Lane County Between History and Wide Landscapes
Accommodation in Lane County
Lane County lies in the physiographic regions of the High Plains and Smoky Hills. The area combines the history of a region shaped by grain, cattle, and oil production with unusual landscapes and distinctive buildings. Travelers looking for a vacation rental or holiday home can make their desired mix of culture, nature, and activities the starting point for choosing a location.
Regional History at the Lane County Historical Society & Museum
One focus is the Lane County Historical Society & Museum. The permanent exhibition presents the early history of Lane County and explains the importance of grain, cattle, and oil production to the county. The collection also includes the Indian Artifact Collection of Arle and Josephine Boltz, including artifacts from Lane County.
Several exhibitions bring the everyday life of the early region to life. A country store and post office exhibition recreates a scene from around 1920. The replica sod house was made from a photograph of an early Lane County home built by the N. R. Owens family. The sod house exhibition also explains the role windmills, barbed-wire fences, and railroads played in the region’s early development. The Lane County Bachelor exhibition is housed in a sod excavation on the museum grounds.
The history of cattle drives is also part of the regional story: During this period, Texas Longhorn cattle were driven through Lane County. For families who enjoy exploring historical themes through tangible objects, buildings, and stories, this creates a varied cultural destination to include in their travel plans.
Dighton, Distinctive Buildings, and a Rhythm of Its Own
Dighton offers further distinctive points of interest. The municipal swimming pool is located in City Park. Dighton Bowl & Diner combines bowling with hot food served daily. Dighton Recreation organizes a golf clinic together with the Lane County Country Club. These varied offerings make it possible to plan a trip that alternates cultural sightseeing with more active or sociable activities.
The Grain Bin Scale House is described as a special driving route: From Dighton, the route heads west on K-96, then south via Eagle and west on Road 130. Vance and Louise Ehmke’s grain bin also serves as a scale house and living quarters. On the west side of Healy Oil Co. there is also an iconic fiberglass Sinclair dinosaur; the Sinclair gas station offers the services of certified mechanics.
Playa Lakes and Traces of the Past
The Playa Lakes site is home to the largest playa in Lane County, a 136-acre depression. The Playa Lakes are used by ducks and other waterfowl. The same site reaches far back into the past: Members of the Clovis culture hunted mammoths, camels, prehistoric horses, and other game there more than 10,000 years ago. Those who wish to mentally connect nature observation and archaeology will find a special contrast here to Dighton’s architecture and regional history.
Architecture from the Courthouse to the Historic Gas Station
The Lane County Courthouse was built in 1931 from yellow brick with limestone trim in the Modern Eclecticism style. Two limestone bas-reliefs beside the main entrance depict the city’s cultural heritage. The courtroom contains a large painting of a sod house, created by local artist Mary A. Bosley in 1961 for the state anniversary.
The Dighton Opera House was built in 1908. Its L-shaped floor plan wraps around the former Old Bank Gallery. Further architectural traces can be found at Lane County Community High School: The limestone stadium was a WPA project from 1937, and on both sides of the entrance are bas-reliefs with carved bison as well as striking geometric ornaments in bright red and blue. The Historic Gas Station is a Farmers-Oil gas station and workshop from 1937 and features elements of the Mission style, including white stucco walls and a red tile roof.
Which Accommodation Fits Your Travel Plans?
When looking for accommodation in Lane County, it is worth determining the focus of your days. For those interested in culture, the museum, courthouse, opera house, and historic buildings take center stage. Travelers who want to place greater emphasis on landscapes and wildlife can include the Playa Lakes in their plans. Bowling, hot food at Dighton Bowl & Diner, the golf clinic, and the nostalgic roadside stand Frigid Creme add sociable and culinary touches to the offerings. Frigid Creme is one of only two Frigid Creme locations in Kansas.
A vacation rental or holiday home should therefore above all suit your preferred travel pace and planned priorities. Lane County is well suited to a trip that brings together historical details, unusual traces of settlement history, and a wide landscape in a varied program.
For the overarching travel overview: Kansas.
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