Discover Baxter Springs

Baxter Springs combines the history of Route 66 with significant memorial sites and the Spring River. This makes the town suitable for travelers who choose their accommodation not only based on a place to stay overnight, but also on which stories and experiences should shape their visit. Families can focus on different aspects, including historical topics, a drive along Route 66, and fishing on the Spring River.

Route 66 in Baxter Springs

A central point of interest is the Route 66 Visitor’s Center. It is located in the Baxter Springs Independent Oil and Gas Service Station, which was originally built as a gas station in 1930. Today, the Visitor’s Center conveys the history of historic Route 66 to visitors from across the United States and from other countries. The former gas station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. For your travel planning, the site therefore provides a concrete connection between a building’s historic function and the history of the famous highway.

The road layout around Baxter Springs also makes the history of Route 66 tangible. Baxter Springs’ Military Avenue became part of Route 66 in 1926. The Kansas Route 66 Historic Byway runs from the Kansas-Oklahoma border via K-66, which is also called Military Avenue and U.S. 69Alt, to Baxter Springs. North of the town, there are also 3.2 miles of preserved remains of Route 66 between Riverton and Baxter Springs. Those interested in historic roads and road trips will find several clearly identified stops here for planning their journey.

Historic Sites and Memorial Places

Baxter Springs was founded in 1866 on the Fort Leavenworth-Fort Gibson military road. This founding history is one of the town’s older historical points of reference. The sites of the Baxter Springs Massacre are located in present-day Baxter Springs and refer to a specific chapter of local history. A memorial in the Baxter Springs City Soldiers’ Lot commemorates those buried there.

Among the earliest people buried in the Baxter Springs Soldiers’ Lot are 132 Union soldiers and officers who were killed on October 6, 1863, in the Battle of Baxter Springs. The complete date is important for the historical context and helps distinguish the town’s different eras: the battle in 1863, the founding in 1866, and the inclusion of Military Avenue in Route 66 in 1926 belong to different chapters of the town’s history.

The Spring River and Choosing Accommodation

The Spring River adds another, distinctly different aspect. The river offers opportunities for fishing in Baxter Springs. This makes it possible to shape a stay around both history and time spent by the water. If you are looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Baxter Springs, you can first consider which focus should define your trip: Route 66 memories, historic sites, or fishing on the Spring River.

For families, this division is helpful because not every day of the trip has to have the same character. When looking for accommodation in Baxter Springs, you can therefore weigh the interests of your fellow travelers together with the desired focus of the trip.

For the overarching travel overview: Cherokee County.