States. Spend the morning getting acquainted with Harry & Bess Truman. Experience their comfortable, unassuming home and the surroundings President Truman gained strength from as he made the difficult decisions of his presidency.

As you head south you will be greeted by the serenity of the countryside, but the history of this land is one of bloody conflict between neighbors. The route follows the dividing line between Missouri and Kansas, where some of the earliest battles took place as the Nation headed down a path to Civil War. Your stop will be at a genuine stronghold of the Federal Government and Union Army through the “Bleeding Kansas” conflicts and Civil War, Fort Scott. Spend the night in the town of Fort Scott.

HArry s trumAn

nAtionAl Historic site

viSitor center223 N. Main StIndependence, MO 64050816-254-9929nps.gov/hstr

oPen year round, Tours of the Truman Home are not available on Mondays, November through Memorial Day

tour Fee: $5, cHildren 15 and under are Free. Limit of 8 people per tour. INsIDEr TIp/Visitors must purchase tickets at the

Visitor Center before traveling five blocks west to the Truman Home for their tour.

rANgEr TIp/Watch the park’s free introductory film, “At Home with Harry & Bess.” to begin your visit.

fuN fAcT/Harry Truman was the last president not to have completed a college degree.

HAvE A lITTlE ExTrA TImE? Consider these additional sites: National Frontier Trail Center Fort Osage National Historic Landmark

President Harry S Truman took America from its traditional isolationism into the age of international involvement. Despite his power, he never forgot where he came from. Today, you can experience the surroundings Truman knew as a young man of modest ambition through his political career and final years as a former president.

Begin with a stop at the park’s visitor center. Purchase your tickets to take a guided tour of the historic Truman Home. With thousands of artifacts on display, the home is an insightful glimpse into the personal lives of the Truman family. Watch the park’s free film, At Home with Harry & Bess and explore the exhibits for an intimate introduction.

Want to know a little more? Explore the Noland Home exhibits to learn more about Harry & Bess’ courtship and life in the neighborhood, take a stroll through Truman’s neighborhood or drive 18 miles south to visit the Truman Farm grounds in Grandview, MO. Ask Rangers about the cell phone tour and free self-guided Visitor Center exhibits.

Fort scott nAtionAl

Historic site

viSitor center – PoSt HoSPitalOld Fort Blvd. Fort Scott, KS 66701620-223-0310nps.gov/fosc

oPen year round

Fee Free Site

Hiking trailS: Short hikes/walks INsIDEr TIp/One of the best times to visit

Fort Scott is in October. Temperatures are generally pleasant (average highs of 70), and autumn leaves add a splash of color to the site.

rANgEr TIp/Artillery demonstrations are one of the site’s most popular programs. The sounds of cannon firing can be heard on summer holiday weekends: Memorial Day, Labor Day, and 4th of July.

fuN fAcT/The first African American regiment to see combat during the Civil War, the First Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment, was mustered into federal service on Fort Scott’s parade ground in January 1863.

HAvE A lITTlE ExTrA TImE? Consider these additional sites: Fort Scott National Cemetery

The Gordon Parks Museum: Center for Culture and Diversity

Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes

Antique shops, Victorian homes,trolley tours, other attractions

Experience Fort Scott, a fort on the edge of the frontier. Visit buildings that were home to the dragoon soldiers who spurred the growth of the nation in the 1840s. Discover the past at the site that played a key role in Union war efforts during the Civil War. Relive the tension, intrigue, and violence of the Bleeding Kansas era.

One of the outstanding features of the fort is Officers’ Row, home to three original buildings, one of which is the second oldest in Kansas. Encircling the Parade Ground and fort are examples of Greek Revival, French Colonial, and Georgian architecture.

The original post hospital is now the park’s visitor center with a newly remodeled park store. In the building next to it are interactive exhibits that follow six characters through the volatile years of Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War. The site’s movie dramatizes conflicts at Fort Scott during the mid-nineteenth century. Exhibits and furnished rooms tell the story of army life at the “Crack Post of the Frontier”.

alSo cHeck out:• Supplement your Truman experience with a stop at the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum,

500 W US Highway 24, Independence, MO 64050.

• Civil War buffs should visit the Battle of Westport Visitor Center & Museum to learn about the battle called the

“Gettysburg of the West.” You can also pick up a self-guided driving tour to follow the battle as it ranged over

the territory that became Kansas City. 6601 Swope Parkway, Kansas City MO 64132.

• Kansas City’s 18th and Vine district offers a glimpse into the early 20th century African American community

that thrived in spite of segregationist policies. Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and American Jazz

Museum at 1616 East 18th Street, Kansas City MO 64108.

DAY TWO TallgraSS Prairie naTional PreServe

TrAvEl INfOrmATION: 272 miles, 4 hours 43 minutes

“Go west!” That was the call that rang through the East in the 19th century. On this day you will have a unique chance to see the frontier as so many entrepreneurs and families who echoed the call saw it. Get an early start for this second leg if you want to improve your chances of viewing wildlife that still finds sanctuary in Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Or stay a bit later at the site and watch the inspiring view of the sunset over the vast sea of flowing green hills as you travel to your evening stop at Great Bend, KS.

tAllgrAss PrAirie

nAtionAl Preserve

viSitor center2480 B KS Hwy. 177Strong City, KS 66869620-273-8494 nps.gov/tapr

oPen year round

Fee Free Site

Hiking trailS: Over 40 miles of nature trails or backcountry hiking trails

HAvE A lITTlE ExTrA TImE? Consider these additional sites: Pioneer Bluffs Historic District at Matfield Green, KS

Chase County Courthouse; Flint Hills National Scenic Byway

INsIDEr TIp/To experience a truly breathtaking sight, visit during mid-March through mid-April to witness the burning of the prairie grass, which has become an annual ritual in the Flint Hills. Often prescribed fire takes place at night to take advantage of the calmer winds.

Visit a landscape that once dominated 170 million acres of North America but took only a generation to be forever changed. Walk into this last remnant of the American frontier and catch a glimpse of a bison heard and the continent before it was developed by an expanding nation.

Begin at the visitor center where you can watch a ten minute orientation film. Explore how the prairie and the people have worked together through exhibits that bring the landscape to life. Once you’re prepared, head out to immerse yourself in this genuine, growing relic of the continent.

Arriving in 1878 at the end of the open range era, cattleman Stephen F. Jones built his magnificent 7,000-acre Spring Hill Ranch using a readily available natural resource – limestone. He built a massive limestone mansion, three-story barn and a one-room schoolhouse, along with 30 miles of stone fence to contain his cattle in compliance with the law. Experience it all by taking a guided bus or house tour, or enjoy the solitude of the trails.

rANgEr TIp/Take your hike in the early morning or late evening to increase your chances of spotting wildlife.

alSo cHeck out:• Between Tallgrass Prairie and Nicodemus, you will pass sever al scenic byways. To learn more about

some side-trips, visit: Kansas Byways, www.travelks.com/ksbyways

DAY THrEE ForT larned naTional HiSToric SiTe, nicodemuS naTional HiSToric SiTe

TrAvEl INfOrmATION: 196 miles, 3 hours 36 minutes

Your morning drive will take you to what was once the furthest reaches of the developing United States. It was here at the edge of expansion that the pioneers of the young United States set out to create a new life, and soldiers of the Federal Army clashed with American Indians determined to protect their traditional ways of life on the same land that their ancestors had known for generations.

Drive two hours north and you will enter what was once the “promised land” for those who sought to establish their own traditions and connect with a heritage that was forcibly taken from them. Organized colonies of formerly enslaved African Americans left Kentucky in the wake of the Civil War and established Nicodemus, the oldest and only remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi.

A short drive back to Hays, KS for the night will put you in great shape to start your final leg of the trip.

Fort lArned

nAtionAl Historic site

INsIDEr TIp/Beyond the fort’s walls, a small portion of the once immense prairie is preserved with the prairie ecosystem. Today you can walk a mile loop though the prairie on a mowed path. The path will take you to the locations of the mail station, corrals, and other structures that did not survive but were once a vital part of the post.

This completely restored Indian Wars-era fort brings the history of 1860s Kansas to life with nine furnished buildings, a visitor center with gift shop, a museum, and a movie. Experience history by walking into the same buildings and experience the sights, sounds and smells of the 1860s from the days when Custer and Buffalo Bill Cody rode through Fort Larned.

Take part in a guided tour or explore at your own pace. Adults and children will find activities and adventures.

During the summer on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays, a variety of talks and living history programs are offered. Topics include “Life on Officers Row,” “The Post Blacksmith Demonstrations,” and “Army Weapons Demonstrations.” Experience this working frontier fort.

rANgEr TIp/Take a close look at the sandstone walls around the fort and you will find several names carved by the 1870s soldiers. Carving on the fort’s sandstone walls is not allowed today.

viSitor center – located in tHe BarrackS1767 KS Hwy 156Larned, KS 66701620-285-6911nps.gov/fols

oPen year round

Fee Free Site

Hiking trailS: Short hikes/walks, Accessible Trail

nicodemus nAtionAl

Historic site

Township Hall304 Washington Ave.Bogue, KS 67625785-839-4233 nps.gov/nico

INsIDEr TIp/Today’s historic site only encompasses part of the settlement that sprung up in the late 19th century. Ask rangers for directions to points of significance in the 36-square-mile Nicodemus Township.

The town was founded as an African American community in the post-Reconstruction period. It represents the involvement of African Americans in the westward expansion and settlement of the Great Plains.

But a visit to Nicodemus will not be like a visit to most historic sites. It is not simply the story of a settlement that was, or an event that happened. Walking into town is glimpsing a story that is still being written by each passing generation.

Many of the people of town are descended from the original founders. The five historic structures within Nicodemus NHS - the Township Hall, AME Church, First Baptist Church, District No. 1 Schoolhouse, and the St. Francis Hotel - represent the spirit of Nicodemus - church, self-government, education, home, and business. They illustrate the individual and collective strength of character and desire for freedom of these early pioneers who established Nicodemus.

The park offers a self-guided walking tour of the town and its historic structures, a fifteen-minute video, and exhibits about the town of Nicodemus. If you are looking for more depth in your visit, call ahead to ask about guided tours, which are available upon request.

rANgEr TIp/Nicodemus is a living community. It is from here that the site derives its power. While there are but a few direct descendants remaining in Nicodemus itself, there is a very active and passionate extended descendant community. If you get a chance, take a moment to speak with one of the descendants. You never know what you might learn about the power of place.

fuN fAcT/Several professional athletes, including Gale Sayers of the Chicago Bears (1965-72) and Veryl Switzer of the Green Bay Packers (1954-55), are descendants of Nicodemus settlers.

oPen year round, 7 days a week Memorial through Labor Day, closed Sundays the remainder of the year.

Fee Free Site

DAY THrEE ForT larned naTional HiSToric SiTe, nicodemuS naTional HiSToric SiTe

DAY fOur

Brown v Board oF educaTion naTional HiSToric SiTe, Freedom’S FronTier naTional HeriTage area muSeum

TrAvEl INfOrmATION: 268 miles, 4 hours

Your next stop is Topeka, KS and a school that was at the forefront of the struggle to reach one of the most significant frontiers of the 20th Century, equality in education. Brown v. Board of Education was a catalyst for the Civil Rights movement in America. Exhibits at the Monroe Elementary School present an unflinching view of “separate but equal” in the education system, and give you an intimate introduction to the ordinary people who made the courageous decision to be plaintiffs.

If traveling through the area on a weekday, take time to stop in Lawrence, KS on your way to Kansas City. There you can visit the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area Museum located in the Carnegie Building on West 9th Street. The exhibits focus on the regional history, encapsulating all the locations and time periods you’ve visited throughout your journey. The visit will serve as a nice capstone to your adventure and allow you to quickly return to Kansas City to round out the trip.

Brown v. BoArd oF

educAtion nAtionAl

Historic site

Monroe Elementary School1515 SE Monroe StreetTopeka, KS 66612785-354-4273 nps.gov/brvb

oPen year round

Fee Free Site

INsIDEr TIp/Walk or ride your bike on the nearby Landon Trail, the only trail in America that connects and crosses both historic national trails -- the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail.

“We conclude in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” This May 17th, 1954 ruling by the Supreme Court is considered one of the most pivotal opinions ever rendered by that body. Participants in the Civil Rights movement will say that the early steps toward equality in education were perhaps the most important.

Visit the former Monroe Elementary School and judge for yourself whether separate was ever truly equal. Start with the 30 minute film “Race and the American Creed.” Interactive exhibits explore “Education and Justice” and the continuing legacy of the Brown v. Board decision.

The people who make up this story were ordinary people. They were teachers, secretaries, welders, ministers and students who simply wanted to be treated equally. They never knew they would change history. Find out what it was to stand up and be a part of this struggle. Ask yourself whether you would have done the same.

rANgEr TIp/Pack your lunch and favorite sports equipment when you visit. Use the historic playground and the park’s picnic tables for lunch, or visit the nearby Cushinberry Park, play on their equipment and use their grills for hot dogs or hamburgers.

fuN fAcT/A future Supreme Court Chief, Justice Thurgood Marshall served as the NAACP’s Chief Counsel for the case.

Freedom’s Frontier

nAtionAl HeritAge AreA

Carnegie Building200 W 9thLawrence, KS 66044785-856-5300

Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area includes over 200 museums and historic sites that interpret the history of the region, focusing on the Border War/Civil War, early settlement along the frontier, and the enduring struggle for freedom.

Explore Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area exhibits, and don’t miss the Kansas-Nebraska Act Exhibit, where you can delve into this historic and controversial piece of legislation and follow its consequences for the Kansas-Missouri border.

alSo cHeck out:• On your journey between Nicodemus and Brown v. Board of Education,, stop in at the Flint Hills

Discovery Center in Manhattan to learn more about the tallgrass prairie through which you’ve been traveling.

315 S. 3rd Street, Manhattan, KS 66502. • While in Topeka, stop at the Kansas Museum of History, 6425 SW 6th Ave, Topeka KS 66615 and tour the

Kansas State Capitol, SW 8th and SW Van Buren, Topeka KS 66612.

• Travel back in time by taking the old river road between Topeka and Lecompton and stop at the Constitution

Hall State Historic Site, 319 Elmore, Lecompton KS 66050, where Kansas’s First State Constitution was

written. • While in Lawrence, also check out the Watkins Museum of History, 1047 Massachusetts St., Lawrence

KS 66604, their exhibits on the Missouri-Kansas Border War and Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence.

• For more fascinating stops in the 31,000 square miles that make up Freedom’s Frontier,

visit www.FreedomsFrontier.org.

Open Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 4:00, except major holidays

Fee Free Site

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