Johnson County, KS
Traders and settlers heading west would have been just one day out of Independence or Westport, Missouri, when they came into this area. From the pages of their diaries they speak to us today about their first night on the prairie at Lone Elm campground, the point where the trails divided, the dangerous crossing at the "Narrows," and the beauty of the Kansas prairie as seen for their first time. One, Thomas Johnson, who established the Shawnee Indian Methodist Mission, is the county's namesake.The story of the Santa Fe and Oregon-California trails is closely tied to the history of Kansas. Trade with the Spanish Southwest began in 1821 as William Becknell established the route leading to Santa Fe. For more than fifty years the Santa Fe Trail was traveled by traders, military units and fortune seekers. Between 1840 and 1870, a quarter of a million Americans crossed the continent on the Oregon-California Trail. These pioneers followed the Santa Fe Trail out of Independence or Westport, Missouri, and then turned north just outside of Gardner, Kansas. With the arrival of the railroad in 1872, came a rush of European immigrants and the county (especially Olathe, described then as the "Eden of Kansas") boomed.
We invite you to share our area's rich history. Visit two authentically restored museums. Experience the beauty of the tallgrass prairie. Walk in the ruts created by thousands of wagon wheels. Friendly folks in each community will accommodate you on your modern-day overland trail adventure.
Explore Johnson County
Ernie Miller Nature Center & Park
Enjoy this 113-acre park with three hiking trails, an education center, and an outdoor amphitheater where you can observe owls, hawks, and an indoor/outdoor beehive.
Olathe, KS Nature CentersOverland Park Golf Club
One of the most popular and best maintained courses in the area, Overland Park Golf Club has 27 regulation golf holes, configured as three 18-hole courses, South, North and West, along with a challenging 9-hole Par-3.
Overland Park, KS Golf CoursesWilliam J. Mara Museum - KS School for the Deaf
The Kansas State School for the Deaf is the oldest state educational institution in the State of Kansas. The School was founded by Philip A. Emery, a deaf man who had been a teacher at the Indiana School for the Deaf from 1854 to 1860
Olathe, KS MuseumsLegler Barn Museum Complex
The LEGLER BARN MUSEUM houses the history of the city of Lenexa and the area. Built in 1864 by the early Lenexa resident Adam Legler, the Legler barn is one of the few stone barns still in existence in Kansas. It was originally situated on the Santa Fe Trail at the corner of 95
Lenexa, KS MuseumsAntioch Pioneer Cemetery
Antioch Pioneer Cemetery is the resting place of some of the Quakers who were associated with the Mission. The Cemetery dates back to before 1850 and a replica of the original church (Antioch Cumberland Presbyterian, formed in 1850)
Merriam, KS CemeteriesSanta Fe Trail Marker
This marker, set by The Daughters of the American Revolution and the state of Kansas in 1906
Lenexa, KS Historical MarkersFrisco Train Depot
The 1912-1913 Frisco Train Depot was relocated to the Legler Barn Museum Complex in 1987, from its long time home in old town Lenexa at the intersection of Santa Fe Trail Drive and Pflumm. The Depot features the exhibit By Way of Lenexa:
Lenexa, KS Railroad HistoryNASCART Indoor Racing
At NASCART indoor racing, you are behind the wheel of high performance karts! Since opening our facility in 2002
Olathe, KS SportsSkyZone Trampoline Park
Sky Zone Trampoline Park has all the fun you want for birthday parties, group events, activities, programs and more! Sky Zone is the world'
Shawnee, KS Fun CentersCatch the Maze Craze
You can grow it, shuck it, pop it, cook it and increasingly over the last few years even play in it. With more than 3,500 reported uses, corn may just be the world'
Overland Park, KS Corn Mazes