I also had a new dish on the menu, The BIG Piggy, which is pulled pork, sausage, and ham topped with fried pickles and Helga mustard on a sesame seed hoagie roll for $17 including a standard side. It was a BIG sandwich and I ate half here with the remaining half being almost too much for a meal later in the week. Although the Corned Beef Burnt End Reuben is my favorite sandwich at Hayward's, my next favorite tends to be which ever one I had most recently and I thought this one was great!

The BIG Piggy

Several things were annoying today. They have Coke products, but when I went to the fountain to fill my drink, they only have Coke Zero, not Diet Coke. When I went for my money back (I'm not sure how much, the price isn't on the menu and they don't give a receipt), they gave me a 12 ounce can of Diet Coke, which is a poor substitute for 32 ounce glass and unlimited refills.

The floor of the dining room was very sticky and my shoes stuck to the floor as I walked to and from ny table.

The first stop of the trip was a single grave all by itself beside a rural road west of Allen, Kansas. It is the burial site of Henry Clousing, who was a Colonel in a Voluntary Army during the Civil War. It isn't kept up and a fence at the side of the road kept me from getting close enough to be positive, but it appears there is no memorial stone, just a metal fence surrounding the grave.

Next stop was Dunlap Colored Cemetery, about a half mile from the much larger Dunlap Cemetery, which is a mile away from the near ghost town of Dunlap, Kansas. This may be the largest Exoduster burial site we have found in Kansas. Find-A-Grave lists 135 burials. Very few of the graves have modern legible stones. Many have just a small fragment of what may have been a homemade stone, but all of those have CVC pipe crosses to preserve the location of the grave. The graves date from the 1880s to 1993. 

As we were leaving the cemetery a truck parked behind us pulling a trailer with a large mower. The man driver said he has been mowing the cemetery for three years and we were the first people he had ever seen there. He isn't sure who pays for the maintenance of the cemetery. 

The cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. 

We took a photos of a few of the remaining buildings in Dunlap and then went on to Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park, southwest of Council Grove, Kansas. We already have a web page devoted to the park, but this was a chance to photograph structures and and signs which have been added and most importantly, the Sacred Red Rock called I‘zhúje‘waxóbe or Grandfather.

The 28 ton stone was once located by the Kansas River near Topeka and was sacred to the Kanza, or Kaw. people, but had been relocated to a park in Lawrence where a 300 pound bronze plaque honoring settlers was attached. The plaque was removed and the rock was repatriated to the Kaw people at this location.

We drove into Council Grove to have lunch at Trail Days Cafe and Museum. The small complex of old buildings is a combination museum, cafe and bakery. We were last there during the height of Covid in 2020 when food was being served at tables placed outside on the porch.

The cafe & bakery are in the 1860-61 Rawlinson-Terwilliger Home where the serving space doubles as museum and looks like it could be your great grandparents' home. The food is representative of what those ancestors might have served, representing multiple nationalities including German, Swedish, English, French, Italian, Native American and frontier dishes.

They were out of several items today and we settled on beef pot roast and bison sloppy Joe. The food was good, but for me the main reason for going here is the history and the stories which server, cook and retired attorney 82 year old Kenneth McClintock is delighted to share. 

Two buildings which were previously closed have been opened since we last visited. The docent had been unable to come in this day and they were locked, but there were no other customers, so Kenneth opened them for us. He showed us their 9 minute movie on the American Bison and the temporary "Bison in The Flint Hills" art exhibit. The exhibit and film will change each year.

They have also recently opened the 1902 Field School District 54 schoolhouse which was moved to this site in 1999.

Back on the road, our next stop was Peabody Sausage House & Locker, which has been serving Peabody, Kansas since 1967. We were wanting to sample their German sausage, but they were closed during their regular hours and there was no sign on the door. Their phone has been disconnected, their Facebook page has not posted in 2 months and they have not responded to my email.

The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring Newton, Kansas, starting with Meridian Grocery, it is a mid size market with its own bakery and an active meat market. They are particularly known for their German foods, including bierocks and German sausage.

The next stop was downtown at the Harvey County Historical Museum, which we last visited in 2016. The main gallery is used for temporary exhibits and the current exhibit is devoted to the Hispanic history of Harvey County. The docent was not sure how long the exhibit will remain.

We drove by and photographed a number of the 19th century homes in town, and briefly crossed into North Newton to see swales left by cattle and wagons on the Chisholm Trail, but our directions were inadequate and we will need to try again.

Back in Newton, we visited 28 year old Gillispie Meats, which in addition to fresh, ready to cook meats is known for house made ham loaf, sausage and baked goods such as cookies, scones and cream puffs. We bought some of ll three catagories.

Driving through downtown, we noticed a sign saying, "Anderson Book & Office Supply - Since 1892" and decided to stop and check it out. The business has been on Main Street since 1892, and moved into this particular building in 1938. It was built by the Odd Fellows in 1880 and was once a J. C. Penny store.

Entering the store is like stepping back several generations. In addition to office supplies it has a few museum like exhibits of local history and a wide variety of things such as Kansas regional, children's, Kansas State University & University of Kansas books, plus gifts, greeting cards, toys & puzzles and even Newton High School letter jackets & related apparel.

The neatest thing was meeting the owner, 93 year old Phillip Anderson, III who is the 4th generation in the 5 generation business. Although he is a Wichita State University grad, he went to the University of Kansas for 3 semesters before being drafted and near the register there are pictures of KU basketball players and of Phillip with head coach Bill Self.

We had parked farther up Main Street near a toy store which had caught our eyes, so we stopped in there as well. It turns out that Prairie Toy Store is only 5 months old and is part of much larger business which fills 4 store fronts with openings between them. The others are a Market & Deli, Health & Wellness, and Home & Outdoor Store. They are all very nice shops.

There is even a manufacturing facility in the rear of the market which produces Prairie brand snack mixes, cookies, spices and other items. We found ourselves making multiple purchases in the deli and toy store including dark chocolate covered almonds and pfeffernusse (German spice cookies).

Supper was at Genova Italian Restaurant on the south side of Newton. We arrived about 6 PM and they were filling up fast. The bread and dipping sauce they bring was the highlight of the meal. The Pasta Sampler (Meat lasagna, spinach ravioli and manicotti with marinara sauce and mozzarella) was a smaller serving than many, but only $14.99. 

The $15.99 Stromboli (Pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, beef, onions green peppers, black olives, mushrooms, & mozzarella wrapped in pizza crust & side of marinara) was enormous, but did come together as we expected. The ingredients did blend for a combined flavor we were expecting. Perhaps there was too little sauce or cheese?

We stayed the night at Winds Hotel in Park City, which during the Kansas State Fair was far less expensive than the places in Hutchinson and Newton where I searched first.

Dunlap Colored Cemetery
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sacred Red Rock
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Bison in The Flint Hills
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gillispie Meats
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Philip Anderson, III

Prairie Toy Store
 
 
 
 
 
 

Stromboli

We followed the Stump event with shopping a block and a half away in the downtown, starting with Troy's True Value Hardware with its surprising selection of things you might no longer expect to find in a hardware.

Across the street we purchased house made summer sausage, bratwurst & Mark's jerky at 41 year old Champ's Market. At the Halstead Market (grocery store) next door we bought their German rope sausage.

For lunch, we drove a few miles away to Cy's Hoof and Horn Supper Club in Sedgwick, Kansas which I had been wanting to try for some time. The steakhouse is very dark, which made my photography more difficult. The service was extremely good.

We had catfish & chicken fried steak. All was good and we were particularly impressed with the country fried potatoes and green beans.

The star of the meal was the chicken fried steak. The steak, coating and gravy combine for a wonderful flavor and mouth feel. And the size! It looks big in this photo, but is is even bigger than it looks. The platter it is served on is bigger than the one the catfish came on and was the size of that platter!

While we were downtown, I took new photos of the nearby home devoted to the Kansas City Chiefs with a miniature GEHS Field in the front yard. Also there was a new mural on the side of the police station.

On our way back to Halstead, we stopped on the outskirts of town to drive by and photograph the Hertsler Barns which are having an open house later in the day which doesn't fit our schedule. Unfortunately they are too obscured by trees to photograph from the road.

Staying outside town, we went to Bobbi's Cutters. Bobbie Barton gave an interesting tour of the operation which creates custom cookie cutters on 3D printers and demonstrated how they are built. This is a major operation and quite interesting. 

A couple of other creators were doing demos at Bobbi's Cutters. Isaac Shue from Gallery Mostaza in Newton spun a case while talking about their business and Andrea of Andy Kay's Cookies demonstrated cookie decorating.

Back in Newton, we toured the Halstead Historical Museum & Depot, which I hadn't been to for several years and enjoyed a slice of watermelon outside.

Our last stop around Halstead was touring two barns at the Myrla & Kent Haury farm, which was homesteaded in 1874.

As we drove back across Kansas, we turned off at Cedar Point, first stopping to take current photographs of the 1867 Drinkwater & Schriver Flour Mill on the Cottonwood River. It looks like the structure is deteriorating and for the second straight year it appears that the restoration has been halted. Researching after we got home, I learned that yes, work is no longer being done on the historic building and it is listed for sale.

Passing south out of town we passed and interesting mulit room school which was built in 1918 and abandoned about 50 years ago when the school district consolidated with Cottonwood Falls.

We were driving to Homestead Cemetery, about 10 miles south of Cedar Point and Clements, Kansas, where Maud and Gus Wagner are buried. Maud Stevens was born in Emporia, Kansas and was an acrobat who met Gus at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair in St. Louis. Gus was promoted as the world's most tattooed man. They eventually married and traveled with circuses together and she became the first known professional female tattoo artist in the United States. Their daughter started tattooing at age 9

Their original stones are tiny and Maud's says only "M W" while Gus' appears to have no writing at all. The newer flat stones were placed in 2016 by fans of tattoos. The graves were pretty much hidden by plants, but we cleared them enough to photograph and they will be easier for the next visitors to find. 

There is just one driveway in the cemetery and these graves are near the drive, 1/2 way back on the right side, just past the Mercer family.

Driving back toward US-50 on G Road, we passed a herd of bison, which looked photogenic with the wild sunflowers which lined the roadside.

Supper was at Rolling Hills Bar and Grill in Americus, Kansas, where I had first dined in August last year. We had a pork chop and chicken fried steak. The large chop tasted quite good. Though I preferred these mashed potatoes, I preferred the green beans at lunch and enjoyed the chicken fried steak at lunch much more. The CFS at lunch was more than twice the size of this one (and a few dollars more expensive).

My favorite part of supper was what they call Dutch apple pie and I would call apple crisp pie. 

Hoof and Horn Supper Club
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Bobbi's Cutters
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Cedar Point School
 
 

Gus & Maud Wagner Graves
 

Bison & Sunflowers
 

Rolling Hills Bar & Grill

Because Lonnie Q's was a BBQ restaurant, some people are assuming this is as well, but while Alex is honoring some of that tradition with Cheesy Taters, pulled pork, smoked turkey, and the original coleslaw, He is creating a new restaurant with a focus on other items. 

Just three people total are staffing Deano's, and Alec is the kitchen staff, manager, and other roles. Monday's & Tuesdays he is prepping the food and they are open 7 - 10 AM and 11 AM - 2 PM Wednesday - Saturday. Everything is made from scratch.

The menu is limited and we had most of their lunch menu with a pulled pork/Tom's turkey sandwich, smashburger, Cheesy Taters, and fresh cut fries. The Stampede Smashburger is unique - a quarter pound patty with pickled jalapenos, American cheese and smoky slaw on a brioche bun. The combination of flavors worked well for me and I really enjoyed this burger!

The staff saw me taking photos and asked what they were for. When I explained that I blog about my meals I was invited to also try the Cozy Rolls which are cinnamon rolls made with biscuit dough and a lot of butter. I thought of it almost as a cinnamon cake. It was served warm and it was very good.

Deano's has a slightly larger menu for breakfast than for lunch and I am hearing great things about their house cured bacon.

Look for the menu to expand, but not necessarily the BBQ options. There will be chili available as the weather turns cooler.

We were going to have supper at Terry's Bar & Grill in Topeka, but it was closed and we had supper at Celtic Fox, instead. Following up on that, I learned that after two years of operating this bar & grill, Mike Babb closed Terry's on September 5th and has taken over the restaurant at Herman's Meat & Smokehouse, now named Babb Boys BBQ at Hermans.

A few years ago, he had Babb Brothers BBQ at Trinity Groves in Texas.

Stampede Smashburger
 

Alec Weaver

The first stop was Prescott, to photograph a former classic Standard Station and some interesting old buildings in the small downtown. I also photographed a former high school that is now the City Hall.

Back on US-69, I spotted the community of Hammond was near the highway and turned off to see if there was anything interesting there. The community is just four block long streets and nothing interesting caught my eye.

My first stop in Fort Scott, Kansas was the Bourbon County Court House, to photograph the old district courtroom on the third floor and the WPA mural at its front. When I arrived, the court was in session, but the guard said they should be through shortly. After they left, the judge and clerk continued to work. but the guard spoke to them and they took a brief break and slipped out so I could take photos. The mural is "Lady Justice" by David Hicks Overmyer.

The guard said there is another mural on the second floor of the post office across the street and someone might take me up to see it.

The Postmaster, Jennifer O. Gilpin, interrupted what she was doing to take me up to the former federal courtroom on the second floor. She said the post office now owns the entire building and that when she took over the office, this room was so filled with things that you could hardly walk through it. Most of that stuff has been removed and she has plans to restore the space and make it functional. 

This mural is much larger and is captioned: "The Passage of the 'Enabling Act of Kansas Territory" brought many Settlers through the Border Gateways - 1854." It was painted in 1929 by David Hicks Overmyer.

I drove on to Frontinac, Kansas to check out the burgers at Shooters Neighborhood Grill & Bar, which was recommended as a place for our Kansas Best Burger List.

I went with The Goober, which includes bacon, onion rings, peanut butter and a raspberry glaze. I wasn't sure about all the elements included, but the flavors combined wonderfully and the bacon & onion rings added a nice crunch. They are a candidate for my best burger list.

I really liked the fresh cut chili fries. The chili had nice flavor and no beans. It would also make a great chili dog.

Service was a team effort, friendly and very helpful! They even wrote notes on my container for leftovers. My one complaint is that the men's room was not very pleasant.

Staying in Frontinac, I photographed several buildings and the new Miners Park which was dedicated in June to the victims of the worst mining disaster in Kansas history. On November 9, 1888, there was an explosion in Pittsburg and Cherokee Mining Company Shaft Number Two. A total of 44 miners were killed following the explosion in the coal mine. The miners included immigrants from 9 countries. Several of them were teenagers, including two 13 year olds.

Across the street, is Frontinac's public library which is under construction and nearing completion. The library includes a history museum and I stopped in to see if I might have a glimpse. Checking at the library's McKay Street Coffeehouse, which opened on June 5th, I learned that the museum had a soft opening at the same time and can be visited when the coffee shop is open.

Heritage Hall is relatively small, but is extremely well curated. Parts of Frontinac's history have been selected and are presented in an interesting and entertaining way. In addition to more traditional subjects like the schools and churches, it features subjects like the region's immigrant history, prohibition, ethnic lodges, coal mining, the largest mining disaster in Kansas history, the Amazon Army and longtime businesses like 116 year old Pallucca's & Sons Market and 121 year old Frontenac Bakery. 

I had a great conversation with Seth Nutt, the library and museum director, who was hired in 2022 to oversee the construction of Frontinac's first museum & library. They were largely made possible by a $4.5 million bequest by Richard and Jeanette Tavella, specifically for a public library. The library appears to be very close to opening.

Continuing south to Pittsburg, the next stop was Harry Krug Art Gallery on the campus of Pittsburg State University. I couldn't find visitor parking in that part of the campus and there were no signs saying where visitor parking is located, so I decided to chance it and parked in student parking. The gallery is fairly small and I was able to to see & photograph it and return to the vehicle without issue.

The next stop was The Meat Shed, a meat market and deli, where I bought bratwurst, pickles and pimento cheese spread.

Earlier in the day, I noticed a neat little building with a sign saying, Sullivan Book Arts, and that it would be open after 3:30 PM. Returning now, I met the bookbinder, poet, playwright, and artist Olive Sullivan, who opened this storefront in June after working from home for many years. Her daughter-in-law, Angel Abshire, is her partner.

The front of the shop is a small gallery, displaying and selling lithographs, prints, and photography by Pittsburg area artists. There are also copies of two books of Olive's poetry.

The rest of the building is devoted to custom bookbinding and repair, much of it done with antique bookmaking equipment and letterpresses. When doing repair, they can create a woodcut block of a book cover from scans and use that to impress a new leather cover. Similar work can be done to recreate end papers. The also create handmade books and journals.

Olive stressed that they do repair, not do restoration. 

Staying in a somewhat similar vein, the next stop was The Literary Cat Co. bookstore and a cat lounge.

There is no fee to spend time with the cats. This is a bookstore that just also happens to be a foster home for cats. There are three shop cats, plus on this day there were 7 foster cats from SEK Animal Advocates. A typical adoption is about $80, including neutering, current shots and testing for diseases.

A very affectionate 2 year old kitty named Nina, found me shortly after I entered, followed me though the store, and rubbed my ankle whenever I stopped for any length of time.

In the 2 and a half years since the shop opened, 56 cats have found homes new homes. A wall called the New Chapter has a display of their photos.

I Had supper at two restaurants in Frontinac. The first was at Farmhouse Cafe, which I almost didn't recognize. It was recently repainted from bright red and yellow (Pitt State colors) to more neutral colors. 

A recent review had said that the fried chicken was the best in Crawford County, so I gave it a try, ordering a two piece dark dinner, which in $10.99 with two sides. The menu is as long as a New Jersey Diner, and there are 12 different combinations of fried chicken pieces which can be chosen between.

The chicken wing & thigh, were small, but the flavor and texture was comparable to the better known Crawford County fried chicken places. The beans and French fries (which are large like steak fries) were fine.

I decided to also try one of the better known (but not the most famous) fried chicken restaurants and went a couple of miles away to Barto's Idle Hour Steakhouse & Lounge, which was founded by the late Ray Barto in 1951. In addition to other dishes, Barto's has 19 different combinations of fried chicken pieces which can be chosen between, plus gizzards, livers and chicken strips.

I feel that the biggest attraction of the Crawford County fried chicken restaurants is their low prices, which can mean a lot to a family dining out. Many of the dinner are under $10. Planning to just sample a dark piece and take the rest to go, I ordered 1/2 Mixed (5 pc ) (breast, leg, thigh, wing, back) with two sides for $11 75.

The chicken had an unusual batter and I didn't care quite as much for it as the chicken at Farmhouse. The apple sauce was good. I appreciated that the fries were fresh cut, but would have liked them to have been cooked much more.

Before leaving Frontinac, I stopped at Granny's Chip Chocolate Ice Cream, which had not been open earlier in the day. They serve premium ice cream from Florida, made with 18% butterfat. The parlor's name honors their grandma/great grandma, “Granny” who passed away in 2019 at age 102.

I got a single scoop of Salted Caramel Brownie, which is described as salty caramel ice cream with salty caramel ribbon and fudge brownie pieces. Though I thoroughly enjoyed it, after the other food I'd had, I did not finish it. I was amused to see they have a different variation on Mackinac Island Fudge than I have seen before - Butter pecan ice cream with roasted pecans and Mackinac classic butter pecan fudge swirl.

Driving back south the length of Pittsburg, I arrived at Pittsburg State University a little after the Hispanic Music Festival event in McCray Hall started. There were four musicians performing works from various South American countries, with some of them playing indigenous instruments. Ayllu, from Kansas City was providing the music as well as the history of the music and instruments. They were joined by three women who danced to one number from Peru.

I stayed overnight at the Comfort Inn in Pittsburg.

Lady Justice
 
 
 
 

Enabling Act of Kansas Territory
 
 

The Goober
 
 
 

Miners Park
 
 
 
 

Heritage Hall
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sullivan Book Arts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Literary Cat Co
 
 
 
 
 

Farmhouse CafeFarmhouse Cafe
 
 

Barto's Idle Hour Steakhouse & Lounge
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

McCray Hall

After 87 year's Harry's Cafe closed in January of this year, but a grandson of the couple who had owned the restaurant since 1991 stepped in to buy the building and in March Harry's reopened with many of the same staff, including the manager.

So I had breakfast there this morning. I think I was the only person in the restaurant who wasn't greeted by name. After going through the long list of breakfast items, I selected a Pecan Waffle with Bacon, which came to only $7.99 before tax. I drank only water as I usually drink diet cola and the only diet pop on hand was Dr. Pepper.

Butter, peanut butter and warm syrup came on the side. I enjoyed the waffle a lot.

The restaurant is open Thursday through Monday from 6 AM - 2 PM. Breakfast is served whenever they are open.

Continuing on toward Historic Route 66, the fist stop was just south of the Mother Road, where I took a video of the water flowing over the enormously long dam at 400 acre Lake Lowell. It looks different every time I am there. At the Lake I also found a flock of Black Vultures and multiple flocks of White Pelicans.

Heading east on Route 66 into Galena, I took photos of the Galena United Methodist Church (beautiful stained lass windows, multiple new signs, the new drive through shield, and Hotrod Hangout Speed Shop. The former Valentine Diner next to Hotrod Hangout is just an empty shell which need an enormous amount of work. 

I also revisited both Cars on the Route and Gearhead Curios to get new photos and catch up with their owners.

On the way back through Riverton, passing Eisler Brothers Old Riverton Store, I spotted a name change. It is now Nelson's Old Riverton Store. Inside, there were no obvious changes. Researching since then, the inside shouldn't be changed. the name on the sign changed in 2012.

Lunch was at Bushel & a Peck in Girard, Kansas, which had been highly recommend yesterday by the lady working at The Literary Cat Co. in Pittsburg. By an extraordinary coincidence, I was waited on by a woman whom I met earlier yesterday at Sullivan Book Arts. 

The restaurant opened in 2024, but moved to this larger location of June of this year and the community is very proud of it. I went with a daily special, Steak Frites, which was described as Hertzog ribeye, thrice cooked fries and green peppercorn mayo. I enjoyed all of it and had a nice piece of steak to take home as leftovers. I'm not sure how to present this restaurant on Facebook as I'm afraid that the $40 charge ar a small town restaurant may generate a lot of harsh replies.

After a few photos around town and at the courthouse square, the next stop was at the Gordon Parks Museum in Fort Scott. I was there shortly after it first opened and the photos were badly out of date, but it seemed like the museum has been closed whenever I have been in town and tried to go. Things were a little torn up as the prepare for the annual Gordon Parks Celebration on October 3rd.

There were several more brief stops around town and at the National Cemetery for photos, then at The Butcher Block to purchase some brats. 

After a brief dive through Pleasanton, Kansas for more photos, it was time for supper at The Wagon Wheel Steakhouse & Lounge in La Cygne. The restaurant is recommended for smoked baked potato, ribeye, chicken fried steak, fresh cut fries & curly fries and prime rib, so I had lots of choices. I went with chicken fried steak, which came with mashed potatoes & choice of white or brown gravy, choice of vegetable and a roll for $17.99

It was delicious. I've had several good chicken fry lately, so I won't say this was the best, but it was right up there. The coating had good flavor and a nice crunch, while still tender enough to cut with a fork. The corn and mashed potatoes were also good. There was a LOT of gravy, but I used it all. One warning, if you don't like black pepper, you won't like the white gravy.

There was enough food for two meals from the leftovers, but that left me enough room to have desert and I had warmed caramel, apple, pecan cake with caramel ice cream. It was heavenly!

More to come...

White Pelicans