When a road-tripper first explores the state’s southwest corner, preconceived notions are blown away like an unwavering Kansas gust.

They came out of nowhere: rugged red ridges punching through the horizon line after miles of flat prairie. The towering Gypsum Hills looked far from anything promised

Imagine walking 50 miles across a hostile prairie just to make sure the mail goes through. That was among the regular duties for infantry soldiers at Fort Larned in the 1860s. The fort was among those constructed to protect commerce on the Santa Fe Trail. The trail was one of the most important