Big Basin

The basin is open to visitors because of a campaign. In 1972 Mrs. C. G. 'Janie' Stein formed the Big Basin Foundation and worked with agencies, legislators and The Nature Conservancy to protect bison and pronghorn here. In 1974 the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks acquired the land from the Conservancy, which made operation as a nature preserve a condition of the sale. The 1,818-acre Big Basin Prairie Preserve, stocked with bison, became a National Natural Landmark in December 1978. St. Jacob's Well measures about 84 feet across and 58 feet deep.

What the plaque says

Big Basin This marker stands within a geological feature known as the Big Basin, which is a sinkhole or "sink" about a mile in diameter and more than a hundred feet deep. Although it has the appearance of a valley, it is entirely surrounded by higher ground. Like several other smaller sinks in this section of Kansas, Big Basin was formed thousands of years ago by the dissolving and collapse of massive gypsum and salt formations lying several hundred feet below the surface. Just beyond the east rim of Big Basin is a smaller sink known as Little Basin. It contains "St. Jacob's Well," a pool of water never known to have gone dry. Archeological finds indicate that St. Jacob's Well has attracted visitors for many centuries, beginning with prehistoric peoples and continuing into the early days of European settlement. Although located on the eastern edge of the High Plains, Big Basin and Little Basin exhibit the physical characteristics of the Red Hills region located a short distance to the south and east, where rock formations of white gypsum and gray dolomite alternate with brick-red shales, siltstones, and sandstones to create a visually striking butte-and-mesa topography unlike any other in Kansas. Erected by Kansas State Historical Society & Kansas Department of Transportation

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Pioneer-Krier Museum — 13 mi
  Clark County's museum on US-160 in Ashland, where a ranch county's household goods share a wing with the aerobatic biplanes of Harold Krier and the records of miler Wes Santee.
• Meade State Park — 26 mi
  An 80-acre fishing lake among springs south of Meade, in country once known for artesian wells that pushed groundwater up under its own pressure, before irrigation drew the water table down.

More markers nearby

• Fort Dodge-Camp Supply Military Road — 18 mi
• The Lone Tree Incident — 20 mi