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Over 400 years ago Spaniards led by Coronado were
the first White Men to explore this area. They entered Kansas
along the southern border where Clark County is now located,
moving to Dodge City then to Great Bend and on Northeast. They
found this area to be the home of the Pawnee Indians, also known
as the Quiviras. Farther to the West roamed the Comanches. The
Pawnees, according to tradition were of Southern origin. They
roamed over the entire area from the Missouri River to the Rocky
Mountains. Many of the Native American Indian writings were
to be found in the area of hills surrounding Wilson Lake. The
Pawnees were very capable in their imitation of animals. In
ancient times they had no horses and hunted on foot. They used
arrowheads made of flint or deer antler.
The earliest contacts between Native Americans and European
Americans around the Wilson Lake area were contacts with fur
trappers and explorers. The explorers traversing this area were
seeking routes to Spanish/Mexican territories near Santa Fe.
For example, it appears that Zebulon Pike crossed the Saline
River twice in 1806 as he searched for the headwaters of the
Arkansas River. The Pawnee Trail was also an important early
route to the southwest. Ultimately, however, the trail to Santa
Fe, one of the most important routes of commerce, was located
well south of present day Wilson Lake.
Rock-filled burial mounds date to between AD 1 and AD 900. The
Kansas State Archeologist, Thomas Witty, who was the principal
investigator of a 1960 study of the area, identified a rock
shelter that he believed was used by several successive groups.
Many of the small caves in the area contain evidence of use
during prehistoric times, though that evidence suggests that
most of the caves were used only occasionally and for very short
periods. “Circle Rock,” has been included on the National
Register of Historic Places as part of a thematic Rock Art nomination.
This nomination, which includes 30 sites in nine counties, was
determined to be of “national significance” by the
State Historic Preservation Officer. However, Circle Rock was
one of five sites in that nomination that were rated “poor”
in quality, having suffered damage from the waters of Wilson
Lake and from vandalism. In the book, Kansas Rock Art by Brian
O’Neill, it states that Circle Rock has been partially
submerged by the waters of Wilson Lake.
European American settlers began moving into the region soon
after Kansas became a territory. In the 1860’s the Homestead
Act was formed to increase westward expansion by offering tracts
of free land in return for settlement. In the 1870’s, railroads
reached the area and large numbers of immigrants from Europe
began to arrive. Large colonies of Germans and Bohemians settled
in the area around what is now Wilson Lake. The town of Wilson
later became known as the Czech capitol of Kansas.
The settlers changed the landscape, converting prairie to pasture
and croplands. The landscape also necessitated adaptations on
the part of the settlers. On the nearly treeless prairie, alternate
sources of building materials were needed. The local solution
was to use the abundant and easily quarried limestone to build
homes, schools, businesses, and fence posts. Because of its
wide spread use as fence posts, the rock became known as post
rock, and has become a symbol for the region around Wilson Lake.
- Source: Wilson Lake Brochure |
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