Yeah!!! We’ll be back on the road to Florida tomorrow (Saturday). Our truck is back in working order thanks the Great guys at Hays Ford.
We spent our week in Hays visiting the local sites and contributing to the local economy. The Hays area is rich in history based on the lore of Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild Bill Hickok, and General Alexander Hays. The westward migration provided the previously mentioned men plenty to shoot at, whether buffalo, outlaws, or Indians.
The original townsite of Rome, about a mile West of the current site of Hays was founded by Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok actually shot a man in a saloon in downtown Hays. We actually had lunch at that site. Charges against Hickok were dropped on the basis that the shooting occurred as part of his duties as a lawman.
Hays was the center of the largest population of Buffalo on the High Plains. There were once over 60 million buffalo roaming the Plains, providing an economic base for the Plains Indians and food for the westward migration. That population was ultimately decimated to the point of near extinction when only 300 remained. I am happy to report that we visited the local “herd” and viewed several young and healthy calves.
The site of Fort Hays provided a fun afternoon viewing military artifacts and remaining old structures including officers homes, the garrison, and an old sandstone defensive structure. The fort was a major post built to provide protection to immigrants from the local Indian population. I think close to two hundred soldiers were stationed at the Fort and many lost their lives protecting many of our ancestors. Highlights of the tour included a detailed display of artillery used during the mid 1800’s including a variety of cannonballs. I was surprised by the range and accuracy that could be achieved.
More modern sites we visited in Hays included Fort Hays State University, population 6,000, and the Sternburg Museum of Natural History. I was surprised to learn that, some 100+ million years ago, Kansas was part of a great sea and was populated not by buffalo but SHARKS! The museum has the bones to prove it! The Sternburg Museum is famous for its collection of marine and dinasour fossils collected within Kansas, including the FAMOUS Sternburg Fish-Within-A-Fish. Apparantly the big 15 foot dinafish had just completed a meal of a whole 5 foot fish before meeting a sudden demise and settling into the sandy bottom for later discovery. The fossil is a complete fish skeleton inside a much larger fish skeleton. I believe the large fish may have died of gluttony or choking. There were many other exhibits at the museum and any kid, young or old, will enjoy the dinasour exhibit including and animatronic life-size T-Rex.
Our unplanned stay in Hays has provided a great opportunity to relax and refresh ourselves between the hectic departure from Boise and the sure to be busy arrival at our new home. It is an interesting town full of history and a young and friendly population stereotypical of small-town mid-America. However, we are looking forward to moving on now. We expect to arrive in Florida by Monday evening so please keep your fingers crossed. ~Rod
