Monday, December 29, 2008

The horse stops here

Even hitching rails are of interest to Explorers!
This one at the Circleville Cemetery is the longest hitching rail still in existence in Kansas.
Circleville is in Jackson County. To get to the cemetery from Circleville follow K-79 (becomes 254 Road) to the first intersection west of town, then 1 1/4 miles south on J Road.
Another famous hitching rail is in Dexter -- the bottom picture.
It stands alongside the former bank at Main and Central. The Dalton Gang robbed this bank in 1892 -- the gang's last successful robbery and the one before their ill-fated robbery attempt in Coffeyville.
Near Yoder 1 1/4 miles east of town on Red Rock Road, north side, is a horse hitching rail, which is a cable running through a hedge post. It's in front of an Amish cemetery with its plain gravestones and is used as the parking area for the horse and buggies.
Even comparing hitching rails helps people "Get Kansas!"
KE #2 Marci Penner

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Coffeyville has two hitching rails related to the Dalton Gang. The first is the one next to the old jail, down the alley from the two banks they robbed.

The second one is in Elmwood Cemetery. A bent metal bar over the grave of Bob Dalton, Grat Dalton and Bill Powers.

But the most famous Dalton Hitching rail is probably the one that wasn't there. When they went to rob the two banks, the rail where they planned to hitch their horses was no longer there. So they used the other one, which was farther away. Otherwise, they might well have gotten away.