Near Kismet in Seward County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Arkalon and the Samson of the Cimarron
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, April 17, 2012
1. Arkalon and the Samson of the Cimarron Marker
Many Kansas towns originated as potential railroad centers. Three miles west of this marker Arkalon was founded in 1888 at the Cimarron river crossing of the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska railway, a part of the Rock Island. Town lots were cheap, and people flocked in by the hundreds. However, the deep sand of the area was a serious handicap to the movement of horse-drawn freight, and the town never succeeded in establishing itself as a profitable marketing point. It was sustained for years by the large stockyards but by the 1920's most of the population had gone.
Mighty Samson bridge over the Cimarron river in Seward County, Kansas The railroad, slowed by a hairpin curve and plagued by flooding on the Cimarron which brought severe damage to equipment and freight, diverted several miles of track from the town to utilize the bridge it erected here in 1939. Called the Samson of the Cimarron, the bridge is 1269 feet long and was considered an engineering marvel of the day. It helped speed the commerce of the Southwest to its destination, and Arkalon to oblivion.
Thirteen miles southwest is Liberal, established on the railroad in 1888, and the Seward County seat since 1892.
Erected by Kansas Historical Society and State Highway Department. (Marker Number 93.)
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Location. 37° 8.996′ N, 100° 44.978′ W. Marker is near Kismet, Kansas, in Seward County. It can be reached from the intersection of U.S. 54 and Panhandle Road. Marker is in roadside park on north side of US-54. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kismet KS 67859, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, on the prairies, on the Great Plains, on the Southern Plains, and specifically on the High Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Comancherνa, the Dust Bowl, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Fargo Springs and Springfield (approx. 10.7 miles away); When Coronado came to Kansas (approx. 11.9 miles away); War Memorial (approx. 12 miles away); Seward County War Dead and Missing in Action (approx. 12 miles away); International Pancake Day (approx. 12 miles away); Liberal Memorial Library (approx. 12 miles away); The Pioneer Mother of Kansas (approx. 12 miles away); Replica of the Statue of Liberty (approx. 12 miles away).
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, April 17, 2012
2. Arkalon and the Samson of the Cimarron Marker
Photographed by Craig Doda, December 29, 2018
3. Arkalon and the Samson of the Cimarron Marker
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, April 17, 2012
4. The Samson of the Cimarron
Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, June 28, 2023
5. Arkalon and the Samson of the Cimarron Marker
Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, June 28, 2023
6. Arkalon and the Samson of the Cimarron Marker
The Mighty Samson of the Cimarron is a 1,268 foot rail bridge visible from the pullout.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 11, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 2,395 times since then and 227 times this year. Last updated on May 21, 2023, by Bradley McWilliams of Bee Branch, Arkansas. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 11, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. 3. submitted on November 30, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. 4. submitted on May 11, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. 5, 6. submitted on March 27, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
