MORRIS County
Story
ALTA VISTA
Alta Vista is a community with a wonderful Agriculture Heritage, which is showcased at the Ag Heritage Museum. Explore Alta Vista…Sunflowers & Sodas, Alta Vista Antiques, Barnyard Café, The Bulldog Inn in downtown for a wonderful old-time soda fountain, treasure, or great food.
BURDICK
Burdick, a small community of friendly people, is nestled in southwest Morris County on the edge of the Flint Hills. The town is located two miles south of the Santa Fe Trail’s Six Mile Station, which is identified by a historical marker and where nearby swales are visible. The Burdick Council of Clubs hosts a weekend Burdick Labor Day celebration each year. The Burdick Meat Locker, family-owned since 1921, is known for its meat processing, beef jerky, and delicious potato sausage. Burdick Oil Company is family owned, full service gas station and ranch supply celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2008. Many residents in the Burdick community are descendents of Swedes who settled this area in the 1880’s, and the community’s pride in its heritage is shared each Labor Day. Visit us!
COUNCIL GROVE
Nestled in the Flint Hills alongside the Neosho River, Council Grove received its name August 10, 1825, when the US Commissioners met with Chiefs of the Great and Little Osage Indian tribes beneath a tree later named the “Council Oak”, to sign the first treaty establishing the right-of-way for the famed Santa Fe Trail. In the years following, Council Grove became the pre-eminent rendezvous point for wagon trains heading west.
It was at Council Grove that small wagon trains and individual travelers gathered to form large wagon trains, since Council Grove was the furthest west point from which they could safely travel alone or in small groups. Also, at Council Grove was the last stand of hardwood timber from which wagon repairs could be made.
However, the first permanent settlement in Council Grove did not occur until Seth Hays, great-grandson of the famed Kentucky frontiersman Daniel Boone, established a trading post here in 1847. The last Santa Fe wagon train over time passed through Council Grove in 1866, and the town became a trade center for the local agricultural economy. Today small industries and tourism form a large part of the local economy.
Now a town of about 2,300, the community boasts more than 24 historic sites; many are listed on the State and National Historic register. The nearby Council Grove City Lake and Council Grove Federal Lake attract fishermen, boaters, and campers from everywhere. The Kaw Mission State Historic Site in Council Grove and the Kaw Nation’s Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park (about 3.5 miles southeast of Council Grove), are dedicated to telling the story of the Kaw (or Kansa) Indian Tribe, whose reservation was located here from 1847 to 1873.
While in Council Grove during Symphony Weekend, you will enjoy a wide variety of activities, history, charming shops, and restaurants.
DUNLAP
The City of Dunlap was founded in 1869 on the MKT Railway line, and incorporated in 1875. During the black migration from the south in the 1870’s and 80’s some 40,000 blacks came to Kansas. Benjamin Singleton, a former slave, incorporated the Singleton Colony in June, 1869. In the early 1880s, the Presbyterian Church founded the Dunlap Farm Freedmen's Academy in Dunlap to provide an education to African American settlers in Kansas. The Academy closed its doors in the mid 1890s.
DWIGHT
When the Chicago, Kansas, and the Nebraska Railway Co. decided to extend the Rock Island System west from Topeka in 1887, developers purchased land and platted the town of Dwight. The town was named after Dwight Rathbone who donated land for the Dwight Methodist Episcopal Church.
The churches have been most important in the life of this community.
While visiting Dwight, one can find the Swartz School Museum located on Main Street. It was the first school to be established in the Ohio Township around 1871. The Swartz School originally was located about two and one half miles southeast of Dwight and was the first place of many public meetings. The schoolhouse will be open all day Saturday, June 14th and by appointment.
WHITE CITY
White City welcomes you to the Flint Hills. Established in 1870 as a part of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (KATY) Railroad, the town was developed by two men who purchased 80 acres of ground on either side of the “KATY” tracks. They recruited settlers and immigrants from the northeastern part of the country. Known as Morris County’s “little city on the hill,” it sits on one of the highest elevations in the Flint Hills. Be sure to visit the historic two story Stone Store and stop by the Wreck Center and Grill or the White City Bar and Grill for a tasty sandwich.
WILSEY
The community of Wilsey started around 1884 as a major water stop for the steam trains of that era. Later, the town became a major mail stop for the railroad. The town thrived during that time with many major stores and businesses. Although the town is much smaller now, Wilsey still has a proud history and welcomes visitors.