I am sure there is a story behind Echo Cliff Park, and I inquired of several people, one of whom
replied that he hadn't been there for thirty years and couldn't recall how to get to it, other
than it was somewhere around Dover, Kansas.
After driving several miles south of Dover, I turned around and inquired of a gentleman at the
local gas pump and was told to drive a mile west of Dover on highway K-4 and then south
a mile to the edge of the creek. "There's a sign there that says, Echo Cliff Park."
Well, that shouldn't be too difficult to find, that is if you measure the mile correctly. I didn't,
and turned south on the first road sector I came to - wrong one. You need to take the next
one, in other words the second intersection west of Dover. It's easy that way, because
the road is called "Echo Cliff Road." Oh well, I am from the big city!
The entranceway and warning sign about the park closing at 10 P.M.
are constructed of steel, with the lettering being some type of cycle chain,
welded to the sheet metal. Half barrel steel drums and other items, some anchored
with concrete cement are the picnic tables and benches.
Even the restroom facility is an old boiler that is standing upright and has a metal door
on hinges (nice haven for "daddy long legs").
After departing Echo Cliff Park, if you cross the one-lane bridge and continue south a few miles,
then turn right and travel a few miles west on a low maintained road, you will come to the remnants
of some 1800's stone dwellings. Actually there are two there, but only one can be seen from the
roadway and I had to climb a fence to get these pictures. The other one is set back in a wooded
area and I had gathered enough "chiggers" to cure my venture for the day.