A Man Who's Gone to Hell with Heaven's Blessing
o/` " The judge said I'm not fit to live with men
They're building me a gallows in the courtyard
To make sure I don't pass this way again
My first taste of killin' was at Vicksburg
I must have shot me a hundred men
I learned to make my livin' with a six-gun
I'm an outlaw now but I was a hero then" o/`
----- " Hair Trigger Colt .44"
More photos taken en route to Denver to meet up with my family for the funeral back in November. We detoured into Hays, Kansas because...well...I wanted to see the city and fort to which the fictional Marshal Dillon often rode with a prisoner in hand or to turn a prisoner over for trial. We arrived late in the afternoon and so didn't have much time to explore or get decent photos; I'd like to go back, maybe spend a day or two in the area next time.
No, that's not a side road. It's part of the Santa Fe Trail, still visible through the prairie grass after almost two centuries.
My first glimpse of the Fort Hays site. The large grassy area used to be the parade ground and that building in the distance is what remains of the commissary/stables.
Buffalo statue commemorating the building of Fort Hays. There's a time capsule circa 1970 or so buried underneath it.
The Dodge City trail head. If you look a bit further into the grass, you can still see it. I got out and walked along it for a while. The state highway going to Dodge City parallels it but does not cover it; it is visible along the roadside.
The general officers' quarters. This, along with the remains of the commissary/stables, is the only original part of Fort Hays still standing. When the fort was decommissioned, most of it was torn down or allowed to fall into disrepair. Also, the buildings had been razed a few times by hostile plains Indians still living in the area at the time. If any of you watched Commanche Moon, you may recognize the buildings as similar to those in the opening scene taking place at the fort.
Where the buffalo don't roam. I was rather disappointed with this because I had been specifically told to go look for the herd. The "herd" consists of one bull and a couple of cows --- though they're genuine bison and not a reintroduced species --- with their calves. They're housed, as you can see in a small fenced area totaling less than an acre. I did, however, later get to show Simtra free ranging buffalo up in Colorado. The Evergreen herd still runs wild and they were out that day when we passed. He was highly amused by a second sign, which tells tourists to leave the buffalo alone because they charge! Smart boy, he kept away from the fence.
What's left of the great Hays buffalo herd.
I look a little --- okay a lot --- the worse for wear here but I'm certain it can be excused. After all, at this point we'd been driving for over twenty-four hours without stopping to rest for more than forty-five minutes.
Downtown Hays. Not much has changed. It looks like any other prairie town, which is why I loved it so much.
The hardware store, one of the first limestone buildings ever built in Kansas. Czech immigrants brought the stone working technology with them and employed it throughout the state. Note that it's still in operation. As I said, not much changes in these little towns. Every time I hear someone announce that the West has been tamed or that the Old West is gone, I laugh. Hard.
Further proof that the six shooter culture is still alive and well. I'm so used to seeing such signs that I didn't, at first, understand why Simtra wanted me to look at it. He didn't know what it meant...and then I realized that east of the Mississippi they don't feel the need to put those sorts of signs on the banks. For those of us who are literate, a sign next to it politely announces, "Please either check your firearm with our security officer or return it to your vehicle". Concealed/open carry laws aside, it's pretty much a given that almost everyone in the West walks about armed.
The former land office, now the city's museum and tourist shop. Note the limestone church next to it. It was the first of its kind in the state, built by the same Czech immigrants who also built the hardware store.
A closer view of the Presbyterian church.
The infamous Wild Rose Saloon, referenced in quite a few historical texts and also mentioned in several of the Gunsmoke radio episodes.
A last view of downtown Hays as we drove through.
Simtra stopped to walk the dogs at a park before we left town. He's not cranky, there's a wind blowing and it's bitterly cold. What they say about the temperature extremes out on the prairie is true; we had days in the mid 70s or low 80s and then the temperature would plummet below freezing at night. I'm not sure why he decided to take my flannel instead of his own, but he did.
Sunset on the prairie as we headed toward Denver. It was absolutely breathtaking. The sun doesn't gently dip below the horizon, it simply sets it on fire and disappears. You end up feeling awfully small under all that sky with the stars so far above you.
They're building me a gallows in the courtyard
To make sure I don't pass this way again
My first taste of killin' was at Vicksburg
I must have shot me a hundred men
I learned to make my livin' with a six-gun
I'm an outlaw now but I was a hero then" o/`
----- " Hair Trigger Colt .44"
More photos taken en route to Denver to meet up with my family for the funeral back in November. We detoured into Hays, Kansas because...well...I wanted to see the city and fort to which the fictional Marshal Dillon often rode with a prisoner in hand or to turn a prisoner over for trial. We arrived late in the afternoon and so didn't have much time to explore or get decent photos; I'd like to go back, maybe spend a day or two in the area next time.
No, that's not a side road. It's part of the Santa Fe Trail, still visible through the prairie grass after almost two centuries.
My first glimpse of the Fort Hays site. The large grassy area used to be the parade ground and that building in the distance is what remains of the commissary/stables.
Buffalo statue commemorating the building of Fort Hays. There's a time capsule circa 1970 or so buried underneath it.
The Dodge City trail head. If you look a bit further into the grass, you can still see it. I got out and walked along it for a while. The state highway going to Dodge City parallels it but does not cover it; it is visible along the roadside.
The general officers' quarters. This, along with the remains of the commissary/stables, is the only original part of Fort Hays still standing. When the fort was decommissioned, most of it was torn down or allowed to fall into disrepair. Also, the buildings had been razed a few times by hostile plains Indians still living in the area at the time. If any of you watched Commanche Moon, you may recognize the buildings as similar to those in the opening scene taking place at the fort.
Where the buffalo don't roam. I was rather disappointed with this because I had been specifically told to go look for the herd. The "herd" consists of one bull and a couple of cows --- though they're genuine bison and not a reintroduced species --- with their calves. They're housed, as you can see in a small fenced area totaling less than an acre. I did, however, later get to show Simtra free ranging buffalo up in Colorado. The Evergreen herd still runs wild and they were out that day when we passed. He was highly amused by a second sign, which tells tourists to leave the buffalo alone because they charge! Smart boy, he kept away from the fence.
What's left of the great Hays buffalo herd.
I look a little --- okay a lot --- the worse for wear here but I'm certain it can be excused. After all, at this point we'd been driving for over twenty-four hours without stopping to rest for more than forty-five minutes.
Downtown Hays. Not much has changed. It looks like any other prairie town, which is why I loved it so much.
The hardware store, one of the first limestone buildings ever built in Kansas. Czech immigrants brought the stone working technology with them and employed it throughout the state. Note that it's still in operation. As I said, not much changes in these little towns. Every time I hear someone announce that the West has been tamed or that the Old West is gone, I laugh. Hard.
Further proof that the six shooter culture is still alive and well. I'm so used to seeing such signs that I didn't, at first, understand why Simtra wanted me to look at it. He didn't know what it meant...and then I realized that east of the Mississippi they don't feel the need to put those sorts of signs on the banks. For those of us who are literate, a sign next to it politely announces, "Please either check your firearm with our security officer or return it to your vehicle". Concealed/open carry laws aside, it's pretty much a given that almost everyone in the West walks about armed.
The former land office, now the city's museum and tourist shop. Note the limestone church next to it. It was the first of its kind in the state, built by the same Czech immigrants who also built the hardware store.
A closer view of the Presbyterian church.
The infamous Wild Rose Saloon, referenced in quite a few historical texts and also mentioned in several of the Gunsmoke radio episodes.
A last view of downtown Hays as we drove through.
Simtra stopped to walk the dogs at a park before we left town. He's not cranky, there's a wind blowing and it's bitterly cold. What they say about the temperature extremes out on the prairie is true; we had days in the mid 70s or low 80s and then the temperature would plummet below freezing at night. I'm not sure why he decided to take my flannel instead of his own, but he did.
Sunset on the prairie as we headed toward Denver. It was absolutely breathtaking. The sun doesn't gently dip below the horizon, it simply sets it on fire and disappears. You end up feeling awfully small under all that sky with the stars so far above you.