Kansas East and West - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 676

shorebirds and waterfowl. During the spring and fall migrations, the honks and cries of
hundreds of thousands of Canada geese, gulls, mallards, pintails, wigeons, cranes, and oth-
er birds make for lively crescendos. Because these waters are set in an enormous basin
bordered by surprisingly high bluffs of sandstone, limestone, and clay, visitors entering
Cheyenne Bottoms can sometimes hear the cacophonous chorus before laying eyes on the
birds themselves.
Be sure to stop at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, dedicated to educating the
publicaboutwetlandcommunities,theirimportance,andtheneedforconservationandres-
toration.
7. Fort Larned National Historic Site
Continuing on Rte. 56 to Larned, the drive sidles west on Rte. 156 to the Santa Fe Trail
Center, where exhibits depict the Kansas of a century ago. Farther along, amidst the elms
and box elders that dot the grassland, are nine buildings that once comprised the U.S.
Army's Fort Larned, established in 1859 to garrison troops policing the Santa Fe Trail.
The stone quarters here served as shelter for, among others, the then up-and-coming Indian
fighter, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer.
Did you know…
During a 2005 renovation of the north wall of the Old Commissary of Fort
Larned, the National Park Service discovered a stone with “J H Mc
LAUGHLIN CO B 3 RGT” etched on its side. The graffiti artist was a soldier
named John H. McLaughlin, who helped build the wall in 1866. To learn more
about his colorful past, visit www.nps.gov/fols/historyculture/the-mclaughlin-
stone .
8. Dodge City
Dodge City's checkered reputation has inspired a cluster of highly colorful nicknames, in-
cluding the Wickedest Little City in America, Buffalo Capital of the World, and Queen of
the Cowtowns. The place still evokes minds-eye images of old-time dance halls and sa-
loons where lawmen Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp tried to keep order. Commerce played
a key role as well: In the 1870s, buffalo hides and cattle by the millions passed through the
town as drovers pushed herds to Dodge City from as far away as Texas and Montana.
NinemileswestofDodgeCity,onthenorthsideofRte.50,avastswathofdeepwagon
rutsremainsasyetanotherenduringvestigeofthegreatpaththatoncelinkedeastandwest,