After spending a few hours visiting Fort Wallace, the cemetery, and the museum, and taking a peek at the town of Wallace for the vestiges of old Pond City, it is time to move on to the next to other sites along the Custer Trail. Heading east on highway 40 from Ft. Wallace, I reached the town of Oakley. If time had allowed, I would have visited the Butterfield Trail Museum south of Page City on route 25. However, at this point, time was of the essence, and I wanted to reach Monument Rocks before dusk, in order to have sufficient daylight to take pictures. Oakley, a typical farming community, afforded a rest break and fuel stop. It was there that I noticed that the front left tire was lower than I would like. I was unable to place air in the tire because of the fancy wheel cover that precluded reaching the valve stem with the standard pump nozzle. There was considerable concern on my part, about losing time or being stranded in the "wilds" with a flat tire. I decided to drive into town to find a service station, when much to my relief, just around the corner from the gas station/minimart, was a combined appliance and tire store. Instead of a long wait, when I explained my predicament, the attendant quickly retrieved a valve stem extender, put it on the tire, and filled the tire with air. When I reached for my wallet, and asked what the charge would be, the response was "no charge, enjoy Kansas." After profuse thanks on my part, I was off, driving south on highway 83, headed to Monument Rocks.
The importance of the "Monuments" lies in the fact that this was a noted point along the Smoky Hill trail. The area around the rock formations was at one time home to the Monument Station of the Butterfield Overland Dispatch. For a short time, a military post was establsihed here as well. More importantly, Custer came through this area on his imfamous trek from Ft. Wallace to see Libbie at Ft. Riley in July, 1867. Here, he encountered "a supply train carrying forage for Ft. Wallace.... Cpt. Frederick W. Benteen, Company H, Seventh cavalry,...was in charge of the four large supply trains traveling together" (Millbrook, "The West Breaks in General Custer"). The rock formations are reached after a 7 mile drive down the typical county dirt/gravel road.
Turn right at this sign, about 4 miles due east of highway 83. Then continue on 3 more miles.
Around a sharp bend, and one is pleaseantly surprised as this scene awaits the traveler... the "Rocks."
Just think, walking in and around these formations where Custer and Benteen met...where countless pioneers and Indians gazed upon the same chalk obelisks as they traveled the Smoky Hill Trail.
A few miles further south on highway 83, this self-explanatory historical marker is found. Approaching darkness and the need to find a place to pass the night prevented a visit to the Quartelejo.