Motoring Monday: Wall Mural Concordia

The Whole Wall Mural at the corner of 6^th and U.S. 81 in Concordia is the longest sculpted brick mural in the United States and is the largest piece of public art in Kansas.

Work began on the 140-foot long project in February 2007 and the last brick was carved in April 2008. The 15-foot high mural was then installed in 2009. Each brick before firing weighed about 26 pounds with more than 90,000 pounds of clay used.

The 6,400-brick mural tells the story of Cloud County through architecture, geography, commerce and art. Catharine Magel, a St. Louis artist, designed the Mural with Mara Smith, Seattle, as lead artist. Just a few of the things featured on the mural include coal miners and brick layers at work, a 1928 biplane, a wooded windmill, grain elevators, a John Deere tractor, a school house, a church, a train, an iron truss bridge, trees, sunflowers and even a museum mouse and lady bug.

Find out more about the mural here.

Throwback Thursday

Here's a look at bridge repair work in Topeka in 1967.  Can you name what bridge this is?  Give us your guess in the comment section and check back there for the answer later today.

Let's Drive America Forward

Did you know that 52 percent of all of America's roads are under local jurisdiction?  The National Association of Counties is raising awareness about the decaying of more than 780,000 miles of highway due to being underfunded.  Far too many fatalities are occurring on these roads according to the association.  Check out the video below to learn more.

The Secrets of Southeast Kansas: Elk Falls

Located on U.S. 160 about five miles east of K-99, Elk Falls is named for its waterfall on the Elk River. As an added attraction, visitors to “The Falls” can soak up its natural beauty from the deck of an historic Pratt Truss bridge.

Constructed in 1893, the iron truss bridge was once on the main road through Elk Falls. Upon the completion of U.S. 160 in the late 1950’s, a significant amount of bridge traffic was re-routed to the new highway. Then in 1976 a raging flood demolished most of the structure’s wooden deck planks. Finally deemed unsuitable for vehicles, the bridge was condemned.

Yet in 1983, condemnation became preservation. The wooden planks were restored, with the bridge taking on a second life as travelers stopped by to stroll on the deck and view the waterfall. In 1994 the Elk Falls Bridge earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

“The Falls” and its bridge can be found at the east end of Montgomery Street. The site has a picnic table and foot paths down to the water.

Motoring Monday: Medicine Lodge Stockade Museum and Carry A Nation Home

Medicine Lodge has many historical areas to visit like the Stockade Museum and the Carry Nation Home. The current Stockade Museum is a smaller replica of the original built in 1874 because of Indian raids. About 200 people, cows and dogs stayed in the stockade from May until fall.

David and Carry Nation moved to Medicine Lodge in 1890 and while there, Carry began lecturing against tobacco and liquor. She helped organize the Medicine Lodge chapter of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. To help enforce the law against liquor, she began smashing saloons and smashed her first in 1900 in Kiowa. The Carry Nation home was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

To learn more about these and other historic events that took place in Medicine Lodge, go to http://medicinelodgestockade.org/.

Throwback Thursday

Here's a look back at some flooding photos in Kansas from many years ago.  Hint: The flood occurred in July.  Can you name the year?  Give us your best guess in the comment section below and check back there for the answer later today.

More than $73 million construction projects let in June

KDOT's June construction letting features a variety of highway projects across the state totaling more than $73 million.

A project to improve U.S. 77 west of Junction City in Geary County was one of the projects approved in the June 2015 KDOT construction letting. The project involves reconstructing the K-18/Spring Valley Road intersection, including turn lanes and a traffic signal.  It also widens U.S. 77 southbound to two lanes, which includes intersection improvements at U.S. 77/Ash Street and U.S. 77/McFarland Road. Ebert Construction Company Inc. and Subsidiary of Wamego is the prime contractor on the $6.2 million project. 

To see the rest of the approved projects, click here.