Seemed as good a place as any to break up the Kansas leg of the voyage, so we stopped for a good night's rest and local exploration.
I'm going to come right out and say this up front:
With all apologies to the people of Hays, Kansas (All 20,000 of them, 17th biggest city in Kansas!), their town is not a place full of excitement.
I'm going to come right out and say this up front:
With all apologies to the people of Hays, Kansas (All 20,000 of them, 17th biggest city in Kansas!), their town is not a place full of excitement.
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| You could always visit The Mall. The only one worthy of the name... |
Granted, we weren't there when the University of Hays was in session, and missed the Hays Museum of Natural History (apparently it has something to do with dinosaurs), but still:
Central Kansas is flat, peaceful, and has a lot of open, empty space.
...But that doesn't mean it's not interesting.
See, as this plaque informs me…
Central Kansas is flat, peaceful, and has a lot of open, empty space.
...But that doesn't mean it's not interesting.
See, as this plaque informs me…
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| Informative! |
...Hays was the site of one Fort Hays from 1867 to 1889, tasked with keeping the plains and such areas safe.
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| Complete with creepy cutouts to mess with you at a distance! |
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| Harder to see... But still creepy. |
At one point, it had 560 soldiers stationed here (thank you, plaque), but by the time it was abandoned in 1889 only had 17. Staying in cute houses like these:
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| The fort was much bigger than this, but still... Not bad for the 1870s... |
Keep safe from who, do you ask? (Or "From whom?" if you're proper.)
Why, those Native Americans colloquially termed "Plains Indians."
Why, those Native Americans colloquially termed "Plains Indians."
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| Also bison. The day you underestimate a buffalo is the day you dig your grave... |
It's easy to forget in the modern era of boring peaceful Kansas that for about 20 years in there it was a war zone.
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| Look closer... |
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| A "soldier" chillin' Old School style... Also, totally about to go on a rampage. |
And it wasn't just the Indian Wars. It's easy to forget (I often do) that Dodge City was in Kansas. Or that Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody wandered 'round these parts.
Heck, Custer and the 7th cavalry were briefly stationed near Fort Hays. (Yes, "heck". It seems appropriate.)
But Hays doesn't forget. They're proud of their part of western history, despite the fact that "The West" moved on to the Rockies and the Pacific.
Even the library celebrates their fort-ness.
Heck, Custer and the 7th cavalry were briefly stationed near Fort Hays. (Yes, "heck". It seems appropriate.)
But Hays doesn't forget. They're proud of their part of western history, despite the fact that "The West" moved on to the Rockies and the Pacific.
Even the library celebrates their fort-ness.
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| A Fort-ness Book Fortress, if you will. |
And there was more to find 'round these parts. From the neat theater showing old movies…
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| Note the 101° temperature and 8:06pm time. Hays does a great "surface of the sun" impression. |
...to the historical plaque reminding us that while the Army moved on in 1889, they didn't really forget Hays.
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| Walker Field, Texas Ranger |
It's a little hard to read, but it basically says from 1942-1946 B-29 "Superfortress" crews were trained in Hays, going on to be pretty influential in WWII.
So while some of us discounted Hays as a tiny city in a flat state you just want to get through quickly (I know I did!), the truth is sometimes random places can be a large part of what things have become today.
…Oh, and I guess that makes a B-29 from Hays a "Fort-ness Super Fortress."
So while some of us discounted Hays as a tiny city in a flat state you just want to get through quickly (I know I did!), the truth is sometimes random places can be a large part of what things have become today.
…Oh, and I guess that makes a B-29 from Hays a "Fort-ness Super Fortress."
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