Pawnee Rock

Pawnee Rock (HM17LJ)

Location: Pawnee Rock, KS 67567 Pawnee County
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 15.682', W 98° 59.22'

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Inscription
"We first rode nearly north about a mile to a remarkable Rocky Point . . .We rode upon the top which is probably 50 feet above the plain below, and from whence there is a charming view of the country in every direction."
—George Sibley, 1825

Pawnee Rock made an impact on Santa Fe Trail travelers, who referenced the Dakota Sandstone outcropping in their journals.

"Pawnee Rock was covered with names carved by the men who had passed it. It was so full that I could find no place for mine."
— John Birch, 1848

Located at the halfway point on the Santa Fe Trail, many stories have been told to explain how this "prairie citadel" earned its name. Once reaching a height of perhaps 100 feet or more, a large portion of the rock was stripped away for railroad bed material.

The Woman's Kansas Day Club led a campaign to save what remained of the rock. It is now preserved as a State Historic Site.
Details
HM NumberHM17LJ
Series This marker is part of the Kansas: Kansas Historical Society series, and the Santa Fe Trail series.
Tags
,
Marker Number71
Year Placed2012
Placed ByThe State of Kansas
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, October 10th, 2014 at 11:10am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)14S E 501137 N 4234814
Decimal Degrees38.26136667, -98.98700000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 15.682', W 98° 59.22'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 15' 40.92" N, 98° 59' 13.20" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)620
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 6-8 Pawnee County Rd, Pawnee Rock KS 67567, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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