Cimarron National Grasslands

[bob n pam]

If you are going to be in the area of Elkhart, KS next June plan on attending the Cimarron National Grasslands Heritage Festival which will be the 1st and 2nd weekends in June. We went this year and really enjoyed it. The activities included a homemade chicken & noodle dinner w/mashed potatos & green beans and gospel singing, a circuit riding preacher on Sunday night who arrived by covered wagon followed by an ice cream social, lots of events for kids, mexican food, cowboy campouts with St. Jude Trailriders arriving, a bus tour (which we took) including lunch and lastly a bluegrass music event on the last night. Elkhart has a wonderful pioneer museum, 3 good restaurants, a couple of motels and 2 campgrounds. The city has a full hookup campground for $10 a day and on Hwy 56 there is the newer Prairie RV Park for $15 a day or $80 week with full hookups and cable TV. The people around here are very welcoming and down to earth.

[sreigle]

I've never been to Elkhart but I believe that's the boyhood home of Glenn Cunningham, the world's first four-minute miler, isn't it?

[bobgay]

Cunningham was a great miler, but I think Roger Bannister was the first to crack the 4-minute barrier.
Bob

[bob n pam]

Steve and Bob, you know more than I do!!

[sreigle]

Bob, soon as I saw your post I knew you were correct. Glenn Cunningham was the miler who was severely burned in a schoolhouse fire when he was very young. Doctors wanted to amputate his legs but he refused. He was not expected to be able to walk again. He was an Olympic medalist. Quite a story. But he was not the first four minute miler. I stand corrected.

http://www.kshof.org/hof-profiles.cfm?record_id=12