As a visitor to Lake Scott State Park you’ll want to stop at the Old Steele Home. This site has a variety of features, from the stream below the home fed by natural springs, to the bluff across the road giving a breathtaking panoramic view of the Park and Lake. All the attractions are within walking distance of your car.
The home was hand quarried from native sandstone in 1894. Built on two levels, the house’s front door opens onto the road where visitors park. The back door, on the lower level exists to a gently sloping meadow leading to the stream below. As an additional attraction from visitors, the building’s interior is furnished with articles typical of pioneer homes.
Take the time to climb to the top of the bluff across the road. You can catch your breath in the stone shelter at the top. Then, stand beside the Steele Memorial made from a four-ton red granite boulder which was brought from Colorado and placed on its concrete base at the end of the bluff in 1930. Now, gaze out over the dream-come-true of Herbert and Liza Steele. They envisioned the State Park in the late 1920s and dedicated 640 acres of their property to the Kansas State Forestry, Fish and Game commission.
We hope you’ll enjoy the heritage the Steele’s preserved for future generations and take away with you a kindred spirit of love for this natural beauty.
