The Sweet Up and Down

I got interested in ghost towns when Randy and I checked out some books from the library. The first towns we went to were Franklin and Bismarck Grove in Douglas County. We found nothing because the Bismarck Grove site is inaccessible and most of Franklin has now been built upon. I later learned there's a small cemetery at the top of a hill near the East Hills Business Park that was once the Franklin Cemetery.

While I haven't been to a lot of ghost towns, I've been to a few around Eastern Kansas and while I may not be able to find them, I at least attempt the journey. The following is a list of my three favorite ghost towns. I have plenty more if you're interested.

UNIONTOWN
(Take I-70 west out of Topeka to Carlson Road exit. Turn right toward Willard/Rossville. Follow signs to the Green Wildlife Refuge which is where Uniontown used to be.)

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Uniontown was an Oregon Trail stop near the Kansas River. It was also a trading post where Indians could cash their government annuities and also spend it. Uniontown, before settlement in Kansas began in 1854, was the largest town and stayed that way for awhile until traffic on the trail dwindled and people moved to Topeka. Today, Uniontown is mainly located in the Green Wildlife Refuge. A couple of cemeteries are in the immediate area and one has a mass Indian burial after a cholera epidemic. The wildlife preserve has old farm equipment and two hiking trails that take you into the woods surrounding Post Creek.

Went I first went to find Uniontown, I followed the directions in the ghost town traveller's guide where you exit at West Union Road. You're supposed to follow the road until it curves wide at the site of a cemetery. While the road did curve, it curved onto someone's driveway. I followed West Union Road up and down and found no cemetery. It wasn't until I spent a day in Rossville that I saw signs for the Green Wildlife Refuge along Carlson Road. I followed the signs through Willard and topping a hill saw an old stone house and cemetery. I walked both hiking trails that day although I don't really recommend going there by yourself. Even though most, if not all, of the town is gone it's nice to know that the site is being well-preserved.

WHITE CLOUD/IOWA POINT
(Take K-7 north from Troy and follow the road along the Missouri River until you come to both towns. Both are clearly marked.)

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White Cloud was once a major steamboat port. Iowa Point was once the largest city in Doniphan County with over 2,000 inhabitants. White Cloud hoped to become a sister city to Atchison which sadly didn't happen but White Cloud continued to be a strong city based on the steamboat industry. When the railroad came through and steamboat traffic dwindled the population moved, mainly to Atchison or St Joseph. A small population still lives in White Cloud which has the distinction of being the place where the piggy bank was invented, a couple of buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and White Cloud also has an observation point where people can see Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa.

Iowa Point was once the second-largest city along the Missouri River, after Leavenworth. The reason for Iowa Point's decline was an economic recession in 1859, the Iowa and Sac & Fox Agencies were moved miles away and the town was evenly divided on the slavery issue and fires broke out on Main Street. After the Civil War, soldiers returned to find a town depleted of businesses and homes. In 1870, the population was estimated at around 500 and in 1933 the post office was closed. Today, only a few houses remain along Denmark Road just off of K-7.

I decided to visit these towns while driving on U.S. 36 when I was leaving Sabetha. I knew I could follow U.S. 36 to K-7 to the Nebraska border. K-7 has been designated scenic route and for good reason. Leaving 36 and getting onto 7 takes you through a winding Kansas highway past small towns such as Fanning and Sparks. K-7 brushes against the Missouri River as it leads into Nebraska. I nearly ran out of gas travelling on this road as there are no gas stations between U.S. 36 and Nebraska. Luckily, the Iowa Indians have a reservation outside of White Cloud where I was able to get gas (really cheap, too!) and started making my way back home.

I did a bit more exploring in Iowa Point because I like the name and the history really intrigued me. Iowa Point is surrounded by high mounds created by natives long before Europeans came to the area. I was also able to find the cemetery which was kind of off the beaten path. I actually thought Iowa Point was a nice community despite having only a few houses.

SILKVILLE
(Take I-35 south from Ottawa to the Williamsburg exit. Follow Dane Avenue to Old Highway 50/William Street. Turn right and follow Old Highway 50 for about three miles. A sign should welcome you to the Silkville Ranch near the intersections with Arkansas Road and Douglas Road.)

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Silkville was founded by Frenchman Ernest de Boissere who created the town to center on the growing silk industry. While de Boissere was successful with both silk and later, cheese, the industry started to collapse and de Boissere grew homesick for France and sold the ranch to the Odd Fellows Lodge for use as an orphanage. Later, the ranch burned down. Today, all that remains is a few outbuildings, the Silkville Ranch sign and an old schoolhouse.

I originally didn't plan to go to Silkville. I originally followed John Brown Road from U.S. 59 until I got to Old Highway 50 which is something I wouldn't recommend unless you like huge, smelly farm. It also took forever to get there because Silkville is a lot further south than I thought. The drive was interesting but I soon just wanted to get there and thought about turning around a couple times. When actually arriving in Silkville, there's really nothing that says you are there except for the sign. I even explored a little more and went to the town of Agricola and all the way down to BETO Junction before I turned around. If you're ever in the area, take a trip around Melvern Lake. It's a gorgeous lake and kind of creepy at the same time.

Until next time, I remain...
~Brian

My mom listens to a lot of country music and since our front rooms are pretty close to each other and she's partially deaf I get to hear practically everything that comes out of her TV. There are several country music videos that just annoy me either because they are annoying or because they are overplayed or because my mom seemingly hunts these songs down when they air. So let's get mocking.

Stay by Sugarland
I don't mind Sugarland. I think they are a decent duo who have actually earned the accolades bestowed upon them but this song just irritates me. Jennifer Nettles' voice just pierces my eardrums and it is not attractive when she cries. I know the backstrory for this song and sadly I know what she's singing about but I just don't like it. After you listen to it, you may agree.

Our Song by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is a cute blond with a good voice. There's no denying that but this song is way too overplayed. Plus, my mom insists on singing along with it which makes me want to blow my brains out. It also bugs me that all her songs are reminiscent of high school days, and why shouldn’t they be? She is only 18.

Laughed Until We Cried by Jason Aldean
I just don’t like the lyrics or tune of this song. There’s one part of the song that gets stuck in my head and the only way to get it out is with a bullet. It’s not even that this is one of mom’s favorite songs but it always seems to come on and she never changes the channel so I can assume she likes it to a point. I don’t though. Sadly, I even woke up to this song this morning. Not a good way to start the day.

Moments by Emerson Drive
Now I used to love Emerson Drive. Their first hits were great songs that I enjoyed but then after being away for several years they came back…with this song…and I don’t like it but my mom enjoys it. I don’t know why. I’ve tried to get into this song but I think it’s because it’s so slow and depressing. I can be a depressing guy sometimes but depressing songs I just can’t handle. I guess technically this song has a somewhat happy ending but still, it takes its sweet time getting there.

All-American Girl by Carrie Underwood
This song has just always annoyed me. It’s too bright, cheerful and makes me want to kick Carrie Underwood in the crotch. Seriously, the crotch. I also find it very un-American that the sophomore cheerleader falls for the senior football star and they end up getting married and having kids. What year does this song take place? 1952?

Shiftwork by Kenny Chesney with George Strait
I don’t give a rat’s ass if this song has George Strait in it or not. It bothers me. When was the last time Kenny Chesney worked an actual job and don’t give me that crap about the traveling and concerts are hard work because he gets paid a lot more money that justifies the hard work. I worked for two days moving 50 pound pieces of garage doors around for $7.50 an hour. I’m pretty sure that if I got paid $15 or more I would’ve stuck it out longer than two days. Plus I hate Kenny Chesney.

Stealing Cinderella by Chuck Wicks
This song sadly reminds me of the last time I discussed marriage with someone. I always felt like I was taking away this father’s little girl but we both knew I’d take good care of her. But now someone else is “stealing” her so it’s not my problem anymore. That’s the main reason I don’t like this song. Brings up bad memories.

Gone Gone Gone (Done Me Wrong) by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant
This song doesn’t exactly annoy me but it’s damn catchy. Just damn catchy.

Until next time, I remain…
~Brian

Well, I got yet another email from my publisher telling us that our royalty checks are on the way (I’m estimating I will get about $0, same as last time) but they always throw in some stupid and pointless story into the email about how wonderful their authors are. They like to brag about how these “famous” people are writing books exclusively for PublishAmerica but when you actually do the research you come to realize that those people aren’t really as famous as PublishAmerica leads you to believe. So for this belated Lazy Sunday you can do some research on some of the people PublishAmerica is so glad to have under contract.

Latasha Colander Clark is an Olympic Gold Medal winner for the 4x400 meter at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. While she’s remotely famous I don’t know why a legitimate publisher wouldn’t want to sign her. PublishAmerica didn’t lie about this one.

Vanilla Fudge was a psychedelic band that recorded from 1967 to 1970 and were great admirers of the Beatles. Bill Pascali was lead vocals along with keyboards however he is listed as a “former member” but PublishAmerica makes it seem like he’s still with them and that Vanilla Fudge is still performing.

PublishAmerica also brags about having Marcia Miles under contract. They credit her as being on Walker, Texas Ranger. I looked up Marcia Miles and Walker on Imdb and found nothing about her. Maybe she was an uncredited extra or something. Please help with this.

Ronnie Sando is at least a lie that I can confirm. Ronnie Sando began singing in 1956 and was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. So PublishAmerica actually got that right but unfortunately Ronnie Sando isn’t as big of a celebrity as you would think. You can also go to his own website and email him at ronniesando@gmail.com.

I learned about The Myriad from their MySpace page and learned that John Schofield was a founding member and the band’s bassist. Hell, the band was even named MTV’s 2007 Breakout champion. And from listening to their music, it’s not too bad. I like that bows and arrows are a major part of their concerts. So, why this bassist/archer wants to write books I don’t know but hopefully he won’t care when he’s essentially screwed without lube.

House music is a style of electronic dance music that was developed by dance club DJs in Chicago. Jesse Saunders is apparently the “father” of this kind of music that makes my head hurt. I honestly don’t know how Saunders is the father of this music as his Wikipedia is not very helpful.

According to PublishAmerica, Sid Feders is a four-time Emmy winner although it doesn’t say for what so I figured it was one of their technical awards that no one really cares about but once again Imbd shows no awards won for Sid Feders. Feders was apparently a producer for the TV movie Cloned (1997) but I’m not seeing any Emmys for either Sid or Cloned. My search went further because I know where to look for television information. Apparently Sid Feders has won Emmy awards but not for anything that people would actually watch as you can see.

PublishAmerica lists Ronald “Smokey” Stevens as a Broadway performer which, from what I found out, he is but what I also found out was that he hasn’t actually been on stage since 1985. Again, with the stretching.

The truly big name in PublishAmerica’s email of clouded truth is Agatha Von Trapp. Now the name probably sounds familiar because she is the eldest daughter of the Von Trapp family famously portrayed in The Sound of Music. At 94, apparently she is now persuing a career in writing. What I find odd is that they spell her name “Agatha” when Wikipedia lists it as Agathe.

Now this is freakin’ sweet. The next name on the list, Glen W. Hill, is a Disney animator who worked on The Fox and the Hound one of my personal favorites but has also worked on Fox’s Family Guy. You can learn about him and see some of his artwork at his website.

Now I am all for the Pulitzer Prize. I want to win a Pulitzer for something in my lifetime so when PublishAmerica announced that they signed a Pulitzer Prize winner I had to look it up. They signed William Coughlin who didn’t win the Pulitzer himself. A small newspaper called the Washington Daily News won the Pulitzer for an expose about their town’s unsafe drinking water. Coughlin was just the editor at the time.

So I’m glad I got that cleared up and I learned a few things. I’ll let you know how much my royalty check is because I’m sure it’s not gonna be much. So until next time, I remain…
~Brian

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