Cedarvale

The schoolhouse the panel mentions still stands behind it, decaying on private land. Begun in 1917 and finished in 1921, it was a four-room brick school, and the WPA attached a large adobe gymnasium to its rear in 1935 and 1936. At its height about 500 people lived around Cedarvale, most of them raising pinto beans. The Kansas founders gave the place their hometown's name, and its homesteaders, with those of neighboring Progresso, fill a 2009 local history that also follows the Cedarvale Quilt Club.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Cedarvale Edward Smith, William Taylor, and Oliver P. DeWolfe of Cedarvale, Kansas laid out this farming Community in 1908. Hundreds of homesteaders arrived on immigrant trains. Most farmed pinto beans, shipping their crop to distant markets. In 1917, the community successfully petitioned to build a large schoolhouse, The WPA added classrooms and a gym in 1935-36. In the 1930's, drought and the Depression substantially reduced the population.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Greathouse Station and Tavern — 11 mi
• Laguna del Perro — 20 mi
• Gran Quivira Ruins — 24 mi