US Highway 281

Miss Kansas and all that in Pratt.

Pratt, Kansas close to 7,000 folks live here, founded in 1884. We are at the intersection of US Highway 281 and the East/West routes of Highway 54/400 in the south-central part of Kansas. The Miss Kansas Parade and Contest is held here each year. Home to the mighty Greenbacks, (a bullfrog is the HS mascot) along with the Pratt Community College Beavers. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy.

Pole Art in Hoisington, KS on US Hwy 281

 Hoisington, Kansas, around 3,000. North of Great Bend on Highway 281, intersected with Highway 4. A rich history as a railroad town, and agriculture community. One really unique feature of this town is the pole art. Hand-crafted, original metal artworks created by local artist Bruce Bitter adorn 62 poles along Hoisington’s Main Street. Take the Pole Art Walking Tour around town.

There are a couple of beautiful murals downtown as well, one on a Main Street building and a Depression Era mural inside the Post Office, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Check out the Sundial at the City Building of Hoisington, on the building’s facade as part of a WPA project in 1939. Can people really tell time with one of these? Home twice a year to the Whooping Cranes as they migrate. Here is the Gateway to Cheyenne Bottoms, the area is a vast hunting and fishing paradise. 

A Pulitzer Prize winner grew up in this Hwy 281 town.

 I found her on the Great Plaints, in Red Cloud, Nebraska on Highway 281. Willa. How many little nowhere towns became somewhere towns because a novelist grew up there? Not many come to mind, Red Cloud is one of those communities. Willa Cather moved away for college in 1891 like most others and never moved back, she visited often and sent money back to help out. She died in 1947 and with her legacy, she is still helping the town.

St. Paul, NE and Loup Valley on Hwy. 281

A Supercell thunderstorm near US Highway 281 Nebraska, July 2004. Photo by D.J. Fuller, digitally enhanced by me :-). If you spend much time on the Plains, you will see some interesting clouds. 

Alice on US Highway 281 - Hub City.

South of San Antonio on Highway 281 we have Alice. The lands south of San Antonio are commonly referred to as South Texas. Alice with a population of around 20, 000, was named after the daughter of one of the founders of the famed King Ranch, Alice King Kleberg. The post office opened for business in 1888.

Escape on Highway 281 South thru Texas.

Roman Nose to Red Rock Canyon on Oklahoma 281.

With breathtaking views of the High Plains Country of Western Oklahoma. We have two great State Parks with fun activities for everyone. Roman Nose to Red Rock Canyon, connected by Highway 281 through a few historical rural communities. These all American towns will welcome your visit. Ready for a trip?

The Indian Capital of the Nation on Hwy 281

Anadarko, Oklahoma on Highway 281 in Caddo County. Southwest of Oklahoma City, North of Lawton. With a population of around 6,500. "Indian Capital of the Nation," according to the local Chamber of Commerce. Home to the annual American Indian Exposition, the National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians. Anadarko on US Highway 281 is unique among Oklahoma cities as Native Americans form a near-majority of the community population. The town acquired its name when the post office was established in 1873. The towns name came from the Nadarko (Nadaco) Indians, a branch of the Caddo peoples, with the "A" added by a clerical error.

Snow angels to palm trees on US Highway 281.

If one wanted to bounce out of the house for some fun on 281 this weekend into the week ahead we might want to dial in the weather channel for a look see. Lets have a satellite look at the weather conditions some of our neighbors up and down US Highway 281 are or will be experiencing in the next few days.

Bar-B-Que run on Hwy 281 TX Hill Country

Over the month I have enjoyed barbecue in the Texas Hill Country at 8 different joints on or near US Highway 281. The towns were Marble Falls Hwy 281, (2 joints), Spicewood Hwy 71 (1 joint). East of 281, then Johnson City, (2 joints) Hwy 281, Blanco, (1 joint), Hwy 281 and San Marcos, (2 joints) East from Highway 281. The other day Kim, Todd and I were talking about barbecue and day trips when we came up with our favorite BBQ joints of these 5 Texas Hill Country towns.