#1 Kanopolis Lake Information Center - The Kansas River Basin is subject to infrequent but surprisingly destructive floods. In 1826, a solid wall of water from the Kansas River reached the Missouri River and submerged the bottoms at 10 to 12 feet. In 1844, William Bent, in traveling across the plains, had to follow the divides between rivers as "every river was full from bluff to bluff." The newly established town of Ellsworth was flooded in 1867, causing the town to relocate to its present site. Following the destruction of the 1938 flood on the Smoky Hill River, public sentiment turned in favor of flood control. The first project selected for the Kansas City District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was Kanopolis Lake. Construction activities began in 1940, but were halted in 1942 due to World War II. Construction activities began again in 1946 and the project was completed in 1948.

#2 Cooley's Crossing - This river bridge spans what was once known as Cooley' s Crossing. In the north bank of the river, one can still see the remnants of the wagon cuts. Lycuryus J. Cooley settled with his family on the south bank in 1882. Local homesteaders used the Cooley Crossing to travel to Marquette to obtain supplies and to grind their wheat at Bacon's Mill.

#3 Gile Family Cemetery - The small cemetery located just east of the road on private property is the final resting place of William S. and Adaline P. Gile, early pioneers of the Smoky Hill River Valley. The Giles settled on their ranch in 1872 and lived there until their deaths in 1904. Prior to coming to Kansas, Mr. Gile was an employee with the freighting firm of Irwin, Jackson, and Co., which transported military supplies to posts west of the Missouri River. He was responsible for locating winter feed in the Des Moines, Iowa area for 6,000 oxen. After receiving a serious injury in opposing a cavalry charge during the Civil War, Captain Gile came to Kansas and settled a farm which was located on both sides of what is now the Kanopolis Dam.

#4 Venango Post Office - Leaving Venango County, Pennsylvania, Ellis Hughes homesteaded in the Smoky Hill Valley in 1868. As the prairie population grew, the Federal Government appointed postmasters to disperse the mail. In 1875, Hughes was appointed postmaster. He named the post office after his former home of Venango County, Pennsylvania. The Venango Post Office was a sandstone structure which served both as a post office and farm dwelling. It was located approximately in what is now the Venango swimming area near the north end of the dam. During construction of the Kanopolis Dam, the former post office was used as a project office for the Corps of Engineers.

#5 Riverside Division - One of the largest ranches in Kansas began on this site in 1897. The ranch became known as the Sherman Ranch. The Sherman Ranch headquarters was located at this site from 1889 to 1902. As the ranch grew to 40,000 acres, the original headquarters became known as the Riverside Division, one of eight divisions of the ranch. The ranch was at the forefront in agricultural technology. The extensive farm and hog operations of Riverside boasted a modern feed mill (foundation may still be seen), storage for 40,000 bushels of ear corn and 20,000 bushels of wheat, and a hog house in which over 1,000 pigs were farrowed every year.

From the Rocky Mountain General Store

Kansas Historic Book Collection - 35 Historic Books on CD - The Historical Kansas Book Collection is a collection of 35 volumes relating to the history of Kansas and its people primarily in the 18th and 19th centuries. Several of the volumes have great period illustrations and portraits of relevant historical figures. Includes such titles as the History of Kansas (1899), History of Kansas Newspapers (1916), All five volumes of A Standard History of Kansas (1918), Pioneer Days in Kansas (1903), and dozens of others.

 Made in the USA.