Kansas Snapshots by Gloria Freeland - June 27, 2025
More than a walk in the park
As I passed the Manhattan post office, I glanced into one of the cars parked along the street. "That looks like Pat!" I thought. Sure enough, she called a short while later. Asking what I was doing, I told her I was going to drive to husband Art's business and walk from there to Manhattan City Park.
My plan was to mix business and pleasure. I'd stroll along the park's perimeter-hugging Clarenburg Trail to get some much-needed
exercise and also take photos of some of the park's historic landmarks. One of my tasks as a member of the Riley County Historical
Society is to write articles for its every-other-month newsletter. The next one would be about the park.
Pat and I meet
"Can I join you?" Pat asked.
"Of course!" I said.
It would be the perfect opportunity to catch up on each other's lives and also share some of the park’s history.
Some of my earliest times in the park were in my college years in the 1970s when I used the tennis courts. Other students made use
of the basketball courts and baseball fields, just as they do now.
Many Manhattanites know the park's swimming pool, splash pad, and playground are a good way to spend the warm days of Kansas
summers. Sister Gaila and I made good use of it when our girls were small, and when "adopted German son" Tim and his family
visited us two summers ago, their two boys did too.
One of Tim's boys enjoys the water
Summer also meant concerts staged at the Larry Norvell Band Shell. And while many parks are virtually empty in the winter months,
our girls enjoyed learning to ice skate in the Wefald Pavilion, a space used for events in warmer months.
But for all of its various up-to-date attractions, the park has a long history - almost as long at the city's. In 1857, just two years
after Manhattan's founding, 45 acres were set aside for use as a park. Town folks were concerned it wouldn't be used as it was
considered to be too far from downtown where early settlers and the stores were located.
From 1869-1887, the grounds were the site of the county fair. Floral Hall - also called the Roundhouse - was built in 1875 and
housed fair exhibits. In the early 1900s, it was used as a "pest house" - a place where victims of contagious diseases stayed.
And that too-far-from-town business had vanished by the early 1890s. The talk then was about dividing the park into lots and
selling them for new homes. This didn't materialize.
Floral Hall or "Roundhouse"
Large tents were pitched in the park for Chautauquas beginning in 1907. These involved lectures on cultural, educational, and social
matters and were considered something akin to adult education.
The walking trail Pat and I used was a gift of Margalith Clarenburg to honor her husband Rudy. He had been a K-State professor in
the College of Veterinary Medicine. They were both born in the Netherlands and hid from the Nazis during the country's World War II
occupation. Both were active locally in education, arts, and other programs. Pat knew Margalith, whom she remembered as a kind,
soft-spoken woman.
In 1955, horticulture professor George Filinger created a tall tale about fictional Kansas wheat farmer Johnny Kaw. He was
patterned after Paul Bunyan and was used to promote Manhattan's 1955 centennial celebration. One of Kaw's supposed accomplishments
was inventing the sunflower. Kaw took a material form in 1966 when a 24-foot statue of him was placed in the southeast corner of
the park.
Johnny Kaw
As we walked, I snapped pictures while regaling Pat with stories of each site.
Map of Manhattan's City Park (image source: openstreetmap.org)
- The Tatarrax/Harahey Obelisk - Erected 1904 by Quivira Historical Society. Society asserted Tatarrax was chief of indigenous Harahey people who lived in the Kansas-centered province of Harahey and met Spanish explorer Coronado during his 1541 Kansas exploration. Disputed (image: Google Maps)
- The Pioneer Log Cabin - Built in 1915, opened in 1916, first home of the Riley County Historical Museum. Houses a collection of home and farm artifacts used by pioneers. Open Sunday afternoons April through October
- James W. Berry Rose Garden - Began in 1927 as a Kiwanis Club beautification project. Named after Berry, a local rose enthusiast, in 1936. Two entrance markers honor Lt. Clede Keller and Capt. Willis Pearce, both killed in World War I
- Military Trail Marker - Erected 2009 by Daughters of the American Revolution, describes Leavenworth-to-Fort-Riley Military Road used by soldiers, traders, trappers, settlers, and others during the 1850s to 1860s
- Flag Plaza - Dedicated in 2011 to Manhattan’s Sister City - Dobřichovice, Czech Republic. (image: Google Maps)
Boy, I bet when Pat asked if she could join me, she had no idea that what she was getting herself into. It was certainly far more than just a walk in the park!
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