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
Esther Brown Memorial Park - South Park Area
Esther Brown Memorial Park was developed in memory of Esther E. Brown, a local resident who organized citizen support in the South Park area for litigation leading to the 1949 Webb vs. School District #90 case and ultimately the Kansas Supreme Court'
Merriam, KS Historical MarkersWilliam 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 MuseumsOverland 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 CoursesOld Town Lenexa
This is the site of the old town, as it appears today, where the Santa Fe Trail passed through Lenexa. The buildings still stand as a reminder of the beginning, the coming of the railroad, and the establishment of commerce that has brought prosperity to the descendants of these pioneers.
Lenexa, KS Historic DowntownsWhittaker Flower Farm
If You Love Flowers, You'll Love the Farm! Come to the Whittaker Flower Farm in Olathe, Kansas and you'll find a field of flowers...six acres, to be exact. Everything from old fashioned Zinnias to exotic Leonotis (Lion's Ear). Over 125
Olathe, KS Botanical GardensCatch 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 MazesLanesfield School Historic Site
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Lanesfield School Historic Site is a tribute to rural schooling. It consists of a restored one-room schoolhouse, outbuildings and a visitor's center featuring an exhibit on Kansas'one-room schools called "Just Plain Simple:
Gardner, KS Historic SchoolhousesOverland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens
The 300-acre Overland Park Arboretum Botanical Garden offers a natural setting with walking trails, waterfalls, colorful flowers and a variety of gardens including a children's discovery garden and a legacy garden.
Overland Park, KS ArboretumsGardner Historical Museum
The Herman B. Foster house was built in the Spring of 1893. A classic example of Folk Victorian architecture, the house was the residence of one of Gardner's early storekeepers, a partner in the Bigelow-Foster Mercantile Company. In 1902
Gardner, KS MuseumsMerriam Historic Plaza
Merriam Historic Plaza & Visitors Bureau is located along I-35 at Exit 228B in Merriam. This site enhances the entrance to Merriam and provides visitors and residents with an outdoor preview of Merriam’
Merriam, KS Visitors Centers