In 1806, an explorer named Zebulon Pike, traveled through what became the eastern part of Kansas. On September 12th, he wrote in his journal, ''Past very rough Flint Hills, my feet blistered and very sore''. With that, he gave our Flint Hills region its name, and he was right. You need to wear good boots out in these hills. This poem is titled The Kansas Flint Hills.
A traveler leaves Kansas City going west on interstate.
He comes into a region which I want to celebrate.
As he enters rolling range land, there's a sign. His vision fills
a big sign of native stone saying, ''Welcome to the Flint Hills''.
The region takes its name from a long ago hike
when described as Flint Hills by explorer Zebulon Pike.
The stones of Flint or chert which underlie this great landscape,
over centuries made the hills with their unique slope and shape.
Those rocks made it unsuitable for use by farmers plows,
but they made a perfect place to harvest grass by grazing cows.
These hills underlined by rock are a wondrous part of God's creation,
a special part of Kansas and a treasure for our nation.
It's the last remaining tallgrass, a keysight of prairie ecology,
the home of grazing bison and Native American history.
The Flint Hills of Kansas are the world's best for grass.
When it comes to raising beef, this region's world class.
We celebrate this region and the need that it fulfills
for ecology and people in the Kansas Flint Hills.
Happy trails.
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