Cottonwood Falls Kansas: The second stop in the Flint Hills

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Cottonwood Falls is a small town that finds its home in the Flint Hills of Kansas. I had not planned on stopping in Cottonwood; however, upon entering the town, there was a man made waterfall on the Cottonwood River that caught my eye. Next to the waterfall was a bridge that had been restored into a footbridge. A large tree was hanging from the concrete wall that creates the falls and another lay next to the bridge, signs of flooding that had possibly recently taken place. The American flag waved and snapped in the wind. It was hard to tell the difference between the roar of the waterfall and the thundering of the gusty wind.

For lunch I stopped at Swope Park and ate the p, b, & j sandwich and chips I had made that morning. While checking my photography equipment in the back of the Jeep, I looked further down the park road. I swear I saw a tank sitting down there but could not be sure. As mentioned in the previous article, there was a treasure at the end of this road. Mounted high on metal poles, silhouetted in the sunlight, was a UH-1 Huey. The tank sat on the other end of the veteran’s memorial, shaded by trees that stood in respect around the memories of this place.

It was hard to miss the prominent Chase County Courthouse standing tall at the end of Broadway Street. Built in 1873, it is the oldest courthouse in Kansas that is still in use. The design, French Renaissance, used locally quarried limestone. The red roof of the courthouse is well complimented as it reaches into the deep blue morning sky.
Finding my way back to the highway that heads north onto the Flint Hills Scenic Byway continues the Flint Hills day trip.

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