Kansas Post Rock Country

On I70, halfway between Salina and Hays, go north on K232 about 16 miles. It's a stretch of road known as The Post Rock Scenic Byway.

When you get to K18 take a left. Just ahead on the left, across from the Conoco and the K18 diner, turn onto 1st Street and you'll be in Lucas, Kansas - the heart of Post Rock Country. 

I went there to see the posts. I had spent the last few years carving figures in them as a form of traditional sculpture out in California. I was on a road trip in my camper, so why not take a little detour? 

I left Post Rock Country four days later with a profound appreciation for the beauty of the land, and the heart and soul of the people.

For a hundred miles in each direction, every farm, every ranch, and every little town is sitting on top of a 9 inch thick layer of Limestone. 

This is downtown Lucas, a town of 407 people. It's home to the Lucas Grassroots Art Center, and a magnet for quirky artists.

Settlers started arriving in this area  in the late 1870's. All the early towns are built from the same layer of stone.

Kansas is the "Wheat State." Farmers are unhappy the state changed its license plates to say "The Land of Oz". 

Just about every little town has a grain elevator that stands above the landscape. They serve as a beacon in the distance. Everyday at Noon a siren goes off that can be heard for miles. The sole purpose is to let the farmers and ranchers know it's lunch time.

The book, "Land of the Post Rock" claims there are 30 to 40,000 miles of fence line with stone posts. The Homesteading Act of 1885 required people to put a fence around their land and show improvements for two years before they'd deed the land. The smallest parcel was 160 acres, and the price was $80. 

This region in the center of Kansas became known as "Post Rock Country". 

This is the Votubra Ranch. The storage shed was built first . It's keystone has 1887 roughly carved. The house came last, 1905 is over the door.

On my first year Larry Hickman gave me permission to park my camper here so I'd have power and water. I had to come in through an electric fence so the bulls wouldn't get out. At night they'd scratch up against my truck and it rocked like a cradle.