Ogallala Commons has defined 12 key assets of commonwealth that every community already has no matter their financial standing, their demographic, or their location. Each of the key assets are intertwined and examples can be found in more than one key asset. Our assignment was to do an assessment over our community and identify examples in each of the 12 key assets. However, since Smith Center is small and their are some very interesting places within our county that are not in Smith Center, I decided to do this assignment over Smith County instead. Smith County does indeed have each key asset and several examples in each commonwealth asset. In order to keep this blog short, I would like to focus mainly on some examples in the history and leisure and recreation.
History: When traveling around Smith County, you can stop and admire the many beautiful antique buildings and historical sites. One of the main attractions in our county is Higley Cabin, the location of where the Kansas State song, Home on the Range, was wrote in 1871. The cabin can still be viewed and explored today. Another historical attraction is the Old Mill located at Wagner Park in Smith Center. The mill originally was located in Reamsville, Kansas and was moved to Smith Center in 1938. It is one of the only three Dutch Mills in Kansas.
Leisure and Recreation: Other than playing in the city park, spending the afternoon at the pool, or grabbing some ice cream from Jiffy Burger, Smith County has many locations to see. Two miles Northwest of Lebanon, Kansas, is the Geographical Center of the Continental United States. At the Center, one can view the statue, sign the guest registry, or peer back towards Lebanon and look upon 3 wooden crosses. Another must see spot in Smith County is Little Miss Liberty. Donated by the Smith Center Boy Scouts troops Little Miss Liberty has overlooked Harlan, Gaylord, and the Solmon Valley area for the past 65 years.
To see more about Smith County, check out this Youtube Video created by one of the community members!
