Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas

June 23, 2009

We were camping at a COE park on the lake north of Council Grove. There are 3-or more COE parks there all with nice campgrounds.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas

I know this does not look like "tallgrass" but it is early summer. By the fall this grass can be over head high and in the mid-1800's it was.

Tallgrass prairie covered somewhere around 140 million acres of North America back in the early 1800's. Within a few short years the vast majority was developed and plowed under. Today less than 4% of the original tallgrass prairie remains in the United States. Most of that remains is here in the Flint Hills.

The Tallgrass National Preserve protects over 10,800 acres, a nationally significant remnant of the once vast tallgrass prairie.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas

Spring Hill Ranch Tallgrass National Preserve in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas

This estate was established in the late 1870's as the Spring Hill Ranch by Stephen Jones, a Texas cattle baron who made his money rounding up wild Texas longhorn cattle and driving them to markets in Colorado. The mining industry needed food as well as the military who was responsible for feeding Indians. When that business faded he moved here to the Flint Hills to set up ranching.

This enormous stone barn has ground-level entrances on each of its three stories! This was accomplished by digging into the side of the hill.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas

Here in 1881, on a bluff overlooking a lush valley Jones built a stately Second Empire style ranch house. Stately is probably an understatement since his house was constructed of native limestone - with a huge stone barn and stone outbuildings. Here you can see the eastern side of that huge stone barn.

Out building at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas

This out building is interesting in that it has an earthen roof. Note the tall grass growing on the roof. It is naturally air conditioned.

Stone Fences at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas

Our guide said that Steven Jones had over 30-miles of stone fences constructed on the property during his ownership. This stone wall is on the back side of the large stone barn.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas

The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is a new kind of national park. Note it is a "Preserve" not a park. The preserve is 10,861 acres, but most of that land is owned by the Nature Conservancy, which purchased the land in 2005.

The land is managed cooperatively by the National Park Service and the private land owner (Nature Conservancy).

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas

These pictures are giving you a partial view of the over 10,800 acres comprising the Flint Hills Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.