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Kansas Landmark in the NY Times
posted in: The Stuff of Life
Friday, June 10, 2005
I had something of a surreal experience while browsing the web today. I saw a photo of an old, weather-worn one-room schoolhouse here in Kansas that I used to drive by featured on the NY Times website. I always thought the schoolhouse was picturesque, and especially striking as it stands alone at the top of a small hill with nothing but tallgrass fields and a dirt road as its backdrop. This little schoolhouse is just about literally in the middle of nowhere, located about an hour outside of Wichita, 100 yards off of a two lane highway.
Needless to say, I was surprised to see "my" little landmark featured on the NY Times. If you are curious and registered to the NY Times website you can read the article, "A Sliver of Prairie Still Untamed."
The only reason I know where it's located is because it served as my landmark to turn at the next right off the highway which would take me to a retreat center I used to frequent monthly for some solitude, back in the days before I had kids. When I would see the schoolhouse on the left, I knew to take the next right off the highway, go down a winding dirt road, cross the bridge over the river, and head towards the woods (yes, Kansas does have SOME wooded areas). Next thing you know, you're there.
I imagine that when most people think of Kansas, they probably think of places like those featured in this article. and they would be right--much of Kansas consists of rural areas (Wichita, where I live, being a notable exception). But as these travel writers discovered, "Kansas has a beauty all its own," as my wife is fond of saying. And I think that little old schoolhouse is a very good case in point.
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