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25-668: The preserve is located at the southern end of the Flint Hills , also known as the Osage Hills. The rocky, rolling prairie stretches from northern Kansas into Oklahoma. Exposed limestone formations make cultivation difficult, and thus the Flint Hills have survived much as they were when they were a hunting ground for area tribes such as the Wichita , Osage , and Kaw . The region is called “The Osage” by Oklahomans, referring to

50-402: A major impediment to early travelers heading west. About 10 percent of the preserve is forested and the remainder is tallgrass prairie; the grasses of several species here can grow 10 feet (3 m) tall. The tallgrass prairie owes its existence to fire, whether caused by lightning or manmade. Without fire, the prairie quickly becomes brushland. The Native Americans were aware of this and burned

75-641: A rodeo champion, was Ben Johnson Jr. , an actor who appeared in more than 300 movies and won an Oscar for his role in The Last Picture Show . In 1993, Oklahoma oilman Kenneth Adams donated 300 bison to the preserve. By 2000, the herd had increased to 1,200. The herd now numbers more than 2,500 and grazes 21,000 acres (85 km) of mostly open range . Pawhuska, Oklahoma , is the nearest large town. The Osage Nation has its headquarters here. The preserve may also be entered near Foraker, Oklahoma , and Hewins, Kansas . The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

100-625: A science and history museum focusing on the Flint Hills, opened in Manhattan, Kansas , in April 2012. Explorer Zebulon Pike first coined the name the Flint Hills in 1806 when he entered into his journal, "passed very ruff flint hills". The underlying bedrock of the hills is a flinty limestone. The largest town in the area is Manhattan, Kansas, and the hills can be accessed from the Flint Hills Scenic Byway , which passes through

125-524: Is a prominent regime shift and risk to the existing tallgrass prairie. Animals native to the Flint Hills include the American bison , which once grazed the area by the millions and were almost entirely exterminated, but have now been reintroduced. The elk that once roamed the region are gone. The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the World Wildlife Fund have designated

150-414: Is a short nature trail; the other is a 2-mile (3 km) trail that climbs to overlooks over the creek and through the riparian forest. Frequently, bison are seen just across the fence that separates the hiking area from grazing areas. White-tailed deer are abundant in the wooded areas. The principal activity for the 10,000 visitors who annually come to the preserve is driving the many dirt roads to observe

175-594: Is designated as a distinct region because it has the densest coverage of intact tallgrass prairie in North America. Due to its rocky soil, the early settlers were unable to plow the area, resulting in the prevalence of cattle ranches as opposed to the crop land more typical of the Great Plains . These ranches rely on annual controlled burns conducted by ranchers every spring to renew the prairie grasses for cattle to graze. The Flint Hills Discovery Center ,

200-619: Is named for the abundant residual flint eroded from the bedrock that lies near or at the surface. It consists of a band of hills extending from Marshall and Washington Counties in the north to Cowley County, Kansas and Kay and Osage Counties in Oklahoma in the south, to Geary and Shawnee Counties west to east. Oklahomans generally refer to the same geologic formation as the Osage Hills or "the Osage." The Flint Hills Ecoregion

225-512: Is on what used to be the Osage Indian Reservation. When forced to agree to household allotments of communal land, the Osage retained sub-surface mineral rights on all their former lands. Members of the nation have had what are known as Osage headrights to a portion of this communal resource and are paid a portion of leasing revenues for mineral production. In the early 20th century, the discovery of petroleum on their land made

250-567: Is open every day from dawn to dusk. There is no admission charge. The headquarters of the Chapman-Barnard ranch has been converted into a visitor center with restrooms and the restored bunkhouse in which the cowboys lived. The main building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NR 01000208). Oklahoma State University has a research station near the visitor center. Near Salt Creek are two hiking trails. One

275-667: Is the Florence Limestone Member, which is approximately 45-foot thick (14 m). Numerous roadcuts of the Florence Member are prominent along Interstate 70 in Riley County, Kansas . Unlike the Pennsylvanian limestones to the east, however, many of the limestones in the Flint Hills contain several bands of chert or flint. Because chert is much less soluble than the limestone surrounding it,

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300-705: The 17-square-mile (44 km ) Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in northern Chase County near Strong City , the Flint Hills Tallgrass Prairie Preserve east of Cassoday , "the Prairie Chicken Capital of the World", and the Konza Prairie , which is managed as a tallgrass prairie biological research station by Kansas State University and is located near Manhattan . Hewins, Kansas Hewins

325-568: The Flint Hills as an ecoregion , distinct from other grasslands of the Great Plains . Four tallgrass prairie preserves are located in the Flint Hills. The largest of these, the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve , in the Osage Hills near Pawhuska, Oklahoma boasts a large population of bison and is an important refuge for other wildlife such as the greater prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) . The other preserves in Kansas, are

350-466: The Osage the richest people per capita in the world in the 1920s and 1930s. But they were subject to harassment, manipulation, fraud and murder in what was known as a ' Reign of Terror ' as whites tried to gain control of family members' headrights. While oil production has declined, there are still more than 100 producing oil wells on the preserve, among which the bison graze. The preserve is home to numerous interesting invertebrates species. In addition to

375-412: The area since plowing the land wasn't feasible. For this reason, cattle ranching became the main agricultural activity in the region. Never having been ploughed over and sparsely developed, the Flint Hills represent the last expanse of intact tallgrass prairie in the nation. They present the best opportunity for sustained preservation of this unique habitat that once covered the vast Great Plains. Most of

400-549: The endangered American burying beetle ( Nicrophorus americanus ), which plays an important role in nutrient cycling. Prior to its purchase by the Nature Conservancy in 1989, much of the preserve was within the boundaries of the Barnard Ranch; it had been part of the Chapman-Barnard ranch of 100,000 acres (400 km). The foreman of the Chapman-Barnard ranch, Ben Johnson Sr. was a rodeo champion. His son, also

425-411: The many species of butterflies and moths that feed and host on the flowering plant biodiversity found there, the prairie mole cricket ( Gryllotalpa major ) is a rare insect species found on the preserve. Males congregate in leks in large numbers in the spring months (April–May) to produce loud choruses from calling burrows to attract flying females. In the summer months, the preserve serves as habitat for

450-531: The name of the Native American nation occupying this territory and to the county named for them. Pilots call The Osage the “Black Hole” when flying over it at night because it is so lightly populated. The preserve is bisected by the well-timbered Salt Creek and its tributaries. The eastern portion of the preserve is in the Cross Timbers , a north-south running belt of tangled oak forests that were

475-420: The numerous bison. Often hundreds of bison may be seen near – and sometimes blocking – the roads. Scenic turnouts along the roads provide broad vistas of the rolling prairie, emerald green in spring, tall and brown in fall, and dotted with wildflowers in the summer. Noted Osage author John Joseph Mathews had a small cabin in the Osage Hills, The Blackjacks , where he did much of his writing. At his request, he

500-565: The plains, such as the Central tall grasslands to the north, have better soil than the Flint Hills and a richer plant cover, but have almost entirely been converted to farmland. Tallgrass prairie is renewed by fire and grazing, which also keeps back the growth of trees and shrubs. Prominent grass species are big bluestem ( Andropogon gerardi ) , switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum ) , and Indian grass ( Sorghastrum nutans ) . The expansion of shrubs and trees, referred to as woody plant encroachment ,

525-435: The prairie regularly to nurture new growth of succulent grasses and to kill invasive trees and shrubs. The Nature Conservancy has continued this practice with a process called “patch burning,” in which about one-third of the prairie is burned each year. This process has proven beneficial not only in providing grazing for bison and cattle , but also for the habitat of the threatened greater prairie chickens , which also inhabit

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550-442: The preserve in small numbers. Bison are the most prominent attraction of the preserve. Bison are rounded up each fall and the excess numbers sold. Cattle are grazed on 11,000 acres (45 km). The preserve supports 755 plant species, many unique to the tallgrass prairie, and more than 300 bird species. Forest trees include several species of oak, cottonwoods, ash, red cedar, elm, sycamore, and others. The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

575-526: The region. The rocks exposed in the Flint Hills were laid down about 250 million years ago during the Permian Period . During this time, much of the Midwest , including Kansas and Oklahoma, was covered with shallow seas. As a result, much of the Flint Hills is composed of limestone and shale , with plentiful fossils of prehistoric sea creatures. The most notable layer of chert -bearing limestone

600-424: The weathering of the limestone has left behind a clay soil with abundant chert gravel. Most of the hilltops in the region are capped with this chert gravel. The highest point in the Flint Hills is Butler County High Point , with an elevation of 1680 ft (512 m). Due to shallow outcroppings of limestone and chert that lay just underneath the soil surface, corn and wheat farming were not practical over much of

625-521: Was buried near his cabin. About 2014 the Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma bought the plot including his cabin and gravesite, and have added it to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. The cabin will be preserved and the public will be allowed limited access. Flint Hills The Flint Hills , historically known as Bluestem Pastures or Blue Stem Hills , are a region of hills and prairies that lie mostly in eastern Kansas . It

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