Western Missouri & Eastern
Kansas
By Robert & Kandace Tabern, Email: rtabern@yahoo.com
July 1-3, 2014
http://www.trainweb.org/outsidetherails/ThreeNatlParks2014/
The authors of this article tour
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, one of three
National Park Service units within a
day's drive of La Plata, Missouri.
(Photo by Robert & Kandace Tabern)
As you might have read in previous articles, we are the
Coordinator (Robert) and Assistant Coordinator (Kandace) of the new
APRHF-sponsored Trails & Rails program on the Southwest Chief between Chicago, IL
and La Plata, MO. This means we know the approximate 300-mile route
between Chicago and La Plata fairly well, but, due to the nature of the
program, we usually have a somewhat quick turn-around in La Plata and
don't get much time to explore Missouri and what is beyond La Plata.
Typically, we arrive around 8:00p.m. on Train #3... stay at the Depot
Inn & Suites... and then head home around 10:00a.m. the following
morning on Train #4. We have actually done more than 20 trips between
Chicago and La Plata on the Southwest
Chief over the past 18 months, but never spent more than a
single night in La Plata before turning around and heading home to the
Chicago area. Since we had to conduct some safety training for Trails
& Rails in La Plata during the first week of July 2014, we actually
had the luxury of spending two nights at the Depot Inn & Suites
instead of our usual one. Once the training was completed, we had most
of the day to explore around the area. Being as interested in national
parks as we are about trains, we decided to rent a car and hit the road
to explore some of the National Park Service units in western Missouri
and eastern Kansas.
We began our trip on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 from Chicago Union
Station on the westbound Southwest
Chief. The train left a few minutes late due to being held for
connecting passengers from the very late Lake Shore Limited. We faired
pretty well due to the 3:00p.m. departure time... the Texas Eagle and California Zephyr both left over an
hour late. Chicago's Union Station was very busy with travelers
ahead of Independence Day, luckily we did our usual maneuver of
boarding the train early as Trails & Rails docents in order to set
up our displays and visuals. The Sightseer Lounge Car quickly filled up
with passengers by Naperville, IL and we had a great time presenting
our program and making more than 10 children "junior rangers".
Assistant Chicago Coordinator Kandace
Tabern swears some
junior rangers aboard the westbound Southwest Chief on July 1, 2014
(Photo by Robert Tabern)
We
made arrangements through the Enterprise Rental Car office in
Kirksville, MO to have a car available to us in La Plata upon our
arrival. We were told by Bob Cox, the station caretaker in La Plata and
President of APRHF, that they offer this service to customers when
requested (at no extra cost too!). It went very smoothly, but we felt
it was important to call the office a few days in advance and remind
them about what was agreed upon... as well as to call them the day of
our trip to know the color, make, and model of the car that would be
waiting for us in the parking lot of the train station in La
Plata. But yes... as soon as we got off the train... our car was
waiting for us at the station.
Our rental car was waiting for us at
the station upon our arrival on Train #3
(Photo by Robert Tabern)
Map of the sites covered in this trip report
(Designed in Microsoft Image Composer by Robert & Kandace Tabern)
Robert & Kandace Tabern on a
hiking trail at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
(Photo by Robert Tabern)
"Do Not Approach Bison" sign on our walk through Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
(Photo by Robert Tabern)
According to the National Park
Service, tallgrass prairie once covered 170,000,000 acres of North
America. With a generation, the vast majority was developed in to farms
and plowed under. Today, less than four percent remains, mostly in the
Flint Hills of Kansas. The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve protects
a nationally significant remnant of the once vast tallgrass prairie and
its cultural resources. Here the tallgrass prairie takes its last
stand. We had about two hours scheduled at the park and we decided to
first stop by the Visitor Center which had numerous displays and a
small gift shop with items about the prairie. Up until August 2013, the
National Park Service offered bus tours of the prairie, however we
learned the tour road got washed out and was still waiting to be
repaired. That meant the only real way to explore the park was by foot.
We ended up doing a two mile hike up a small trail that brought us
through the tallgrass prairie and then into a pasture where bison roam.
We didn't see any bison on our hike, however they roam a large area...
which means sometimes they can't be seen by folks who hike the trail.
Overall, we had a great time. While it wasn't Yellowstone or the Grand
Canyon, the Tallgrass Prairie was worth a visit to see the unusual
ecosystem.
From there, we made a quick stop in nearby Strong City, KS to see a
small railroad park and Santa Fe caboose that was open for the public
to explore. Make sure you head west of town just a little bit and see
the old Santa Fe bridge.
The old Santa Fe Depot in Strong
City, KS
(Photo by Kandace Tabern)
An old Santa Fe bridge, just west of
Strong City, KS
(Photo by Kandace Tabern)
Walking in the steps of pioneers of
the Oregon Trail near Willard, KS; this
marker shows the spots where ruts can
be seen from wagon trains of the 1840's and 1850's
(Photo by Robert Tabern)
After seeing the Oregon Trail site, we got back on Interstate 70 East
and headed in to Topeka, KS. We made a brief stop at the Brown v. Board
of Education National Historical Site, a relatively new unit of the
National Park Service that we have never been to before. According to
the National Park Service, the story of Brown v. Board of Education,
which ended legal segregation in public schools, is one of hope and
courage. When the people agreed to be plaintiffs in the case, they
never knew they would change history. 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. The
park is inside an old segregated school near downtown Topeka. Visitors
go on a self-guided tour of the building which features a movie,
exhibits, and restored segregated classroom. It is worth about an
hour stop if you are traveling through.
A stop at the Brown v. Board of
Education National Historic Site in Topeka, KS
(Photos by Robert Tabern)
From Topeka, we continued on Interstate 70 East through Kansas City and
back to Missouri. Our final stop of the trip was in Independence, MO,
which marked the start of the Oregon Trail and is home of the Harry S.
Truman National Historic Site, the third and final National Park
Service unit that we wanted to see on the journey. You first report to
the Visitor Center, get your tickets, and then walk over to the house
for the actual 30 minute guided tour. President Truman grew up in
Independence, MO and returned there to live out his days after the
presidency. You also get to see a classic car, which Truman bought just
6 months before he died in the early 1970's.
The Harry S. Truman National Historic
Site in Independence, MO
(Photo by Robert Tabern)
This marker shows visitors the
beginning of the Oregon Trail
(Photo by Robert Tabern)
After we were done sightseeing in
Independence, MO, it was getting late, so we hit the road and head back
to La Plata, MO. We decided to take a different route back
than taking U.S. 36, so we drove U.S. 24. We enjoyed the drive on U.S.
24 because it followed parts of the Missouri River and was close to the
route taken by Lewis & Clark during their historic expedition west.
That night... we spent some time back at the Depot Inn & Suites in
La Plata... enjoying the hot tub and other features of our room... the
Sportsman's Suite!
Enjoying some time in the Sportsman's
Suite at the Depot Inn & Suites in La Plata, MO
(Photo by Robert Tabern)
While yes... we covered a lot of ground in one day... we would
recommend this trip to anyone who loves a nice long day road trip
sandwiched in between a train ride. Come out and explore the National
Park Service units of western Missouri and eastern Kansas the next time
you are in La Plata, MO... and use the Depot Inn & Suites as your
base.
LINKS FOR THIS REPORT
Depot Inn & Suites | Enterprise Rental Car - Kirksville, MO |
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Green Memorial Wildlife Area (Oregon Trail Ruts) |
Brown v. Board of Education Nat'l Historic Site
Harry S. Truman Nat'l Historic Site |
National Frontier Trails Museum
