 | Ron Galliher
is the certified sales manager of Midwest Toyota, located at 1100 E. 30th Ave. in Hutchinson, KS. Aside from meeting the needs of clients from all over Kansas, Ron enjoys vacationing in Florida with his family. You can reach Ron, toll-free from the Wichita area at 448-0225 or email him at rong@midwestsuperstore.com |
Travel
2004-06-01 12:04:00
Destination... Abilene, KS
Question: Got another idea for a Kansas day trip?
ANSWER: Where can you find proof that the dinosaur roamed, see and sample elderberry wine, locate the perfect fishing hole, and see bison grazing on an open prairie? Where can you discover all of this and more? Where else but Kansas? Abilene Kansas has a proud and colorful history. It's reputation as the "wickedest & wildest town in the west" developed as hundreds of cowboys arrived in town along the historic Chisholm Trail during the late 1800's. The name Abilene means city of the plains and was selected from Luke 3:1 in the Bible by Eliza Hersey, the wife of Abilene's founder, Timothy Hersey. Their home was the first to be built in Abilene, along the banks of Mud Creek (the Hersey's home is preserved in the basement of the Lebold Mansion). Hersey established Abilene as a small dugout and log cabin hamlet and stagecoach stop in 1857. It was a crude little frontier village of about 300 when it was "discovered" by Joseph G. McCoy and the cattle traders as the railroad was pushing west. It grew almost overnight into a booming city of 3,000 with the largest stockyards west of Kansas City, more than a dozen saloons, gaudy night clubs, gambling houses, thriving mercantile businesses, and hotels. Over 3 million head of Texas Longhorn cattle arrived in Abilene between the years of 1867 and 1872 to be shipped east by rail. Tom Smith and Wild Bill Hickok became famous for their attempts to maintain law and order on Abilene's legendary Texas Street.As the official end of the Chisholm Trail, Abilene has grown from a small cowtown community to a thriving town of 6,500. Thousands of visitors from around the world travel to Abilene each year to tour museums, attractions and mansions in the hometown of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It offers many Antique Shops, and Bed and Breakfast's to add to its uniqueness and attractiveness. Abilene is located at the end of the junction of Interstate 70 and K-15 Highways. Looking for summer activities for the kids? Send them to Pioneer Camp at The Heritage Center of Dickinson County. The Heritage Center is a unique collection of two in-door museums that continue on out-the-back-door where you will find actual buildings from around the county, all depicting life on the Plains during the American pioneer movement and westward expansion periods. Children second through fifth grades can experience the ways of their ancestors in Heritage Center's cabin setting that involves participants in cooking, cleaning and other daily living activities required 100 years ago on the Kansas prairie. Skills include churning butter and baking the bread to spread it on. Visitors to the center can also enjoy activities during the two weeks of the camps, adding to the education process as well as the fun had by the 'campers'. Sessions are June 7-11 & 14-18. Reservations are required and there is a fee. For more information, call The Heritage Center of Dickinson County 785-263-2681
