Hiking and Biking in Manhattan, Kansas

I remember my Grandma & Grandpa being so proud of the developing of the Tuttle Creek Dam area. I was maybe 9 at the time and while my family was there visiting them one summer (my parents grew up in the area...actually my family has lived in the area for generations) they had to show it off to us.

I remember standing in the as yet uncompleted spillway surrounded by dirt & concrete and wondering what was so great & wanting to spend more time with Grandpa's horses & cows. They kept trying to get me to understand how it would be so important to the farmers in the area. They still had fantasies of being able to pass their land, etc. on to their grandchildren. Sadly none of us stayed on the land.

A few years ago my husband & I were there visiting family and almost 40 years later I found myself standing at Tuttle Creek Dam again. This time though I was marveling at the wonder of the development. The beauty of the area, the horse/hiking trails, the buffalo (silhouettes), camping areas...and I finally understood the importance of what Grandma & Grandpa had been trying to tell us. We had just watched a video recording my aunt had showing a recent storm and her family and other residents of the area fighting the flooding that would have been so much worse had it not been for the development of Tuttle Creek.

I hope everyone knows how fortunate they are to live and prosper in the area. It truly is amazing.