Kansas Tall Grass Prairie

We took a side trip to visit the Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City, Kansas.  It preserves what once covered 1/3 of north America.  To be truthful it looks like the rest of Kansas Hills covered with grass.  It also preserves a reminder that newly rich people go overboard in all ages.  A fellow with money from other ventures sets himself up on a Kansas ranch in 1882 and builds an over the top house and barn and outbuildings.  In current dollars about $1.5 Million on a ranch.  Called spring hill ranch built with local limestone blocks.
Here is the barn,

Here is the House,

The outbuildings are built the same way with limestone blocks; ice house, outhouse, curing house, and my favorite the chicken house.  A vaulted roof covered with sod and grass, old gas pump in front.

Of course we found the quilting connection.  A quilting frame as an exhibit in the house.

We were totally off the interstate highway today.  The midwest states were settled and gridded N/S and E/W.  Thus there are virtually no diagonal roads, they all follow the grid, so we followed a stairstep pattern of south for 20  miles, then east for 20 miles on state roads.  Tonight in Joplin Missouri.