After heading west and north out of Topeka on my way to Marysville, Kansas, I came across an interesting historical marker that was more than just a sign. The site has been made into a park with a picnic table and a covered wagon, along with some signage.
After stretching my legs a bit and checking out the signage around the covered wagon, I noticed a sign across the park and decided to check it out.
A pathway led toward the creek on the other side of the sign, and of course, I had to investigate.
The pathway led to a wooden pathway that headed down to the water with a sign that was difficult to read, but the heading said “To Grave Site.”
The trail eventually led underneath the bridge to the other side of the highway. Along the path were a whole bunch of snails.
And eventually, I found the gravesite.
While it’s a bit difficult to read in this photo, the engraved words on the marker read:
HERE LIES AN EARLY TRAVELER WHO LOST HIS LIFE IN QUEST OF RICHES IN THE WEST
While we’ll never know the story of this traveler, I suppose there are are worse places for your final rest.
I’ve seen a barn on the other side of the creek, so I had to go over and check it out, too. It turns out it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places! McKimmins Barn was built in 1857, but it doesn’t appear to be used for anything anymore.
Well, maybe it’s still used as a place for predators to hide while they’re waiting for some of the beautiful deer in the area to come by.
I walked back down the highway and over the bridge to my jeep. From the bridge, I snapped this beautiful photo. You can’t completely tell, but the grave marker is a little way left of this scene.
