The Big Basin Prairie Preserve is a

nature preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...

owned and managed by the

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. The preserve is in the Red Hills near Ashland in

Clark County, Kansas Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Ashland. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 1,991. The county was named after Charles Clarke. History Clark County, Ka ...

. The main features are St. Jacob's Well, (37.2403666, -99.9818588) a water-filled

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are also known as shakeholes, and to openings where surface water ...

which lies in the Little Basin, and the Big Basin, a lush mile-wide crater-like depression, also resulting from a sinkhole. The area is stocked with buffalo and is open to the public. The Big Basin is transected by U.S. Route 283 and

U.S. Route 160 U.S. Route 160 (US 160) is a east–west United States Numbered Highway in the Midwestern and Western United States. The western terminus of the route is at US 89 west of Tuba City, Arizona. The eastern terminus is at US 67 and Missour ...

which run together for a short ways. The portion of the basin west of the highway is privately owned. The property was acquired in 1974 from

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...

which made operation as a nature preserve a condition of the sale. In December 1978, the preserve was designated as a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best e ...

and was added to the National Registry of Natural Landmarks. Elevations on the preserve range from to above sea level.

History

The area was one of the locations where the

Northern Cheyenne The Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation () is the federally recognized Northern Cheyenne tribe and a Plains tribe. The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation is reservation located in southeastern Montana, that is ...

camped and rested during the

Northern Cheyenne Exodus The Northern Cheyenne Exodus, also known as Dull Knife's Raid, the Cheyenne War, or the Cheyenne Campaign, was the attempt of the Northern Cheyenne to return to the north, after being placed on the Southern Cheyenne indian reservation, reservatio ...

in the fall of 1878. The area was not occupied, and perhaps not even generally known, by settlers at that time. The Big Basin was also used as a landmark and watering site for trail drives of cattle northward from

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

to railroads in Kansas. Willard D. Johnson of the United States Geological Survey visited Big Basin at the turn of the 20th century and published the following account in 1901: :Within this zone, 19 miles east of Meade, is Big Basin, approximately circular, about a mile in diameter and 100 feet in depth. It has no drainage out, and drainage into it frequently results in shallow ponding at various low areas over the floor. Notching the rim at the southwest is a smaller basin, also without outlet, and separated from the larger one by a low divide. A short distance to the east is still another, called Little Basin, and on the rim of this is a sharply cut sink hole, St. Jacob's Well. Here, again, the water plane of the ground water is revealed. The floor of Little Basin, close to the foot of its encircling bluff, shows a number of shallow depressions, apparently the nearly healed scars of other and earlier sink holes. St. Jacob's Well has every appearance of having been rather recently formed. Research has determined that St Jacob's Well is wide and deep. It has never been known to go dry. File:Big Basin in Fog 2002.jpg, Big Basin in the fog. File:Big Basin sink floor 2002.jpg, The wet floor of Big Basin. File:Big Basin shaded elevation map.jpg, Shaded elevation map. The effort to preserve the land now known as the Big Basin Prairie Preserve began in 1972 when Mrs. C.G. "Janie" Stein, formed the Big Basin Foundation and contacted and worked closely with numerous agencies, congressional representatives, and individuals over several years. She worked with local landowners and

to encourage setting this land aside to protect bison and pronghorn. Her son John Paul Stein wrote a song about his mother's involvement in this project.The Big Basin Foundation letter to Senator

Ross Doyen Ross O. Doyen (October 1, 1926 – July 3, 2014) was an American rancher, farmer, and politician. Early life and education Doyen was born on October 1, 1926, in a farm home near Rice, Kansas. He was the third of four sons born to Mr. and Mr ...

, Chair of the Kansas Senate Ways and Means Committee, February 2, 1975

References

External links

Set of photos on Flickr
{{authority control Protected areas of Clark County, Kansas Nature reserves in Kansas National Natural Landmarks in Kansas Sinkholes of the United States Grasslands of the North American Great Plains Landforms of Clark County, Kansas Landforms of Kansas Grasslands of Kansas

History

See also

References

External links