It too is constructed of native stone. Also quite impressive is the huge stone barn which measured 60 by 110 feet and only lacked 2 feet from being the largest barn in Kansas at the time of its' construction. It too featured running water from the same spring which supplied the house. The view from the arched door on the west is pretty nice. As impressive and interesting as the farmstead buildings are, the reason that this area was set aside as a National Preserve is the tallgrass prairie.
Cattle still graze here.
When the private organization, The National Park Trust, bought the ranch in 1994 with the intention of turning it over to the National Park Service, it caused an uproar among local people. Many were not comfortable having a National Park in their back yard. These are independent folks, used to dealing with nature on her own terms. It's a land where self-reliance goes with the territory. Finally a compromise solution was reached.