During the first 70 years of Osborne County’s history large native stands of trees were as much revered by the Euro-American settlers as they were by the Native Americans before them. These groves reminded the settlers of their former homes in the eastern United States, and a select few were spared from being leveled for construction lumber and firewood. The following ten named groves have known locations and hopefully will be cherished by today’s citizens as much as our forefathers did and preserved for the continued benefit of all.
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C. P. Austin, Sumner Township. The first event reported to be held in this grove by the South Fork Solomon River on Cassius P. Austin’s farm was in 1875. Other events and celebrations followed for several decades.
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Baertsch, Ross Township. The most famous stand of trees in Osborne County, the Baertsch Grove is considered to be one of the largest, if not the largest, old-growth grove in Northern Kansas. Picnics, family reunions, funerals, and church services have been held here alongside Twelve Mile Creek since 1871. Named for Fred Baertsch, the grove is part of the area made famous in the book Sod & Stubble.
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Mrs. Bull’s, Sumner Township. Located on Crooked Creek just east of Alton, the grove was the site of Hiram Bull’s animal enclosure in the 1870s. It was used for a number of events even after Mrs. Sarah Bull’s removal to her former home in Wisconsin in the 1880s.
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Rader’s (later called both Goodlad’s and Gaylord’s), Penn Township. The first event held in this grove was reported in 1871. It was also the site of the great 1880 Old Settler’s Reunion as well as many other events through the past 150 years. Today the grove remains a popular place under its modern name of Shady Bend Recreation Area, which includes Osborne WPA Dam, Shady Bend Golf Course, WPA Scout Cabin, and the Shady Bend single track Bike Trail.
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Skidmore’s / Hoy’s, Hancock Township. This grove was first reported in a local newspaper in 1883 with hints that it had earlier been used. At that time James T. Hoy owned the grove, having previously bought the farm from a Mr. Skidmore.
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McCulley’s, Sumner Township. The grove along the South Fork Solomon River on the William Samuel McCulley homestead south of Alton was used for major events in Bull City/Alton history from the 1870s onwards.
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J. L. Range’s, Hawkeye Township. First reported for an event in 1887, Range’s Grove has dwindled to only a small remnant of its former size.
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Paris, Kill Creek Township. In March 1871 brothers William and Charles Paris homesteaded where West and East Kill Creeks combine to form the main Kill Creek. William Paris opened a grove of trees at the site for area homesteaders to come and enjoy picnics, family gatherings, and other events.
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Stafford’s, Tilden Township. The Stafford family were very well-respected homesteaders in the western portion of Tilden Township. What is believed to be Stafford’s Grove lies on Little Medicine Creek a half mile above its confluence with the South Fork Solomon River. Events are known to have been held there from the early 1970s through the 1920s.
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Taylor’s, Winfield Township. In the 1890s Taylor’s Grove along Twin Creek on Zachariah Taylor’s homestead proved to be a popular place to hold area events.
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The following are some of the groves so notable that they were mentioned in the county’s newspapers and other histories in the years prior to World War II. Unfortunately the exact sites of certain ones are now lost, while others probably were cut down at some point. In this list the name of each grove is given, followed by the township or general location known for each, and the year that the grove was first mentioned:
A. S. Avery’s. unknown, 1892
Alderson’s. Delhi, 1882
Miss Balding’s. Bloom, 1882
C. M. Bliss. Independence, 1877
Blodgett’s. Winfield, 1886
Boedecker’s. “near Paradise, Kansas”, 1916
Breakey’s (later called Warner’s). Ross, 1937
Brown’s. “on Twin Creek”, 1875
M. C. Brown’s. Natoma, 1907
Dave Bruce’s. Corinth, 1878
D. O. Braumbaugh’s [Brumbaugh’s]. Bethany, 1886
D. C. Bryant’s. Ross, 1890
Bush’s. Sumner, 1890
Chamberlain’s. Sumner, 1883
Chatfield’s. Bethany, 1883
Clare’s. Tilden, 1880
Cooper’s. Corinth, 1879
Jim Cullen’s. Delhi, 1902
Culver’s. Victor, 1881
Dennison’s. Hawkeye, 1914
George Dibble’s. Sumner, 1882
Dillingham’s. Valley, 1887
Dimond’s. Ross, 1889
Dixon’s. Bethany, 1881
Farnsworth’s. Bethany, 1912
Will French’s. Sumner, 1916
Sam Gilbreath’s . Jackson, 1893
Gilmore’s. unknown, 1910
Rev. Goodell’s. Hancock, 1882
Fred Gorham. Independence, 1879
L. L. Glasgow’s. Valley, 1887
Grove “near E. Y. Morris’”. Covert, 1882
Grove “on East Twin Creek south of Ladd’s”. Bloom, 1879
Frank Hanby’s. Bethany, 1893
L M. Heath’s. Corinth, 1908
Hindman’s. “near Covert”, 1893
Holaday’s. Ross, 1884
James Huff’s. Ross, 1880
Hutchinson. Bethany, 1889
C. F. Laman’s. “near Bethany,” 1875
J. C. Lawrence’s. Hancock, 1891
Lipton’s. Penn, 1881
McCullough’s. Sumner, 1883
Mischler’s. Kill Creek, 1889
Wilford Mitchell’s. Winfield, 1883
James Moon’s. Sumner, 1883
Jack Nickel’s. Sumner, 1920
Noland’s. Penn, 1871
M. T. Orr’s. Tilden, 1915
Philip’s. Bloom, 1887
L. Rainger’s. Lawrence, 1888
Rathbun’s. Corinth, 1890
Rev. Ripley’s. “on Twin Creek”, 1886
Sandy’s. Covert, 1909
Shoup’s. “on Covert Creek”, 1883
Frank Stafford’s. Tilden, 1905
Standley’s. Corinth, 1876
Swander’s. Kill Creek, 1906
J. E. Tabler’s. Valley, 1881
Lon Thornburg’s. Covert, 1909
Stephen Tripp’s. Valley, 1888
Van der Geisen’s. Ross, 1913
Wagoner’s. Valley, 1881
Wilkensen’s. Sumner, 1896
Will’s. Valley, 1896
Wilson’s. Valley, 1887
Oreste Winslow’s. Mount Ayr, 1914
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Osborne County Kansas Hall of Fame Honors - 2021 