KU News Release

Cottonwood Falls, Council Grove among Wheat State Whirlwind Tour stops May 25

LAWRENCE — Nearly 50 University of Kansas faculty and staff members will wrap up the 10th annual Wheat State Whirlwind Tour on Friday, May 25, with stops in Yoder, Lyon County, Cottonwood Falls and Council Grove.

The tour, sponsored by Chancellor Robert Hemenway, provides KU faculty and staff, many new to Kansas, with a firsthand look at the state’s history, landscape and economy.

The day’s first stop will be at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in Yoder. Director Ed Pavey will give a demonstration of some of the center’s training techniques and tell about its mission. Established by the Kansas Legislature in 1968, the center is the state’s primary law enforcement training facility. It is a unit of KU Continuing Education and is located south of Hutchinson at a former Naval air station.

Faculty and staff will travel to the Ritchie Ranch in Lyon County. KU alumni Scott and Carol Ritchie of Wichita will host the group for lunch at their ranch located in the rolling prairie of the Flint Hills. Scott Ritchie will speak to the group about ranching in the Flint Hills and lead the group on a nature walk through their property, located about 20 miles south of Cottonwood Falls, the next stop on the tour.

In Cottonwood Falls, some tour participants will visit the historic Chase County Courthouse, and others visit with local residents along Main Street and shop at local businesses. The Chase County Courthouse is the oldest courthouse still in use in Kansas.

On the way to the tour’s final stop in Council Grove, the group will visit the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve near Strong City. The preserve features an 11-room mansion built from local limestone in 1881. The mansion has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1971 and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1997.

The Kaw Mission State Historical Site will be another point of interest as the tour nears Council Grove. Originally constructed as a school for children of the Kaw, or Kanza, Indians who lived near Council Grove from 1848 until their removal to Indian Territory in 1873, the site is a museum focusing on the heritage of Kaw Indians and the Santa Fe Trail.

Downtown Council Grove will be the final stop of the 2007 tour. The historic area features numerous shops and restaurants, several located in Santa Fe Trail landmark buildings. The bus will then return to Lawrence, bringing the five-day, 1,200-mile trip to a close for another year.

Itinerary for Friday, May 25

7:40 a.m. — Depart for Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center
8 a.m. — Arrive at Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in Yoder. Demonstration with Ed Pavey, director
9 a.m. — Depart for Ritchie Ranch (100 miles)
11 a.m. — Lunch at Ritchie Ranch with Scott and Carol Ritchie
1 p.m. — Depart for Cottonwood Falls (20 miles)
1:30 p.m. — Arrive in Cottonwood Falls
2:15 p.m. — Depart Cottonwood Falls (22 miles). Points of interest: Tall Grass Prairie Preserve and Old Kaw Mission
3:15 p.m. — Arrive at downtown Council Grove
4 p.m. — Depart for Lawrence (84 miles)
5:30 p.m. — Arrive at the KU Visitor Center

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