Historic Sites Nearby

Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park

Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park showcases a mile-long stretch of 100-foot-tall spires and cliffs of eroded Niobrara Chalk, a layer of rock deposited about 85 million years ago.

Niobrara Chalk was formed by sediment that settled at the bottom of an inland ocean called the Western Interior Seaway which covered most of central North America roughly 140 to 70 million years ago. The sediment became compressed over time, and the seaway floor was lifted by the same tectonic shifting that formed the Rocky Mountains.

The park is the largest expanse of exposed Niobrara Chalk formation in Kansas. Smaller Niobrara Chalk outcrops are commonly seen along U.S. 83 Highway between Oakley and Historic Lake Scott State Park. Monument Rocks is a well-known Niobrara Chalk landmark east of Little Jerusalem.

Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park is a unique, vital habitat for a variety of wildlife and plants. Ferruginous hawks nest here and rock wrens and Says’ phoebes, common in arid parts of the western U.S., keep an eye out for insects. Sharp-eyed visitors will occasionally spot small mammals, bats, lizards, snakes, toads and a variety of insects. Great Plains wild buckwheat grows only in the chalk prairies of western Kansas and the single largest population of this endemic plant is found at Little Jerusalem.

Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park is a fragile landscape. The Niobrara Chalk formations are soft and easily damaged by the weather and by climbing and walking on them. As a result, KDWP and The Nature Conservancy are managing visitor access to avoid harming the delicate environment.

Enjoy the landscape, but leave no trace behind of your time in the park.

Directions to Monument Rocks

35 minute drive north and east of Scott City
Oakley, KS 67748

Monument Rocks

Rising above the Gove County plains in Western Kansas are the Monument Rocks. A series of large chalk formations, rich in fossils, formed approximately eighty (80) million years ago. It was the first landmark chosen by the United States Department of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark in Kansas in 1968.

These magnificent large monoliths, rising as high as seventy (70) feet, were created when chalk was deposited during the Cretaceous Period of geologic history. The area was covered by the Western Interior Seaway which extended from the present day Gulf of Mexico north through Canada. When the sea receded, it left behind the chalk deposits which, over time, have been eroded by the once much larger Smoky Hill River, wind and rain.

Monument Rocks and numerous chalk outcroppings in the area are today collectively known as the Badlands of Kansas. The region is also known as the source of some of the best Cretaceous marine fossils that have been discovered anywhere in the world. Beneath these bluffs and outcroppings lie five hundred (500) feet of marine sedimentary deposits that have provided paleontologists with a wealth of fossils and the remains of extinct animals.

Today, it is hard to imagine that the mostly flat, arid, cactus and buffalo grass prairie was completely covered by water, yet these awe-inspiring rock outcroppings tell a different story. The arches and buttes of Monument Rocks extend over ten (10) acres and the history stretches beyond the prehistoric period into the more recent past. Various wildlife continues to dwell in the area including barn swallows, eagles, falcons, and other birds, wild deer, pronghorn antelope, jackrabbits, coyotes and rattlesnakes.

In 2006, Monument Rocks was voted by the public one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas.

El Cuartelejo Pueblo Site

Located at Historic Lake Scott State Park

The El Cuartelejo Ruins are now centuries old. The ancient ruins hold the story of the only known pueblo in the state of Kansas.

The site on which El Cuartelejo is found was owned by the Kansas Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution who preserved the site. Because of the rich and varied history of El Cuartelejo pueblo, the site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, also holding the status of National Landmark.

Apache, Kiowa, Commanche, Cheyenne and others were the earliest Native Americans to live in the High Plains of western Kansas after arrival of Europeans in North America. The Spanish of New Mexico referred to the Apache who lived in western Kansas in the 17th and early 18th century as the Cuartelejo Apache. (Note: The Spanish spelling of the name uses the letter "C", as in Cuartelejo. The anglicized spelling is Quartelejo.)

The first Euro-American settlers in Scott County reportedly found irrigation ditches in Ladder Creek valley. The earlier Taos Pueblo refugees and the later inhabitants, the Picuris, built and used these channels to water their gardens. The El Cuartelejo pueblo was abandoned in approximately A.D. 1706, or by some accounts, somewhere near A.D. 1719. These ruins were discovered in 1898 by an early Scott County pioneer, Herb Steele. The El Cuartelejo pueblo was built by the Pueblo Indians and is the northernmost pueblo ruin found in the United States. The term "El Cuartelejo" can be broken into roots meaning: cuartel - which mean "room" & lejo - which means "far away."

Punished Woman’s Fork National Historic Site

The Northern Cheyenne, under the leadership of Chief Dull Knife and Chief Little Wolf, tried to return to their former home in the north. There were ninety-two warriors, one hundred twenty women, and one hundred forty-one children who had escaped from the reservation at Ft. Reno, Oklahoma.

They were at this location on September 27, 1878, when Lt. Colonel William H. Lewis, the commander of Fort Dodge, was dispatched to capture and return them to Oklahoma. The women and children were hidden during the battle in a cave. In the battle that ensued, Lt. Col. William H. Lewis, (West Point graduate and instructor) was mortally wounded and died while in route, for medical help, to Fort Wallace. He was the last officer killed in military action within the state of Kansas. The Northern Cheyenne escaped by night, crossing the Smoky Hill River and fleeing to Nebraska.

This site represents the last encounter in the State of Kansas between the Native Americans and the United States troops. A historical monument overlooks the cave, two canyons, and bluffs where the battle took place.

Conditions have changed somewhat since the battle itself. The creek no longer flows as it did in 1878, but one can still sense the historic drama that took place and can appreciate the desperate situation. Today, the battle site remains pristine. Visitors are encouraged to hike the hills and observe the view from the visible rifle pits, the pack horse canyon, and the sanctuary cave. This area was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Existing Conditions:

• Kiosk at entry provides information, history, and a map. Please sign the register.

• A Stone monument includes the history of the Battle of Punished Woman’s Fork National Historic Site

• Cave is a short hike down into the canyon

• Open to the public year around

• Registration booth at the entrance with maps, information, history of the site

• Hiking shoes are suggested

• A gypped, graded road to the site with cattle guard, road is on private property and is to be viewed from road only. Upon arrival at the stone monument, the area is available for hiking.

All of these historic sites are covered on our bus tour (must be set up at least two weeks in advance). Learn more