In 1857, Newton Ainsworth claimed this land and allowed the trail travelers to continue camping here. A decade later, the railroads began to make their way west and the great overland trails became a part of history. The need for camping at Lone Elm ceased. Cattle and sheep replaced the wagons and oxen teams. The prairie grass sod became cultivated crop fields. Water wells were dug with picks and shovels. Through the years, this land would be farmed similar to other nearby farms. Lone Elm Park, dedicated in 2005, now exists on this famous quarter section. The vision for this park was set long ago when various individuals, including Ainsworth, were desirous of marking the trails and preserving their stories. Today, Lone Elm Park continues that vision. Once again, people can gather at Lone Elm.
"In May and June, 1857, I broke seventy acres of virgin Kansas soil on the Lone Elm Campground...on the fourth day of March, 1858, I unloaded the lumber to build a cabin. It was only 10x11 feet, with the ground for a floor, we lived in it for two years, and it was the first cabin erected in this part of the county."
- Newton Ainsworth
Excerpt from his speech when the DAR trail marker was placed at Lone Elm in 1906.
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