Our Someday is Today: De Soto, Kansas to Topeka

Driving from Desoto to Topeka we passed by many towns and saw multiple farms with huge fields. We were used to seeing large fields in the Carolinas but most of these fields seemed to go beyond the horizon in their immensity. Upon arrival in Topeka we drove to the Deer Creek Valley RV Park and got set up easily. The RV Park has very roomy paved sites with full hookups and well manicured lawn areas around the campsites.

We were able to take a quick tour of Topeka and made a plan of what we wanted to see the next day. One of the main places of interest for us was the old Monroe School building in downtown Topeka. This school was the focus location for the famous Brown versus The Board of Education of Topeka case in 1954. The school building is now a national historic site but was closed for tours due to the Covid19 pandemic. Reading the historical placards around the outside of the school reminded us once again of the terrible oppression and persecution that generations of Black Americans have been forced to live with for centuries. Hopefully someday all Americans will truly be able to fully realize the promise of the Declaration of Independence for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Even though some progress has been made in this area there is much more to be done.

We also located the Frontier Prairie Village which has several early frontier buildings and displays. When we returned the next day we were able to walk through the various buildings, enjoy a self guided tour and even had an ice cream sundae from the old drug store soda fountain. The adjoining Ward-Meade mansion and botanical gardens were delightful with many tulips in full bloom. While touring the village we were reminded of how strong and determined the frontier folks had to be just to survive. Transportation of goods and people via the railroads and ferries were a vital link to making their expansion efforts survivable.