Things to Do in Council Grove, Kansas: Santa Fe Trail History & Tallgrass Prairie
If you’re interested in pioneer history and the Santa Fe Trail, Council Grove, Kansas, is one of those small towns where you can spend an entire day following history from one site to another.
That’s exactly what we did.
Council Grove was an important stop along the Santa Fe Trail, and much of that history is still visible today. We visited the Kaw Mission, Hermit’s Cave, the Last Chance Store, the historic Neosho River Crossing and several beautifully preserved buildings downtown.
Then, as we were leaving the area, we visited one of our favorite places of the entire trip—the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.
Between the history and the Kansas prairie, Council Grove turned out to be a much more interesting stop than we ever expected.
Camping Near Council Grove
Our campsite near Council Grove gave us a beautiful view across the water, complete with a large gathering of migratory birds.
It was also where we encountered something considerably less pleasant:
Our first really cold weather in the RV.
It was mid-October, and the forecast suddenly started calling for freezing temperatures—possibly as low as 20 degrees.
When you’re living in an RV, that’s not exactly the forecast you want to hear!
One morning it was around 32 degrees with the wind blowing across the lake while Ed attempted to photograph the birds taking off from the water.
They didn’t cooperate.
But even with the cold, it was a beautiful place to wake up.
Why Council Grove Was Important on the Santa Fe Trail
Council Grove’s history is closely connected to the Santa Fe Trail, the famous trade route that connected Missouri with Santa Fe.
Travelers following the trail passed directly through this area, and today you can still visit several sites associated with those journeys.
That’s what makes Council Grove particularly interesting.
Instead of simply reading a historical marker telling you that the Santa Fe Trail once passed through town, you can visit buildings that served those travelers and even stand beside the river where their wagons crossed.
Visiting the Kaw Mission
One of our first historical stops was the Kaw Mission.
The mission was built in 1851 as a school for boys from the Kaw, or Kanza, people.
Approximately 30 boys between the ages of 6 and 17 attended the school during its short existence. They were taught academic subjects, farming and Christianity under the Methodist Episcopal Church.
The school operated for only a few years before closing in 1854.
Visiting the mission added another piece to the complicated history of this region during the period of westward expansion.
Searching for a Santa Fe Trail River Crossing
We also found information about an old Santa Fe Trail river crossing outside of town and decided to see if we could find it.
That particular adventure didn’t work out quite as planned.
The trail crossed private property, and by the time we reached the back of the accessible area, we realized the actual river crossing was still too far away to see.
That’s travel for you.
Sometimes you find exactly what you’re looking for.
Sometimes you don’t.
Fortunately, Council Grove had another Santa Fe Trail crossing that was much easier to explore.
Hermit’s Cave
Our next stop was Hermit’s Cave.
In 1863, an Italian priest named Father Francesco reportedly lived in this small cave for several months while passing through the Council Grove area.
He later continued west along the Santa Fe Trail with a wagon train.
It’s a small historical site, but those are often the places that make traveling interesting.
You suddenly find yourself standing in front of a little cave connected to one person’s journey more than 150 years ago.
The Last Chance Store
Another fascinating Santa Fe Trail landmark is the Last Chance Store.
Built in 1857 by Tom Hill, the store stood on the western edge of Council Grove.
For travelers heading west, it was the last major trading post before they continued farther into the Plains.
Imagine preparing to leave town with a wagon.
This was your last opportunity to make sure you had the supplies you needed before heading farther west.
Suddenly the name Last Chance Store makes perfect sense.
Sites like this make the Santa Fe Trail much easier to imagine as an actual journey rather than simply a line drawn across a historical map.
Exploring Historic Downtown Council Grove
Council Grove has done an impressive job of preserving its historic downtown.
There are numerous old buildings throughout town, and simply driving or walking through the historic district gives you plenty to look at.
One building that particularly caught our attention was the Farmers and Drovers Bank.
It’s a beautiful building and another reminder of how much history remains packed into this relatively small Kansas town.
If you enjoy historic architecture, give yourself some time to wander around rather than rushing from one attraction to another.
Standing at the Neosho River Crossing
One of the coolest things we saw was the Neosho River Crossing.
This was an actual Santa Fe Trail river crossing.
Wagon trains needed to find places where the water was shallow enough to cross, the river bottom was firm and rocky, and the banks were gentle enough for wagons and animals to enter and leave the water.
At the Neosho River, you can still see the shallow water and rocky riverbed.
The banks have changed over the years, but markers show approximately where the wagons would have crossed.
Standing there and imagining entire wagon trains moving through that river was pretty incredible.
For us, this was one of those historical places where it wasn’t difficult to picture what happened there.
The Terwilliger Stone House
We also visited the 1861 Terwilliger Stone House Museum.
And this one had a bonus.
Food!
The historic stone house operated a restaurant featuring historical dishes, while also containing exhibits and information about Council Grove.
There were photographs, binders filled with historical material and information displayed throughout the building.
We loved the experience—and the food was fabulous.
Being able to sit down for a meal inside a historic building made this much more memorable than simply walking through another museum.
Visiting Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
As we were leaving Council Grove, we stopped at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.
This ended up being one of the highlights of our visit.
It’s difficult to understand the scale of America’s original tallgrass prairie until you stand in the middle of it.
Tallgrass prairie once covered a huge portion of central North America, stretching from Canada into Mexico.
Today, only a small fraction remains.
The Flint Hills of Kansas contain the largest remaining expanse of unbroken tallgrass prairie, making this preserve an opportunity to see something much closer to the landscape early travelers would have encountered.
And it is beautiful.
Walking the Tallgrass Prairie
You can actually head out on trails into the prairie.
And Ed did.
And kept going.
By the time he checked how far he’d walked, he’d gone about a mile and a half—which meant, of course, he still had to walk another mile and a half to get back.
So keep that in mind when you’re enjoying the scenery!
But walking out into the prairie gives you an entirely different perspective.
There’s an enormous sense of space.
Standing there surrounded by grass and sky, it’s much easier to imagine what this part of the country looked like before roads, towns and farms transformed so much of the landscape.
Exploring Spring Hill Farm
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve isn’t only about the prairie.
The preserve also includes the historic Spring Hill Farm, established by Stephen Jones in the 1800s.
One of its most impressive features is the enormous historic barn, which was considered one of the largest barns in Kansas when it was built.
Several original outbuildings also remain, including the spring house and ice house.
Then there’s the historic home itself.
The house was built into the side of a hill, creating an unusual layout. Entering through the front brings you into a lower level containing living and entertaining spaces. Upstairs were other household areas, with bedrooms on another level.
Together, the house, barn and surrounding prairie provide a fascinating look at life in the Kansas Flint Hills during the late 1800s.
History and Nature in One Trip
What we enjoyed most about Council Grove was the combination of the two.
In town, we were following the Santa Fe Trail and learning about the people who traveled through this part of Kansas.
Then we drove out into the Flint Hills and saw a surviving piece of the landscape those travelers would have encountered.
It connected the history to the land in a way that a museum alone simply can’t do.
Is Council Grove, Kansas Worth Visiting?
Absolutely—particularly if you enjoy American history.
Council Grove may not be one of the biggest tourist destinations in Kansas, but that’s part of what makes it interesting.
We found historic buildings, Santa Fe Trail landmarks, an old river crossing, museums, a historic restaurant and plenty of stories connected to America’s westward expansion.
Then just outside the area is Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, where you can experience one of the country’s disappearing natural landscapes.
We went into Council Grove expecting to find some Santa Fe Trail history.
We found much more than that.
And that’s one of our favorite things about traveling America by RV. Some of the places we know the least about before arriving turn out to be the places that teach us the most.
If you’re traveling through Kansas and enjoy history, scenic landscapes and discovering places a little beyond the usual tourist stops, Council Grove and the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve are definitely worth adding to your route.
We’ll see you down the road…and Over The Hills!
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