Elk Falls in Elk Falls, south east edge of Kansas Flint Hills

While we were visiting the Elk Falls Pottery to pick up our mugs, we were sure to also visit the Elk Falls, and the 1893 Iron Truss Bridge (on the National Historic Register) nearby.

Elk Falls Pratt Truss Bridge

http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/KS/Elk/state.html

Here is my photo of the plaque and the bridge:

The bridge surfaced had been redone by the Kansas Wildlife & Parks / Americorps 2001 - names of donors of materials are on the logs:

Here are the Elk Falls, from the bridge:

A few miles west of Elk Falls, it was obvious we were in the Flint Hills. We caught K99 and headed north, back to Emporia!

Dr. Bill ;-)

Elk Falls Pottery, Elk Falls, Elk Co, Kansas

The Mugs I ordered from Steve and Jane Fry at Elk Falls Pottery were ready, so I arranged to stop by the Pottery and pick them up! Quite an experience, our first visit to Elk Falls, Kansas. Elk Falls bills itself as a "living" ghost town, because, "We ain't dead YET!" Population about 120... Coming from the east, on US 160, it certainly looked like the Kansas Ozarks. One writeup I read said it was in the Chautauqua Hills, but our map shows it on the very eastern edge of the Kansas Flint Hills. In any event, the mugs made from Kansas clay and hand thrown by professional potters, with the official logo of the Flint Hills Tourism Coalition was very attractive, to me.

Here is a photo of the mugs I ordered, the gray ones on the left, and a sample of green, for future consideration:

Here is a photo of Elk Falls Pottery, exterior:

Here are Steve and Jane, wrapping our mugs:

Here are some sources of information on the Elk Falls Pottery:

http://renewingthecountryside.org/index.php?option=&mode=region&task=view&category=26&Itemid=43&limit=1&limitstart=1

A nice story…

http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/ElkFalls/

Scroll down a bit…

http://www.travelks.com/s/index.cfm?LID=5093&QString=tripsearch%3Da%26keywords%3D%26Page%3D521

Good coverage at Kansas Travel Site…

We had a great visit! We also went to the Elk Falls. That will be the next blog.

Dr. Bill ;-)

Cassoday Cafe

Last week I had to opportunity to have a meeting and lunch at the Cassoday Cafe, in Cassoday, Kansas, in the heart of the Kansas Flint Hills Cowboy Country.

Cassoday also has another claim to fame:

I enjoyed my visit. You should stop by sometime - it is easy - there is a Cassoday Exit on I-35!!
You can't miss it!