Route 66: Points of Interest in Kansas

When Americans fell in love with the automobile and over-land travel, Route 66, the Mother Road, was without question the most popular east-west thoroughfare. Stretching from Illinois, through the farm states, then through the desert, and finally to California, Route 66 represented a travel adventure, where the trip itself was as important as the destination. Celebrated in movie and song, this great scenic road that rambled through so many hometowns across the western states was eventually replaced by interstates, certainly faster and safer, but without some of the warm character that the Mother Road could offer.

Of the eight states that were crossed when one traveled the full length of the old Mother Road, Kansas has the shortest section. Cutting across the extreme southeast corner, through Cherokee County, Route 66 consisted of approximately 9 miles of Kansas road through the neighborhoods of three small communities that are now remnants of what used to be the world's largest lead and zinc mining industry. The history in those three towns are indeed rich, and travelers covering the old Route 66 will find at least one stop in each that will provide an excellent glimpse into the past, fascinating details about the local Civil War history, the mining history, and the glory days of the Mother Road.

A) The Galena Historical Museum. In the late 1970's, the city's historical society purchased the old Katy Railroad depot, located at the time near First Street, and moved it entirely to it's present location on Seventh Street (Route 66), filling it with all kinds of displays and artifacts that teach the history of Galena's mining days. Lead and zinc, discovered in the late 1870's, brought wealth and glory to this farmland area, and made it a rich section of the Tri-State Mining Area, a strip of land that covered parts of Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma, where some of the best veins of ore and the largest smelters were located. The museum, free and open to the public, is a popular stop for visitors along the old Mother Road. The visitors can view preserved and restored mining equipment and a variety of mineral samples that were common to the industry and the area a century or so ago.

B) The Eisler Brothers Store. A few miles farther west on Route 66, the traveler crosses Spring River into Riverton, and can find on his right the old Eisler Brothers Store. Like the Galena museum, the Riverton store offers its visitors a nice collection of Route 66 memorabilia and souvenirs. In addition, they offer some of the best home-made deli sandwiches in the area, prepared fresh upon order. The store has been maintained with its old-style architecture, reminiscent of how things looked when east-to-west travelers were using the Mother Road for family vacations. Here, the traveler can be directed along the side roads that make up the old highway until he/she can get a view of Rainbow bridge, a nearby concrete marsh bridge (arched) that was retired and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

C) Baxter Springs Historical Museum. Just another four miles farther, as the Mother Road bends to the south, travelers should plan a stop at the Baxter Springs Historical Museum. This local history haven, set near the site of Fort Blair, where Quantrill's Raiders once massacred a Union Squadron during the Civil War, is one of the better organized museums that one will find in any small town. The displays are carefully constructed to guide visitors through each decade of the past 120 years, and provide a world of information about the area's involvement in the Civil War, the wealth of the mining days, and of course, that great connection with America's Route 66 travelers. Those planning a quick stop by this two-story project will likely find themselves entranced by all of the information that is available, and may end up behind schedule for the day. There is enough history about cowboys, Civil War battles, wealthy miners, and Native American tribes in this building, that one could spend hour after hour digging into the historical topics that line the walls and shelves.

From Baxter Springs, Route 66 winds on into Oklahoma and the wide open cattle territories that still resemble the Old West. Kansas is proud to have owned a part of the legendary Mother Road in its heyday, and the locals are doing their part to keep that piece of Americana alive.