Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Drive 73
Flint Hills Highlights
A rolling landscape spotted with lakes, the Flint Hills crinkle the land north to
southacrosstheprairiesofeasternKansas—aheartland delightwherethepioneer
spirit proudly endures.
Length:
About 190 miles
When to go:
Year-round
Not to be missed:
Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan
Nearby attractions:
Fort Riley, military installation with historic buildings and mu-
seums, west of Manhattan; Kansas State University, Manhattan
Further information:
Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks
and Tourism,
www.travelks.com
1.
Hollenberg Pony Express Station
As regularly as clockwork in the early 1860s, the silence near the present-day town of Han-
over in northeastern Kansas was broken by the thumping of hoofbeats as a dusty Pony Ex-
pressridergallopedinonhishorse.He'djumptothegroundattheHollenbergPonyExpress
Station,transferhissaddle-bagsfilledwithmailtoanothermount,thenbeoffagain,pausing
barely long enough for a drink of water. The scene would be repeated by riders all the way
to Sacramento, California—a journey that was completed in just 10 days.
The Hollenberg station, a state historic site on Rte. 243, had other roles as well: The
weathered wooden structure also served as a store, tavern, and inn along the Oregon-Cali-
fornia Trail. The travails and triumphs of both the riders and the pioneers who passed this
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