Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Chase County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
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"It seemed… a lonely little house of scholarship, with its playground worn so bare… But that humble little school had a dignity of a fixed and far off purpose… It was the outpost of civilization… driving the wilderness farther into the west. It was life preparing wistfully for the future."
James Rooney, Journey from Ignorant Ridge, 1976
Providing a basic education for their children was a high priority to prairie settlers. Classes began here at the Lower Fox Creek School in 1884, and continued until 1930. Land for the school had been donated by Stephen F. Jones, original owner of the adjacent Spring Hill Ranch.
The school's basic one-room style, constructed of the same limestone which underlies its knoll, provided a place where the basics were taught -- reading, writing, arithmetic -- and geology. From their little prairie school, local children were introduced to the world. Some of them stayed to inherit family ranches, while others went off to explore the places they had only seen on school house maps. Wherever they went though, the memory of growing up in this place probably went with them.
As the tallgrass prairie has become an increasingly threatened landscape, the type of view that can be seen from the Lower Fox Creek School has become increasingly rare. As a part of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, it will continue to be protected so that children of the future can have the opportunity to enjoy, and learn the basics of, the amazing prairie.
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To honor Mr. & Mrs. Robert Peterson of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas for their labor of love in restoring Lower Fox Creek School House in 1972.
Erected by National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, and Mid East District of Kansas Association Garden Club.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1976.
Location. 38° 26.433′ N, 96° 33.449′ W. Marker is in Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas, in Chase County. Marker is on State Highway 177, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Strong City KS 66869, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Vital Necessities (approx. 0.4 miles away); Curious Outbuildings (approx. half a mile away); Prairie for the People (approx. half a mile away); Spring Hill Ranch (approx. half a mile away); Little Barn on the Prairie (approx. half a mile away); Welcome to the Prairie (approx. half a mile away); W.B. Strong Memorial Railroad Park (approx. 3.3 miles away); Strong City (approx. 3.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.
Also see . . . Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. (Submitted on November 8, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 417 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 8, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.