 Home | Recent News | Wichita | Adventure Trip 01 Sep 2006 Adventure trip uncovers downhome hospitality September 1, 2005  |  | From left, residents Betty Roby and Jackie Jahde get a firsthand look at the Chase County Courthouse.
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Last month we traveled to the heart of Kansas and discovered an age-old landscape with a breathtaking vastness that amazed us all: the Flint Hills. Nestled amid the prairie grasses lies the historic town of Cottonwood Falls, where civilization first bloomed in 1872. The Chase County Courthouse forms the center of the town, at the end of Broadway, the town’s main street. A brick street so wide you can turn a horse-drawn carriage around on it, Broadway boasts dozens of places to go, including shops, galleries, restaurants and a hotel. When we arrived, we browsed some of the shops until it was time for lunch at Emma Chase Café where we received a warm welcome from the townspeople. “This is probably the best meal I have had in a long time,” resident Marian Predmore exclaimed. The food was delicious and it was just like homemade. We didn’t have any dessert though, so Miss Emma invited us back later that afternoon for a tea party, complete with hats. After lunch, we had a tour of the historic Chase County Courthouse, built in 1873. This three-story French Renaissance masterpiece is the oldest working courthouse in Kansas. Some of us braved the 53-step Walnut spiral staircase to tour the authentic court room and the eerie jail that hasn’t been used since the 1970s. Each year more than 6,000 visitors from every state and from many countries visit the Chase County Courthouse, marveling at its architectural design, the stone work and the spiral staircase, just as did the pioneers in 1873. After the courthouse, we visited the Fiber Factory, a weaving shop featuring turn-of-the-century looms. The shop owner gave us a demonstration and talked about her projects as the residents shopped. While we waited for our afternoon tea, we browsed shops, drove around the town, and even visited the falls. Finally, it was time for our tea party. When we arrived, Miss Emma had us go into a room in the restaurant that had hats everywhere and we picked out hats to fit our personalities, as did several community members who joined us. As we were all enjoying our spiced tea and pumpkin crumble we went around the room, introduced ourselves and said why we chose a certain hat. “I really enjoyed getting to know the townspeople and hearing their funny stories,” said resident Jackie Jahde. To make the wonderful trip complete, we went south of Cottonwood Falls on the Flint Hills Scenic Byway that travels among the hills and offers panoramic views of the ranches in the area, then dips down into the creek side to follow magnificent stone walls around farmsteads still in operation. A scenic overlook south of Cottonwood Falls gave us a wonderful view of the prairie land. We hope you can go with us on our next adventure!
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