Nowhere KANSAS: Towns Where Life Barely Moves In A Quiet Corner Of The State
2024 ж. 8 Мам.
188 356 Рет қаралды
I visited these Kansas towns: Horton, Everest, Troy & Wathena.
Joe's Instagram: / joeysroadtrip
Travel Vlog 239
I visited these Kansas towns: Horton, Everest, Troy & Wathena.
Joe's Instagram: / joeysroadtrip
Travel Vlog 239
One thing you might add to your checklist is hospitals. Rural areas have lost access to medical services.
I've also thought the same thing, no EMT etc.
Many rural property owners get stuck with hospitals on property taxes that get raised due to Enron style accounting showing loses which the tax payer has to pick up.
The closest real hospital would be in St. Joseph, MO.
EV charging stations scarce but the motels and car dealers usually Offer it.
County seats usually have a hospital. At least you can get airlifted.
I'm British and my country is small island with congested roads and tight streets. Its amazing to see a place like this with large open roads with barely any traffic. It would actually be a pleasure to drive somewhere like this
Why don't you fly over and stay a while.
Kansas born and raised in rural NE Kansas! Definitely a special place. I come from German immigrants. I am from Hiawatha, about 20 minutes away from Horton. I can just visualize the golden wheat fields, running through the cornfields, and walking through a Sunflower patch that has flowers as tall as me. I grew up poor, but I never knew, I only knew lightness and happiness. We didn't have much but we didn't need much. I never knew hate, I never knew racism. My grandparents were dairy farmers and mechanic. My dad a nurse and mother a teacher. My mom taught English for Kickapoo Nation school on the Native American reservation. Small towns are very connected you have friends and family in many different towns. Like my family did, many move to bigger cities for better job opportunities. I am blessed for having the opportunity to have lived in such a simple, peaceful, beautiful place. I love Kansas and there's something truly wonderful about being raised away from all the chaos of the world and feeling safe and free.
Stephaniekoenig5241. I too was blessed to be from that part of the country. My grandfather met my grandmother in a little general store in Powhattan in 1916 when he came home from WW1, had a farm till they lost it during the great depression, and the locusts came through.
Agree! When I was a child and we visited relatives in western Kansas (we lived in SE Kansas) I loved seeing the seemingly endless wheat fields. The wind walking over the wheat was stunningly beautiful and peaceful. Made me think of waves on the ocean. I miss Kansas!
@@beckyboyt8535 As a fellow "flatlander" (N W Ohio) I understand.
@@kesmarn I just moved from Kansas to the Fargo ND area. The Red River Valley sets a new level of flatlander that I didn't know existed! But it does make winter driving very easy.
I agree :) I am from Arkansas City, KS! In the southcentral part of the state.
The spot in the road where the old beautiful church was, is called Purcel. It was a beautiful little town at one time. My wife grew up there. Her grandfather said that when he was young, the railroad went through there. And it was a booming town. She remembers an old bank that had a gas station in front of it. The remains of all of it. When she was a kid. A couple of people moved in and tore up the houses. Unfortunately.
I love this so cool to see how out of towners view our area! Some quick notes there is a fire department in Horton its directly across from the Dollar General. The gas station in Everest was actually fully functional up until end of March I believe, they closed down and its currently for sale, you also missed a beautifully structured 2 story old Victorian house behind the church. The church "in the middle of nowhere" is the township of Purcell I believe only 3 of the houses have residents, I'm just over the hill on the county road. Troy has a lot of history I still have the newspaper clipping of the Indian being carved. The old saloon "Last Chance Saloon" across from the courthouse is one of the best places to hang out. The house "taken over by nature" is actually a duplex I used to live there, as far as I know the last residents and that was 13 years ago.
Kansas sure looks beautiful, as a Brit having the pleasure of seeing through your channel Joey.
I'm addicted to this channel ❤
Awesome!! :)
@@JoeandNicsRoadTripTotally agree,this is the only channel I wait to see on KZhead.
Thanks Joe & Nic for sharing your big adventure with all of us.✌️☘️
Troy, NY
Saint Marys Cathedral with that extremely tall bell tower on top of the hill in Kansas's tornado alley, it is a true miracle it still stands. I believe there is a very High Power working there. I really liked the town of Troy, it looks like a great town to live. I'm looking to move in the future, so I'm really watching these cities you show, esp. were Kansas, Arkansas, & Missouri meet up.
Interesting!
The house in Troy that was for sale was $115,000. Needs to be updated
I just posted the same thing! I read the description of it and they described the carpet as “vintage.” LOL, gotta love that realtor talk.
I love the abundance of greenery and open space.
Everest 2 cats for the price of one a Ginger one next to black one. Yes, definitely Troy is in modern-day Turkey. The county court house is awesome, built in a French château style. Old windows are generally thicker at the bottom due to creep, gravity and time. Glass is not solid, it is an amorphous solid and the molecules are pulled gravity over time. The tall oak sculpture is amazing.
It would be interesting to see a grocery store price list- 1) gallon of whole milk 2) one pound hamburger 3) one pound chicken 4) dozen grade A large eggs 5) no frills loaf of white bread
Wathena had a small market downtown when I last visited. Prices were reasonable, given the location, but the selection was very, very limited. I've spent many summers there going back to 1978 and the downtown has always been largely empty.
Some of the trees look like they have been in high wind
I was hoping he’d go into the grocery store ❤
You should have visited Sabetha KS its one of the few towns in the US with just that name. Their is no other Sabetha (pronounced Su-beth-ah) in the entire US
Love Kansas! Born in Sedan, raised in Chautauqua and Coffeyville until I was 10. It was the center of the universe to me, and I would move back if I could. I have a friend who has lived in various states , including Hawaii and California, and she says she was happiest in Sedan, Kansas.
Your videos are the most informative datas of the US rurals I ever watched.. keep posting Sir.. thanks & greetings from West Java, Indonesia 👍👍🇱🇷🇱🇷🇲🇨🇲🇨
Thanks, will do!
One of the things I notice in the heartland is how wide the streets are and what lovely broad lawns many houses have. It's as though everything can stretch out there in the vast open prairies. I love the architecture. Keep looking for old Sears and other kit houses. I so appreciate the time you take to set up and research- I'm hooked😊
Horton, Kansas is the biggest town in the Kickapoo Indian Reservation, home of the Golden Eagle Casino in Powhattan, Kansas - 9 miles as the crow flies to Horton.
We bought a house in S.E. Kansas last year for our retirement. Kids still go fishing in the local river and we know our postman by name. It is not as crazy conservative as some parts of the country. It's simply a community of families who are humble, hardworking and friendly. The population is mixed. We love it.
When you see that beautiful ‘in the middle of nowhere’ remember the area you are driving through is not only towns but many farms as well. Churches were built out in the country and are often thriving congregations. I pastored in one of those very small rural communities in Iowa and most of the congregation were farm families.
I have always thought Kansas is a beautiful state with very diverse climates and ecosystems.
Not really. Im in Omaha, so their climate is like mine. Cold winters, blazing hot summers etc.
A-Lot of Corn........
Yes it is... I farm there and Missouri
@@MegaBait1616 thats what i like corn wheat and cattle
I enjoy these visits to small towns and seeing places that I will never go to. Thanks for taking me along. Say hello to wifey for me.
I will. :)
I grew up in St. Joseph,Mo. and every Wednesday night when I was in high school would go drink beer at the Place in Wathena. They and another bar called the Keg had a St. Joe night with discounted pitchers of Old Milwaukee. Kansas was 18 at the time and Missouri was 21. Never was asked for ID.
That is so cool about the courthouse and carving in Troy! And that first house for sale you mentioned is going for $145,000. It's big, with a big garage in the back, but needs cosmetic remodeling on the inside. Either that, or you may have the same taste as the seller. The second house is going for $115,000. Built in 1911, it looks like it just needs cosmetic updates (they claim it's well maintained and looks like it) so I don't know why it's so much cheaper than the first.
Thanks for the info!
Saw this video a few days ago but some technical failure at the time stopped me then from commenting. The old metal swing on the front property where the black cat was seen scooting drew my admiration. Also, in the foreground on the same prproperty there was a tan colored cat. I was awed by the red brick Gothic church called St. Mary's that seemed located amidst the fields outside of any town. Turns out it does sit on land of what is now a legally defunct town that used to be called Purcell, a few miles outside of Everest. Beginning in the 1930s up to 1960 its population loss was so great that the franchise was withdrawn. There are only a very few occupied houses left; but, amazingly, the church still conducts Catholic services. Its construction was completed in 1898 for the cost of $10,500. To borrow your expression-who knew? Thanks to you many now do know.
Awesome, David. Thank you for the Purcell research.
A great video, always so interesting and relaxing. There are some beautiful churches out there in the country, and they always look very well cared for, which is lovely to see. Thanks so much for a very enjoyable video.😊
Wathena, Kansas has a cemetery that sits atop a hill. It is my favorite place in town. Very tranquil with a great view of surrounding farms.
you should go to cawker city and downs to see the biggest ball of twine! also in central Kansas there is a town called Lindsborg that's based off a Swedish village. I lived in both places as well as Salina and great bend, haven't been back to Kansas in almost a decade though so your videos are touching my heart
Love LIndsborg. Lindsborg is Swedish. I'm in the country near Peabody. My mom's family is from Great Bend (just west of airport). Her family moved to either Wichita or rural community near Elbing. Her 1rst cousins all moved to either Denver or one lives in Oklahoma. Great Bend didn't work out for many.
@@keithwiebe1787 that's right not Dutch, my bad 🤦
Lindsborg is beautiful. Lots of Swedish immigrants settled in the area long ago.
When you're driving through rural Kansas you should listen to," Dust In The Wind" by Kansas so you can feel all stirred with emotion & whimsical 😂
Great song from a great band.
Topeka is the town where the band was formed!!. Waiting if we see Topeka in this videos....
@@curtvona4891 Agreed
I do love that song. :)
I have been to Topeka, and did a video. :)
These are really interesting , almost wanna live in one of these towns , not sure why really . Thanks from uk .
yes it does go under ground back into the house, this is my house, garage and basement combined
I moved from L.A. to small-city, Main street KS, and it's way cheaper and friendlier. Slower pace, beautiful skies, and the Anabaptist people are great to know. Flyover country is the best. Love the prairie.
Totally agree!
I've spent a lot of time in this part of Kansas as a kid growing up. Family in Wathena since Bleeding Kansas days. Attended Mass there about a year ago at St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Welcome to kansas! Thank you for always doing these videos, i love my state and although it is very boring there is a lot of history and great people.
I'll take this type of boring over anything else everyday, especially after spending several days prior in the madness of Kansas City and St Joseph. I think most viewers on this channel agree with me as well. :)
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip The madness of Kansas City and (especially) St. Joe??!! Coming from someone from Dallas I find that very amusing!
@@TinkerTailor4303 Lol. Yes, they’re certainly not as bad as Dallas. 😂
Thank you 🙏 always great to see all these towns 🙌
A little reading on some local history would tell you Horton used to be a shop town for the Rock Island Railroad, which would account for the good population back then. A few shop buidings survive. When the shops closed in the late 1940s, a lot of people left. The St. Mary's church is located in the town of Purcell.
your videos always calm me down, thank you for making these.
Thanks! Troy was special! Nice part of country except for long stretches of no trees. The last town had lots of trees and could hear birds. Nice.
Would love to see you enter some mom and pops shops,grocery, etc... love the videos... keep it up
I love your videos and look forward to each new one! Other days I binge on those older ones I missed. You find so many interesting things to see. That old truck you spotted in the weeds reminded me of my grandpa’s old truck. I think his was a middle to late 1940’s. You were spot on that it would be worth restoring. God bless and prayers for safe travels!
I’ve been to 49 out of 50. Seen us at our best and our worst and I love road tripping! You ever need someone to hold the camera for you, in your internet stranger! 😂😂 safe travels, Godspeed.
Thanks for taking us along😊
thanks joe & Nic for sharing beautiful videos 🙏
More neat old railroad towns. Places I'll probably never get to visit but fell like I know them. Thanks much!
I grew up just over the river in Missouri ... we played a lot of summer baseball games in Wathena and Troy. Yes they are nice towns! Thanks for the memories!
The KICKAPOO, INDIAN RESERVATION, is just west of town, a few miles is the arena we here they have their POW WOWS, about 10 miles west is Hiwat 75 , turn north about is the farm that I grewup on!!!
My 90 year old Grandmother lives in Troy
Wow, your not to far from me, I live in Rooks County, Kansas. It's more like a rural area, alot of farmers and ranchers, not many big towns, guess Hays is our closest with a Walmart. I love you guys videos, it's interesting to see what city's you go to next. Keep up the good work and be safe. ❤❤
Thanks Joe and Nic. When I saw the start of this I waited with baited break to see if you would show Horton. To the right of the grocery store was a power plant, and an apple orchard, side road off on the ne side town wound around Little Lake to Big Lake, it maybe completely silted in by now. My grandfather held state record maybe in the 40's for a 55 # cat he caught in big lake. Most people need to go to hospitals out there wind up going to KC. Doubt the hospital is still open there in Horton. Had a beautiful green house if it survived. Native American Indians had built a casino out off the west road out of town. Had great au t and uncle out in Everest when I was little, families are all gone now. Thanks for making my day.
Awesome. Thank you for the comment.
Love this so much as I can get to see all these places that I wouldn't otherwise without your sharing! Much thanks!
Thank you! :)
Joe and Nic. You are showing the people live in big cities and don't think there is anywhere to escape from the crime, filth and congestion that there IS still places where you could let your children play in their front yard! Many of these towns should be growing, not fading away. You are doing something important. I like how you show us these towns!
Thank you, Scott!
People are moving to the suburbs not small towns. The burbs are just as safe but have grocery stores, restaurants, and medical facilities nearby. Also in driving distance to big city jobs.
I always enjoy your travel ! Relaxing in this stressful world
Thanks for coming to NE Kansas! I think the high quality of life here surprises a lot of people. Kansas is often in the top 10-15 states of quality of life measurements, and NE Kansas is the best area in the state. But, lots of great towns all over the state. I have family in Victoria out near Hays, best friend lives in Hillsboro, another in McPherson, and I grew up in Auburn outside Topeka. Friends and family all over NE Kansas into Nebraska. I now live in Florida, but I miss the quiet small towns. But don't miss the cold winters!
It is beautiful there, and very relaxing.
I really really enjoy your videos. So informative about these towns of my country. Thanks so much….
Thank you for your videos. I see in these small American towns that you show us a constant: signs of past wealth and a difficult or poor present. I live in central Italy in a town with 1500 inhabitants and my little town seems to be much more alive than these small American towns. Very few abandoned houses and much more modern shops.
Wow, THAT was a nice, peaceful ride-a-long in rural America, where everyone seems to be living and\or retiring in peace. I love that! I am there in semi-retirement right now (62). I live in a far south-suburban ural community (but lived in LA, Chicago…etc.), where 10 minutes right of me is big brand stores\food... on a mile- long strip. But, 15 minutes to the left of me, it’s horses, goat farms, rosters and Indiana (reminds me of me of Texas). I am not gonna lie, the people, the businesses and the beauty of\in Dyer..to St. John Indiana are AWESOME! My Vet is in St. John, but I also shop in Dyer. I ALWAYS support small merchants in small towns. Thanks Joe! Keep'em coming, bro! 🙂
There is something peaceful about traveling down a road in the middle of nowhere! I really liked the churches. The towns of Horton and Troy are very nice. I love the town square and red bricks. I enjoyed this video! Thank you!
I totally agree. Alexandra!
I've always loved the big porches on the old homes.
Gorgeous trees!
Love your channel, as an Englishman living in a rural area of East Yorkshire England i’m always aware of how much space there is in these small towns, I live in a village of 1500 people and it is very rural but everyone knows everyone. The property prices as well are so cheap! Average here £250k
Pretty little towns out there. The churches were outstanding. Thanks, Joe.
You bet!! :)
I hope you stop by Lucas KS. The Garden of Eden is something to see.
That's such a magnificent old church! I've never been to Kansas but there plenty of rural churches out where I'm at in Wisconsin. If you ever make your way out to Wisconsin I'd love to see it
It's nice inside.
Thanks for sharing, I liked the drive.
Thanks- I grew up in Horton! It's a quiet life...
Thanks for showing us this stuff.
A very interesting video. Thanks Mr. Joe.
I loved this one. I lived at Fort Leavenworth KS for a few years as an army brat til 2013. Kansas is a pretty state
OZ// Thanks Joey- love your work, hope you and Nicole like your way of life too. I see a lot of small towns, that i could live in- if I was younger and USA allowed Ozzies to resettle. A pipe dream, but those small towns look lovely. I live in one here- I love the rural life.
The last town was quite nice. Not very far from St. Joseph's Missouri.
Looks like those small town churches are competing for the tallest. Steeple envy.
Horton is on the edge of the Powhatan Indian reservation. Thats why the high concentration of natives in that area, Wathena poverty is low because it's across the river from Saint Joseph where most of them work.
Cynthia and I really like your travelogues You do a professional job Joe !!! 😊 happy to watch , Well Done !!! Thanks
Thank you for this, George!
Lazy hazy drives, then a few surprises. Thank you!
How fun! I’m in KC - this is so neat to have you all in KS 😊
👍Really interesting, and I learnt new a cultural/architectural term recently from one of your dash-cam vlogs, 'carpenter gothic'. Thanks.👍
In the first town, there were a lot of huge lots where it looked like a home used to be.
Thank you for the video
Love your videos. Wish you'd do this sort of trip and research around australia and nz.
Love your shows
I'm watching this at the end of August. I have a feeling you're not in Kansas anymore.
That guy was giving you the " stink eye " for sure !! No Who's In Horton ! lol
Another great video....thanks 👍
Love watching you guy's all the best from Australia..
I clicked on this at random and immediately knew where you were. Went to high school in Horton. Lots of buildings missing downtown since left. I worked at the Thriftway. Went to middle school in Everest.
Ya always make excellent Travel Videos......... Safe Travels..
Really enjoying you're videos. Im from the UK and love seeing the off the beaten track places you visit 😀
Awesome, thank you!
No disrespect to the man at 5:14, but the way he stared you down, kinda reminded me of the movie Jeepers Creepers where the creeper stares down the two college students as they drive past him at the beginning lol. Great vid as always.
LOLOLOLOL
More people back in the day because families like mine had about 8 kids. Also, farms were 160 acres, unlike now where they're way bigger.
Fantastic. Ain’t America beautiful!
I’m from Nebraska I hope you make your way south of Hastings, NE!! By the way your videos or always really enjoyable to watch!!
State of Kansas EMS (Emergency Medical Services) is actually pretty good. And, the University of Kansas Medical Center is relatively close by in Kansas City. KU Med has very good outreach programs to rural Kansas, especially in northeast Kansas. Access to marvelous medical care is in reality very good.
Perhaps this is silly but I like looking at those old trees. Some of them must be over a hundred years old, have to wonder what they've lived through.
very interesting , thank you.
I love watching Joe's videos. I live in Boca Raton, South Florida. It's nice here but getting more crowded all the time. It's nice to see some of the wide open spaces and quiet living. For years, I have often looked at my Rand McNally road map book and saw so many small towns across the country and wondered what life was like in these places. Now I can experience what living there would be like. Now I know. But I can easily understand why young people would be bored stiff in these areas and why populations are dwindling.
Thank you! :)
thank you great video...
Joe, you were literally just about an hour from where I live - I would have loved to have met up with you and Nicole for some lunch or dinner…. Damn!
I didn’t know that! It’s beautiful there, and very relaxing. I could feel the city stress fading away as I explored the area. 👍😀
Yes, I live about an hour west in a small city called Waterville, Kansas. Population of about 640. But only about 45 minutes from Manhattan Kansas, home of K-State….
@@LJones69 Went up to Waterville a couple years ago. Fantastic hotel and some nice bigger homes.
@@keithwiebe1787 when we moved here almost a decade ago, we were told that back in the early 1900’s Waterville was the last stop for the train, so all the cattle was brought to Waterville to get on the train and that’s how the Weaver Hotel got started and the city, as small as it was, was very wealthy. It had 3 banks, two grocery stores and a hospital. Which was a lot for a city of roughly 700. Supposedly at the turn of the century back then, Waterville had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the US….
@@LJones69 I like to go on day trips. I thought I had a good idea what's around me but discover something new all the time. Towns are certainly more interesting the further north and east one gets in Kansas although it's nice to be in SE Kansas for close proximity to the Ozarks but you know what. I discovered the closest Ozark type land near to me is a 3 hr drive to north of Kansas City to the Weston, Mo area.
It is plenty of big tree all town and white house is beautiful.
Love my home town Troy KS hung out in Horton KS was known for their Indian reservation as while as white cloud ks so many small towns
It's interesting that modern day Troy is in Turkey! How did you know that? (I'm not underestimating you, Joe - you're very knowledgeable! ) But I always assumed it was in Greece. That Nelson-Rogers house reminds me of the Laura Ingalls Wilder House in DeSmet, SD. I was travelling near there in the early '90s and decided to stop by.
Wow, the church "in the middle of nowhere" is pretty fantastic...a beacon for the faithful in the prairie I guess you could say. A big draw of your videos for me is getting a chance to see all the great architecture in these small towns. So Troy is named after the ancient city and not Troy McClure? (you may remember him from such educational films as Here Comes the Metric System🙂) See you down the road...happy trails!
It's in Purcell, Kansas.
LOVE YOUR VIDEOS sure wish you would do road trips in small western Kansas towns such as haviland, tribune , just to name a couple. Thanks for the road trips
I will be.