Bleeding Kansas

Baxter Springs is the site of numerous natural springs. Native Americans frequented the region as a stopping point between summer hunting grounds to the east and winter camps in Oklahoma. A common theme in many border city museums is the Civil War. After the Indian removal in the 1830’s, the land was part of the Cherokee Neutral Lands. Soon settlers moved in and one named Reverend John Baxter built a frontier inn and store. The town would be named for him and the springs.

Fort Baxter (also known as Fort Blair) was created to help protect the settlers from Confederate fighters and guerilla attacks. In October 1863, Quantrill’s forces attacked the fort, which was being protected by Union forces. Unable to inflict significant casualties, the roughly 400 guerillas moved on toward their winter destination in Texas. Along the way they ran into a detachment of about 100 Union troops out on the prairie. The Confederates attacked and decimated the Union forces. This was only one example of skirmishes and battles that occurred along the border of Kansas and Missouri.

Continued Education

One of the things we like about visiting museums around the country is the chance to learn more about the history of our country. These days it is not uncommon to hear about and experience a Civil War battle reenactment. Our assumption was that this was something that began in the last few decades, but here we discovered that it has gone on much longer. An old poster from 1883 spoke of the 1st Annual Reunion of the recently ended Civil War. The event included a “Sham Battle”, which would reenact the Battle of Baxter Springs. Clearly this type of event has been recurring for much longer than we would have imagined. Did you know these were going for so long?

Historical Visitors

In 1876 two members of the Jesse James Gang rode into town and robbed the bank. The building now houses a cafe on Route 66. In the 1930’s the town was once again visited by notables. This time it was Bonnie and Clyde who robbed the Baxter Springs General Store. It is claimed that they returned a week later to rob it again. In the 1940’s, a young baseball player named Mickey Mantle would play for the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids. During a game, Mantle hit a ball into the Spring River. During a rain break, a New York Yankees’ scout signed Mantle to play for the east coast team.

Industry That Built The Region

For a time, Baxter Springs was a main stop along the route between Texas plains and Kansas City meat slaughterhouses. This activity gave impetus for growth to the city, at least until the railroads were completed.  As we noted in our article on the Joplin Mining Museum, the business of mining is what brought fortune and fame to this entire region. (You can read about the mining museum here>) The Baxter Springs City Council felt that undermining within the city limits would be detrimental. They implemented Ordinance 42, which limited mining within the city limits. With this protection in place, many of those that profited greatly from the mining activity built their homes in Baxter Springs.

So Much More

As we made our way through the museum, it just seemed to keep going. Each aisle would lead to another, and then another wing with more displays. We both commented about how large the collection is, when we suddenly realized that there was another floor downstairs. This area held just as many exhibits and artifacts as the main floor. We realized that there was not enough time to review the entire collection. For those history buffs who want an in-depth visit, we would suggest arriving at opening time, and spending the whole day. Even then, we aren’t sure you would be able to take it all in. It’s just that big. With closing time approaching, we wrapped up our visit, and headed off to check out the downtown murals, before sunset. Now we just need to schedule time to make a return trip.

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A Quick Stop

Our group was running behind schedule, so we decided to grab a bite on the way to our next stop. Just down the road from Galena, we came across Nelson’s Old Riverton Store. This place is one of those old school style stores. Made up of part grocery, part deli, and part souvenir shop, this is the kind of place that serves the locals on a regular basis. We passed the grocery section, and found the sandwich counter in the back. The menu is simple, and the meat for sandwiches is sliced fresh when ordered. While we waited for our sandwiches, we looked around the second room, which was filled with Route 66 items. Once our order was ready, we paid and headed off toward our next destination.

Historic Crossing

Route 66 passed over three Marsh Arch bridges during its heyday. These days there is only one left standing, and it sits between Galena and Baxter Springs. The unique shape of the structure has caused many to refer to it as the “Rainbow Bridge”. The reinforced concrete bridge was built in 1923 to span Brush Creek. An alternate bridge was erected nearby, and this original structure now only sees the periodic traveler looking to retrace the path of days gone by.

The Guardian

Here, as in Galena, we had the pleasure of meeting someone who had a vast knowledge of the surrounding sites. Dean Walker is an interesting character to say the least. Crystal and I had actually journeyed to the bridge earlier in the morning for an opportunity to get some pictures, before the rest of the group arrived. While we were parking, we saw a man crossing the bridge toward us. Dean introduced himself as the caretaker of the structure, and proceeded to tell us some of the history. Although the bridge is closed to traffic, he invited us to drive our car onto it for some photo opportunities.

Memorable Character

Dean is not just the caretaker of the bridge, he has another interesting link to history. He has earned the nickname of “Crazy Legs” Walker for his ability to turn his feet backwards. Of course with age, he now needs a little assistance. This unique ability also made an impact on some notable people in the past. When staff for Pixar Films were doing research for the animated project “Cars”, they came to the area to meet some of the residents. After their meeting with Dean, they were impressed with his ability. They even incorporated it into the character Tow Mater, who often runs backwards. Dean was more than willing to show off this ability for our group.

Final Notes

In 2000, the Rainbow Bridge was featured in a TLC special titled “Route 66: Main Street America”. Country singer Brad Paisley performed the song “Route 66” on the bridge, which was included in the TV special. While this may be the last of its kind on the Mother Road, there are other Marsh Arch bridges still standing. During the first part of the 1900’s there were hundreds constructed throughout the Central United States. Over twenty are still around, and many are on the list of historic places. Now that our group had met a historic character, and crossed a historic structure, we were all excited to move along to our final destination of Baxter Springs. (Check out the Baxter Springs History Museum here>) Time to pile into our cars and follow Dean down Route 66.

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Historic Galena

The city of Galena sprung to life after lead was discovered in 1877. Interestingly enough, the railroad had actually built a line through the area in 1871. Originally named Short Creek, it was soon changed to Bonanza, before finally ending with its current name. The name refers to the lead ore mineral that was so prevalent in the region. The original Route 66 passes through Galena as it enters the state of Kansas. While Kansas can only boast 13 miles of the Mother Road, they are considered some of the best preserved along the route. For those fans of the movie “Cars”, it is interesting to note that many of the buildings in Galena were inspiration for ‘Radiator Springs” in the 2006 Pixar animated movie.

A Quick Side Trip

We arrived a little before the Instameet was to begin, so a decision was made to check out a site a little off of the route. Schermerhorn Park lies near the southern end of town, but only a couple minutes from where we were meeting. This local park was formed in the 1920’s, and additions were made during the WPA program of the 30’s and 40’s. These include the terraced walls and nature center that occupy the nearby hill. Our time was short, so we didn’t have a chance to visit the nearby Schermerhorn Cave. We will have to schedule another visit, and maybe see some of the rarest creatures in Kansas. For now, it was time to head back downtown to meet up with the others.

Invading Galena

By the time we made it back, one group had already headed off to explore. Us stragglers took off to catch up with them. Our tour guide, a Galena native, spent the next couple of hours walking us through the historical significance of the buildings we passed. As we toured, our camera shutters clicked away, capturing minute details from our visit. We often wonder what the local residents think of a group like ours, when they spy us taking pictures of others taking pictures. Hopefully, they all understand that the end goal is to show those we connect with some of the highlights from the places we visit.

Signs Of Days Gone By

Some of the most popular items to photograph are the “ghost signs” that are found on the sides of buildings. These age old advertisements are wonderful material to share, and they hearken back to the days when Route 66 was the main thoroughfare through the heartland. Of course, these aren’t the only reminders of days gone by. The building pictured at the top of this article has its own unique place in Galena history. The site was reputed to be the home of a local bordello, which was owned by a local family. A series of murders on the property raised much suspicion, and finally led to the arrest of three family members for the robbery and murder of a miner. A group of vigilantes burned the original structure to the ground. The replacement now holds an antique shop.

Cars On The Route

Our tour guide led us to a revamped filling station named, Cars On The Route. This place is part of the inspiration for the Cars movie, and the old truck looks a lot like Tow Mater. Here we had a chance to meet Melba “The Mouth”, who explained the history of this little filling station.  (Read more about this station here>) Obviously, this place was a major draw for people with cameras. Inside and out, the station held chances for memorable pictures, and interesting stories. While the majority of the group continued down the route, I paused for a more in-depth look. When I realized that they had all departed, I hurried down the block to catch up.

Getting In Touch With The Mother Road

The group had turned onto Front Street, which is the portion of Route 66 that leads to the state line. They had worked their way down a couple of blocks, but stopped just short of a bridge that leads the last mile to the Kansas-Missouri border. I found Crystal about half way to the bridge, and we decided that this stretch offered unique opportunities. With very few vehicles passing at that time of day, I thought a selfie would be cool. A reasonably crisp “Route 66” marking would make a great addition to the shot. It took a few times, but we finally got a picture we both loved. Fortunately, we only had to move once for a passing vehicle. We did notice others taking pictures of us taking a selfie. Instagrammers!

Deeper Dive Into Galena History

We were running behind on the schedule timeline, and still had one more stop in town. Our guide corralled us, and started the march back downtown. Our destination was the Galena Mining & Historical Museum. Housed in an old Katy train depot, the museum offers artifacts from the town’s history, as well as mining in the region. It opened in this location in 1984, and has exhibits inside, as well as on the grounds. Once inside, the volunteers took over our tour, as they guided us through the displays.

Decades Of Memories

From the outside, the museum looks as small as the old railroad depot. Inside we soon realized that there was an additional space, which had been added to the back of the building. This was done in a way that didn’t detract from the aesthetics of the original structure. The guide showed off the large collection of artwork by local artist Carol Bliss-Riley. These paintings of abandoned mines were once displayed at the Smithsonian, but have returned home. Various vehicles from the past show the timeline of advancements, since the early days of Galena. Another display showcases the television station that used to operate in the area. I had to wonder if it was one of the three stations that I would watch on my grandparents TV set in West Mineral. The museum also houses an extensive collection of mining equipment and mineral specimens. We stayed for a bit, but knew that we needed to hurry down the road to our next Route 66 stop. In the future we will have to plan a return visit to better explore this Kansas town. Have you ever visited Galena, Kansas?

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Picture Perfect

We had met up with a group of Instagrammers, who were on-hand for an event hosted by Travel Kansas, the state’s tourism bureau. This was only our second Instagram party, but we were already becoming big fans of the idea. It’s a great way to meet others who have a passion for sharing the wonder we find all around us, as well as discovering new ideas for creative photography. It ends up being a win-win for all involved. Hosting this event with the Route 66 theme was an attention-getter for us, since we are from the Baby Boomer generation. This particular portion of the Mother Road was familiar territory for me, since my grandparents had once lived in the nearby town of West Mineral, Kansas. We would often “get our kicks on Route 66”, as we traveled towards Joplin, Missouri or Miami, Oklahoma.

The Start of Something Special

After Interstate 44 was constructed, much of the traffic that used Route 66 dried up. With the lack of tourism dollars, many of the small towns along the route suffered the same effect. Over time cities shrunk to towns, and towns shrunk to near ghost town status. Such was the case in the southeast corner of Kansas, as well. An old Kan-O-Tex filling station that sat on Main Street, in Galena, had fallen into disrepair, but four women had a vision to change this. These women, including Melba “The Mouth” Rigg, (pictured above) purchased the property and set about renovating it into a tourist attraction. Although the interstate was the quickest path, many travelers were beginning to reconnect with the original Highway 66 paths. This would lead them straight through Galena, where they could experience Cars on the Route.

An Inspirational Meeting

The story goes that this place was visited by director John Lasseter, of Pixar fame, during a family trip. When research was being done for an upcoming movie, staff toured this site and saw the boom truck. This was the inspiration for the the vehicle Tow Mater, which would be featured in the animated movie Cars. Other places and people they met along the way would fuel other parts of the story, which we will introduce in subsequent articles from our Route 66 journey. It was a little surreal to walk up to the station and see the vehicles sitting there. While most of us adults recognized them, there was one younger girl (Think grade school age) who lit up like Christmas when she spied them. Being grandparents, we could just imagine our grandkids having a similar reaction. We even felt compelled to take a photo with this local celebrity.

More cars on the Route

It seemed that this town was filled with lots of cars from the yesteryear. We didn’t have the chance to see Sarge, the jeep, but were told that it is a vehicle owned by another town resident. It is easy to see all of the similarities to the movie. It becomes apparent when you think of the impact that building an interstate highway from Miami, Oklahoma to Springfield, Missouri had on this overlooked area. In some ways it almost feels like time has stood still for these small towns, which adds to their charm.

Fast-Forward to the Past

These days Cars on the Route is a Route 66 landmark that draws travelers from throughout the nation and worldwide. Each year thousands explore the route looking for nostalgic landmarks, ghost signs, and collectibles. At this local stop visitors can; purchase Route 66 items, mementos from the Cars movies, (Some made by local artists) and even grab a meal or snack. Their iconic boom-truck still runs, and is often rented out for appearances at events. It appears that things have improved on America’s Main Street, and Route 66 has seen a pleasing revival. Why not make your own plans to visit a piece of this American byway, even if it’s just a slice of the 2448 mile long drive. Might we suggest starting in Galena, Kansas?

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