Kansas Travel Itinerary #3

ITINERARY #3

From Missouri - Two Days


DAY ONE

FORT SCOTT, population 7,765
A – 9 a.m. Fort Scott National Historic Site, 1 Old Fort Blvd., 620.223.0310, nps.gov/fosc/, $$, bathrooms.    

  • Fort Scott: The fort was originally established in 1842 to maintain peace between indigenous and relocated Indian tribes. In 1855, the fort structures were auctioned to settlers but during the Civil War soldiers returned to Fort Scott to make it a supply and logistic center for the Union Army of the West.

D – 10:30 a.m.

A – 10:45 a.m. Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, 1 S. Main, 620.223.1312, lowellmilkencenter.org/, bathrooms.  

  • Lowell Milken Center: This state-of-the-art exhibition space recognizes unsung heroes who stood up for others, often at great risk to themselves. 
  • FYI: As you drive over the brick streets think about this:  In the early 1900s a large brick plant here produced 100,000 bricks every 10 days. These bricks were used in the construction of the Panama Canal and for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

D – 11:45 a.m. 

A – 12 p.m. Lunch. Consult Fort Scott Tourism, 620.223.3566, fortscott.com/tourism.

D – 1:30 p.m. 


FRANKLIN, unincorporated

A – 2 p.m. Miners’ Hall Museum, 701 S. Broadway, 620.347.4220, minershallmuseum.com. Bathroom.

  • Miners’ Hall Museum: Prior to the 2003 tornado, a community hall stood here where the Amazon Army started its protest march in 1921. A new metal building serves as the Miners Hall Museum now displaying artifacts that portray this cultural history.

D – 3 p.m.


FRONTENAC, population 3,410

A – 3:15 p.m. Pallucca’s Market, 207 E. McKay, 620.231.7700. Shopping for the famous Frontenac bakery bread, fresh spaghetti sauce, huge selection of olive oil, etc.

  • Pallucca’s Market: This Italian market dates back to 1909 when Attilo Pallucca started his Italian American store for the Italian miners.

D – 4 p.m. 


PITTSBURG, population 20,178

A – 4:15 p.m. Miner’s Memorial and Immigrant Park, 2nd and Walnut, minersmemorialpittks.org/.

  • Miner’s Memorial and Immigrant Park : An outdoor area features a larger-than-life bronze statue of a miner and large polished granite monuments inscribed with names of miners from the area. Immigrant Park is a handsome brick pavilion with plaques inscribed with stories of mining families.

D – 5:15 p.m.

A – 5:30 p.m. Pittsburg State University Veterans Memorial Amphitheater, 1090 S. Rouse, 

      psuvetmemorial.org.

  • Veterans Memorial Amphitheater: This memorial features a half-sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The amphitheater contains an eternal flame and a reflecting pool. 


D – 6:15 p.m.
A – Evening meal. Chicken Annie’s Original, 1143 E. 600, 620.231.9460, chickenanniesoriginal.com; Chicken Mary’s, 1133 E. 600, 620.231.9510, chicken-marys.com. Large group?  Make early arrangements to divide the group between both places.

  • Chicken Annie’s Original: When Annie’s husband suffered a disabling accident in 1933, she started serving fried chicken out of her home in 1934.
  • Chicken Mary’s: When Joe Zerngast was no longer able to work in the coal mines in the early 1940s, his wife, Mary, started serving chicken dinners in their home. 

D – 7:45 p.m.

A – Lodging. visitcrawfordcounty.com/lodging/.


DAY TWO

PITTSBURG

Breakfast at motel.

D – 8:30 a.m.


GREENBUSH, unincorporated

A – 9 a.m. St. Aloysius Historic Site, Greenbush. Unattended, request historian. 620.724.8536.

  • St. Aloysius: The 1881 church ruins are the backdrop for an unusual story about a series of churches.

D – 10:15 a.m.


MCCUNE, population 412

A – 10:45 a.m. McCune Farm to Market, 604 Hickory, McCune, 620.632.5198. facebook.com/mccunemarket/. 

  • McCune Farm to Market: Cheri and Kevin Schenker will talk about their local grocery store and cafe that features traditional groceries along with organic and naturally raised meats by Schenker Family Farms and locally grown produce. Eat lunch here. Shopping opportunity.

D – 12:45 p.m. 


WEST MINERAL, population 172

A – 1:10 p.m. Big Brutus (8 Wonders of Kansas Commerce), 6509 NW 60, West Mineral, 620.827.6177, bigbrutus.org, $$. 

  • Big Brutus: Big Brutus is the world’s largest electric coal shovel, now a museum, where it last stopped.  A building close by also holds exhibits about the area’s strip-mining history.

D – 3:30 p.m. 


BAXTER SPRINGS, population 3,944

A – 4:10 p.m. Baxter Springs Historical Museum, 740 East, Baxter Springs, 620.856.2385, baxterspringsmuseum.org.

  • Baxter Springs Museum: The museum shares its history about Route 66, lead and zinc mining, Civil War battles, Mickey Mantle and local baseball.

D – 5:15 p.m. 


SCAMMON, population 445

A - 5:50 p.m. Josie’s Ristorante, 400 Main, 620.479.8202, Facebook. Italian food.

  • Josie’s: Grandmother Josie’s recipes from Italy create a dining experience with a unique taste of the Old Country.

D – 7:30 p.m. Back home


*All stops have been vetted by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. For more in-depth information about each stop, or stops in between, consult the Kansas Guidebook 2 for Explorers. Purchase the book at kansassampler.org.  The Kansas Sampler Foundation duo of Marci Penner and WenDee Rowe hit the road for parts of four years to look in every town, city, and in hundreds of other dots on the map and countryside to assemble this 480 page book that features all 105 counties, 515 cities, 4,500 attractions, 843 eateries and 1,600 color photos. Use the detailed directions, descriptions, and websites to help you choose and arrive at your destination!