The Quivira Chapter and the Cottonwood Chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association will join together for a tour of selected sites in Rice County on Saturday, July 23. The tour will be a car caravan. The tour will start at 10 a.m. at the Little Arkansas Crossing/ Cottonwood Grove Cemetery .

To reach the starting point, go five miles south of U.S. Highway 56 on Plum Street (along the Rice/McPherson County line). Plum Street is located approximately ½ mile west of Windom. To reach the site from Hutchinson , go approximately 15 miles north on Plum Street to Avenue P. Turn west on Avenue P and go approximately 3/4 mile.

The turn off for the Cottonwood Grove Cemetery will be on the left.

Britt Colle will lead the tour of the area including the dugouts, cemetery, Camp Grierson , the Stone Corral, the bridge, fords, and the Marker Cottonwood as well as the Swanson Swales and Fry ruts in the surrounding area. The tour will follow the Santa Fe Trail Local Tour Route past the Chavez robbery/murder site before making our way to Lyons. Lunch is on your own. Due to a recent buffalo hunt, the chef may provide snack samples of buffalo tongue, heart, and liver.

At 1:30 p.m. participants will rendezvous in Lyons at the Coronado Quivira Museum, 105 West Lyon, for a guided tour and viewing of the Hayes Collection of Indian artifacts gathered from the Indians sites that are part of the afternoon tour. From the museum, travel back east on Highway 56 to 22nd Road and then north to the sites of the Intaglio Serpent, the Peverly Petroglyphs, and the Hayes Pit House.

There is no charge for the tour. The Quivira Chapter will have water available. Particpants should come prepared for walking in a hot, weedy, muggy, and muddy environment with possible exposure to poison ivy.

Wear comfortable shoes, socks, pants, bring bug spray, etc. In case of rain and/or muddy roads, there will be no access to tour sites and the tour will be rescheduled. For more information, call Linda Colle at 620-241-8719.