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An Overview of Land & Structures at MVR
More information on the
Stonebridge &
Mission Manor pages.
The
original 325 acres purchased by Bill Hogue in 1957 was once owned by the
Pottowatamie Tribe. In 1867, the US Government, by private treaty,
obtained ownership from the tribe. The land was then purchased by
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company. When it was not
needed for railroad access, it passed through several owners over the
years.
The homestead included a 2 story farm house and large barn. Bill
built the first ranch house that year which now serves as quarters for our
Herdsman. An aerial shot of the headquarters is located left (click
to enlarge).
In
the mid-sixties, numerous arrowheads were discovered during the spring
plows when the earth was turned in the old Indian wintering grounds, an
area surrounded by trees and sided by Mission Creek for a water supply.
Indian artifacts are still discovered today along Mission Creek that runs
through the property.
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Click here
for an article from the February 28, 2009 Topeka Capital Journal
covering continuing restoration and preservation work at MVR!
Click here for
an article from the Wabaunsee County Signal-Enterprise written
about the Hogues and their preservation work at Mission Valley Ranch! |
A
scientific dig conducted by the Kansas Historical Society in 1978
produced amazing results and recorded artifacts dating back to the
Woodland and Archaic tribe era thousands of years ago.
The
headquarters ranch house was built in 1992. Old fashioned
morning glories shade the screened in porch bringing back memories of the
past when lemonade and a porch swing were sufficient evening
entertainment.
Over the years, additional pasture was leased to accommodate the growing
herd. In 2003, an 80 acre "Bull Division" was added 1 mile north of
the headquarters operation. Located there, is a bunkhouse for
additional ranch hands. In the spring of 2004, the opportunity to
purchase a 1,265 acre ranch in the heart of Wabaunsee County was a dream
come true for Bill. He is shown at right with
some of the herd. Ample Bluestem pasture, crop ground, springs and
creeks, generally good fence and fantastic windbreak areas provided
perfect conditions for the cattle. That property is now known as the
"Flint Hills Division" of Mission Valley Ranch.
Several stone structures came with the land. All of them had
suffered from a century of neglect. The original historic Kuenzli
Family homestead had deteriorated to a point that made saving it highly
questionable. The family had moved out after a 1905 fire had gutted
the interior of the structure. The roof and second story were
completely gone and the walls of it's landmark twin arched cellars were
caving in. Giant tree roots had forced three of the exterior walls
to heave thus leaving gaping cracks open to further destruction from the
elements. The original homestead is pictured at right in the background
of a wheat harvest scene.
Bill and Kathy spent two years preserving the original homestead now
known as "Stonebridge" along with a late
1800's house they call "Mission Manor" which serves as
the Hogue's second home
at the Flint Hills Division. The photo at left shows one of the
restored buildings on the ranch known as "Histonia". It
originally served as a starter home for the Kuenzli's newly married eldest
daughter, Emily. She and her husband John Schwalm later built
"Mission Manor", our two story farm home.
You can find the
complete stories of all the historic structures along with several before
and after photos along on the Stonebridge
and Mission Manor pages. In
addition, there is a story about restoring historic dry-laid stone fences
on the Kathy's Journal page archive accessed by
clicking
here. |
