Close-cropped vegetation in this area marks the site of a prairie dog town. The small rodents feed on the plants surrounding their burrows, thereby removing cover for would-be predators. Burrowing owls commonly inhabit abandoned prairie dog burrows.
(We do not recommend walking in or through the prairie dog towns.)
POI B - Eightmile Corner
The 1903 windmill stands near the spot where Kansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado meet. Since the early 1800s, the actual location of the junction was hotly disputed - surveys had contained errors and markers had been lost in drifting sand. A marker from the 1903 Carpenter survey is located 3/4 mile north, but acceptance of this survey was vetoed by President Roosevelt in 1908.
With the advent of satellite technology, the true geographic corner was marked here in 1990 by the Bureau of Land Management. The survey marker is now a reference point for satellite-based computerized mapping and is secured 4’ below the brass plate in the middle of the road. (In 2017 a windstorm tore down the windmill but the brass plate is still intact).
Stop 1 - Artesian (Miracle) Well
The windmill located on this water well at one point was not connected to a waterline. The year-round water flow was affected by fluctuations in the Ogallala Water Aquifer. The Miracle Well is one of close to 200 windmills on the Grassland that supply water for wildlife and livestock; however it has recently been hooked to the water system due to the water well going dry.
It is 2.1 miles to Stop 2.
C - Tunnerville Work Center
The Tunnerville Work Center is the shop and barn area for the Grassland. At the end of the Dust Bowl era, it served as headquarters for the Soil Conservation Service’s efforts to revegetate the denuded prairie.
It was during this time that the Work Center received its name. Each morning, laborers would load onto trucks for the ride from Elkhart out to headquarters. They said they were “riding the Toonerville Trolley”, which was a phrase from a popular song of the times. Today you can see the results of these men’s labors, and those of many more workers that followed, in the rejuvenated prairies of the Cimarron National Grassland.
Stop 2 - Livestock Grazing
The Grassland provides pasture for approximately 5,000 head of cattle each year. The livestock are owned by local ranchers and graze from May 1 to October 31 under a permit with the Forest Service. Grazing is used as a tool to manipulate and manage vegetation conditions and composition. The corrals at this Stop are used during “roundup” of the cattle grazed on the Grassland and are available the rest of the year for use by visiting horseback riders and stock packers.
It is 1.2 miles to Stop 3.
Stop 3 - Cimarron Recreation Area
The Cimarron Recreation Area was constructed in 1991, the area contains 12 campsites, a day-use picnic area, and a group-use area. Complete with rest rooms, running water (from May thru November), grills, horse corrals, hiking and horseback trail access points, fishing ponds, and the first fishing dock accessible for persons with disabilities in southwest Kansas, the Recreation Area is a particularly popular spot.
It is 2.8 miles to Stop 4.
Stop 4 - Wildlife Habitat
The cottonwood and willow trees growing in the Cimarron River’s wooded riparian ecosystem provide excellent habitat for wildlife. Elk, deer, turkey and quail make good use of the cover, as do a large number of songbirds and raptors.
Turn left (N) and go 0.3 miles to Stop 5.
Stop 5 - Cimarron River
The usually dry riverbed of the Cimarron River runs through the heart of the Grassland and provides recreation opportunities and wildlife habitat. The river actually runs 2 ft. to 4 ft. beneath the sand and normally flows visibly in the riverbed only in times of flood.
Go 1/4 mile north, then turn left (W) onto FS600 to Stop 6 (4 miles), or continue north to POI-D.
POI D - Santa Fe Trail Ruts
The Trail ruts at this site are considerably more visible than are those located at Stop 7.
Stop 6 - Pioneer Memorial
The two graves in the enclosure belong to the daughters of a pioneer family who lived at the Point of Rocks Ranch that was located beneath Point of Rocks, some nine miles upstream. In 1914, a flash flood washed away the ranch and swept the children downstream to this point on the old 81 Ranch, where their bodies were found and brought uphill to be buried here.
It is 0.9 miles to the turnoff to POI-E, or 3.0 miles to Stop 7.
POI E - Boehm Gas Storage Field
The geologic formations under this area are used by Colorado Interstate Gas Company as a storage cache for natural gas. The natural gas is pumped down into the porous rock during periods of light consumer demand and withdrawn during periods of high demand.
Stop 7 - Santa Fe Trail
The Cimarron Route of the Santa Fe Trail was used primarily by adventurous shipping merchants to transport goods to and from Santa Fe in the 1800s. Ruts are now visible as a gentle swale at several spots on the Grassland.
It is 2.0 miles to Stop 8 (just before stop 8 there is a turnoff to POI F- Point of Rocks Ponds).
POI F - Point of Rock Ponds
These narrow ponds provide water for wildlife and where bass, channel catfish and bluegill may be found for angling enjoyment. Fishing ponds on the Grassland receive more fishing pressure per acre than any other fishing waters in Kansas. There are restroom facilities available at this location as well.
Return to the main road and continue to Stop 8.
Stop 8 - Oil & Gas Development
The oil and gas well to the north is typical of nearly 500 similar facilities on the Grassland. Wells are operated by private corporations under a leasing system and generate millions of dollars in royalties for the Government. By authority of the Bankhead-Jones Act, 25% of these royalties come back to Morton and Stevens Counties for roads or schools. The subsurface beneath the Grassland contains numerous layers, or formations, of oil/gas-bearing strata, which contributes greatly to the economic development of southwest Kansas.
It is 0.6 miles to stop 9.
Stop 9 - Middle Spring
Santa Fe Trail travelers faced over 40 miles of waterless prairie between Lower Spring (near Ulysses, KS) and the dependable, year-round artesian spring found here at Middle Spring. This site, therefore, was a stopover for virtually every merchant wagon train traveling this branch of the Santa Fe Trail.
Modern Day the middle springs area has restroom facilities, water, picnic tables, and a short hiking trail.
It is 0.9 mile to Stop 10.
Stop 10 - Point of Rocks
Native Americans possibly scouted for buffalo from this third-highest point in Kansas, and in 1541, Coronado’s expedition made note of the formation for future explorers. During the days of the Santa Fe Trail, Point of Rocks served as a major landmark.
At this point on the tour, exit Point of Rocks and turn right (E), retrace your path back to Hwy 27 where you will turn left (N), drive up the hill and arrive at Stop 11. It is 3.4 miles to Stop 11.
Stop 11 - Scenic Overlook
A good view of the Cimarron River corridor is offered from this site. Prior to 1940, very few trees grew along the river. Trees brought in by settlers, seeds washed down-river during floods and the control of wildfire and grazing, all contributed to the establishment of the wooded area you now see.
