Hollenberg Station, an important stop on the Oregon and Pony Express Trails, is in Kansas but just a stone's throw away from the Nebraska border. We came here in June of 2000, working our way home from Marysville which is some dozen miles to the southeast. To be more precise, you'll find it one mile east of Hanover on State Road K-243.

We took some back roads here, just to escape the humdrum highways. Having already covered around 2000 miles on this trip, we needed a break from asphalt. Along the way, we pulled over to help an enormous turtle across the road, but unfortunately were too late — the stench and the buzzing flies let us know that. (We always brake for turtles, and have successfully rescued a fair number now.)

Haunting the backways of Kansas is a great way to unwind. There wasn't much for population along the path we took; we spotted only one or two farmers at work when we drove by. Eventually we saw a nice grove of trees, and there in the center was the Hollenberg Station. The rural setting, lack of people, and quantities of old shade trees made this a very peaceful and relaxing spot.

Location is Everything!

Gerat and Sophia Hollenberg established a farm and general store here in 1858. The husband was a German immigrant who already had some previous business experience. The purpose of the outfit was to supply trade goods to emigrants and gold seekers along the Oregon and California Trails. In effect, this was the Wal-Mart of its day, supplying dry goods, homecooked meals, hay and corn for the animals, blacksmith services, and so on. In addition, weary travelers could rent an attic room for a night of rest.

Situated close to the Little Blue River, which the emigrants followed into Nebraska, the location was a guaranteed winner. Given that some quarter of a million people walked the Oregon Trail, even if only one percent of them stopped to buy something, the Hollenbergs were on easy street!

Add on to that the fact that government forts in the West had to be supplied. The Hollenberg store was smack-dab on the freight route starting at various jumping off points along the Missouri River. Gerat and Sophia must have hugged themselves frequently for having picked such a felicitous location for their store.

When the Pony Express started up, in the spring of 1860, the Hollenberg ranch was selected to be a relay station. A rider coming about ten miles from Marysville could switch horses here. He'd then cover another ten miles and pick up a fresh horse again at Rock Creek Station in Nebraska. So, the store here took on a new rôle, and became known as the Hollenberg Station. The couple kept, fed and rested Pony Express horses as part of their new duties.

Once the railroad became a part of the American landscape, the need for the services provided by the Hollenbergs dwindled. So, by the late 1860s or so, the store shut down and this became a farm. By 1870, the couple moved away, founding the nearby town of Hanover.

Visiting the Hollenberg Station Today

Continuing where I left off above, we pulled into the gravel parking lot and noticed that we were the only car here. However, the door to Hollenberg Station was open, so we walked in. The first thing I noticed was a woman's purse left unattended, a thermos, a radio and a boxed lunch. However, there was no one in sight. Strange...

Anyway, we enjoyed the various exhibits inside the Station, having it all to ourselves. There were displays describing the Oregon and Pony Express Trails, a bit about the Hollenbergs and so forth. Most interesting, though, was the fact that all of the interior had been set up just as it might have appeared when the Hollenberg Station was a going concern. There was an outfitted prairie kitchen, ancient furniture, and appliances like an old stove. The floors were rough hewn wooden planks and the walls were rustically "plastered." It really looked like we had walked into a time warp and were transported back a hundred-and-fifty years. This is a very nice "living museum" and well worth your attention.

After an hour of viewing the exhibits, we were ready to leave. But there was still that business of the unattended purse and lunch. I don't exactly remember what caught our attention, but one way or another we noticed that there was another building associated with the site, off a ways. We found out it was a brand spanking new Visitor Center! We went to explore it and discovered it was built by the Kansas Historical Society. As it turns out, the owner of the purse had just popped over to the headquarters for a bit. I guess the traffic must have been a bit slow that day, or that big city crime hadn't invaded this picturesque part of rural Kansas yet. All I know is that when I see an unattended handbag, I dive for cover. (My first trip to London was during the spell the IRA was into pub bombings which made a big impression on me.) Anyway...

Not knowing if we could hike between the Station and the new Visitor Center, we drove there. (As it turns out, there is a path you can walk between the two buildings.) After making the corner in the road, we came upon the new center, and it's a beauty. Water sprinklers were spraying the lawn and nicely tended flower beds, attesting to the parched nature of this part of the Great Plains.

Inside was a sequence of marvelous exhibits and artwork commemorating the trails and the pioneers. And the volunteers staffing the place were wonderfully friendly people. They obviously took great pride in what they had on show and were anxious to answer all of our questions.

One thing you've got to see here is the exquisite full wall mural by Charles Goslin depicting emigrants on the Oregon Trail. The volunteers explained how it came to be painted, and how local people served as models for the artist. I have a copy of it, in postcard form, in my scrapbook and am very fond of looking at when reminiscing on our ventures into the Great Plains.

As I mentioned, the Hollenberg Station and the new Visitor Center are owned and operated by the Kansas State Historical Society. This was all a bit of an unexpected find. Usually we head off on expeditions having previously gathered a wealth of information beforehand. But the Station doesn't seem to be all that well known; the only clue we had to its existence was a brief write-up in a AAA Tour Guide Book. Once we got there, though, I latched onto a neat brochure describing all of the Kansas State Historic Sites. (See the picture to the left). If you're planning a trip out this-away, then you might want to check if the Kansas Tourism Department will send you a copy ahead of time; click the [footnote] for details.

There's a book and gift shop in the Visitor Center, and I picked up a couple items here. In particular, I found a nicely produced little brochure on the Hollenberg Station. This is a glossy foldout, featuring beautiful pictures, the story of Gerat and Sophia, descriptions of life on the trail and so on.

All in all, this was splendid way to spend an afternoon, and I really recommend it to you. The fact that the Station is so well preserved, and that it is so far away from the madding crowd, and that the Visitor Center is a real treat, made this one of the highlights of our big Kansas trip of 2000.

• State
  • Kansas State Historical Society
  • State of Kansas Travel and Tourism
  • State of Nebraska Travel and Tourism
  
  
• Municipal
  • Town of Hanover
  • Town of Marysville
  
  
• Other Interesting Sites
  • Charles Goslin: Historical Artist
  • History of the Hollenberg Station
  • The Mural at Hollenberg Station
  • Turtles of the World
  • History of Railroads