Parks and Recreation in Olsburg

The area around Olsburg is among the most beautiful in Kansas! It includes the northern Flint Hills, the Blue River Valley, and the upper end of Tuttle Creek Reservoir.

Olsburg is the hub for visitors to the northern end of Tuttle Creek Reservoir, which lies just west of the town. This part of the lake offers Randolph State Park, the Olsburg Marshes and a 12,000 acre Wildlife Refuge only a short distance away.

Randolph State Park boasts campgrounds for both tent and RV camping, many striking scenic vistas overlooking the lake and over 12 miles of horseback, hiking and biking trails.

The Olsburg Marsh is a major migratory waterfowl and songbird nesting area.

The expansive Wildlife Refuge is home to large populations of deer, as well as turkey, quail, coyotes, bobcats, and other wild creatures indigenous to the area.

During season, the marsh and Wildlife Refuge are a highly productive hunting areas for migratory waterfowl, game birds and deer.

The marsh and the refuge are open to the public throughout the year for hiking, exploration and wildlife viewing.

A major hiking-biking trail route has been mapped along rural gravel and dirt roads around Olsburg. "The Rolander Express Trail" is 28.6 miles long, virtually all lying along little traveled rural roads. It is rated "moderately" difficult, offering 9 miles of hills along its route. This trail makes a circuit around Olsburg and includes many scenic points overlooking the valley of the Big Blue River. The trail can be easily hiked or biked in shorter segments. Maps are available and in Olsburg, through the Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation, or through Pathfinder Sports in Manhattan.

Olsburg abounds with scenic drives! Carnahan Creek Road, from Olsburg south to Highway 13 is one of the most strikingly beautiful drives in the State of Kansas! 

Those who "love to dirt" can take advantage of another beautiful drive north;up Shannon Creek Road, then around Southeast on Spring Creek Road; approximately 20 miles of well-graveled backcountry roads with examples of the some of the best "highlands" in Kansas and access to the rich waterfowl marshes and wildlife areas at the far north end of Tuttle Creek reservoir.

Olsburg Pride

The Kansas Pride program is a citizen‐based approach to improving the quality of life in the more than

60 enrolled communities in Kansas. Since 1970, the Pride program has grown and evolved, like the

Kansas communities, to meet their ever changing needs. Pride has assisted and encouraged

communities to prepare for the future by building on their past and forming a vision of the future. The

constant challenge to remain viable and provide a high quality of life can be achieved through the

comprehensive Pride approach. Pride encourages citizens to work together to identify community

improvement projects.

The program is co‐administered through the Kansas Department of Commerce and K‐State Research and

Extension. Kansas Pride Inc is a nonprofit organization.

Each year the Pride Program gives out tow awards, the first one is the Star Award, which recognizes

outstanding projects that address a community need, a higher level of citizen involvement and enhances

the quality of life in Kansas. The second of these awards, the Community of Excellence Award, is

awarded to communities that are following a community improvement process.

Olsburg is a small town nestled in the Flint Hills of Kansas. There are 192 people residing in the city

limits and approximately 200 or more in the rural area. According most historians, Olsburg was founded

in 1880 when the Kansas Central Railroad ran its line thru this area. Some historians can go back a far as

1853. Most of the original settlers were Swedes and Norwegians. It is said that Ole Trulson migrated to

the area in 1862 and some say he gave his name to Olesburgh. He also established the first post office.

Others say that when that when Ole Johnson established his drug store in 1880 that the town was name

after him. Burgh is the Swedish word for town. The name Olesburgh was anglicized to Olsburg

November 7, 1887.

The Swedish Methodist Church began in 1880, and then in 1881 a Swedish Lutheran Church was

established. In 1880 a school house was built then destroyed by a tornado and rebuilt in 1882. All the

churches took turns, holding their meetings in the school house, as it was the first public building. Many

of the buildings built in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s are still in use today. One of those buildings still

in use today is the crockery store which was build around the turn of the century. As the city came

together in the 1880’s Olsburg proved it was and still is a city that can come together for a good cause.

As the Topeka Daily Capital said in 1889, “Olsburg has always had that… element of big moral

character.”

The City of Olsburg joined the Pride program in 1979 but never extended its enrollment, then re‐enrolled

in 2001. In 2002 Olsburg won the Community of Excellence award for a variety of projects. Several

funding raising events were held to help fund the annual summer festival; sings were erected at the city

limits embellished with the Swedish Dala Horse. Also in 2002 the Olsburg Community Pride group came

together and painted the house of a deserving resident.

Rural Kansas: Come...and get it

This blog is an offshoot of the the "Rural Kansas: Come...and get it" program, which is designed to prepare the explorer audience and rural communities for each other in a way that will result in a great experience for both. The public who is hungry for Explorer experiences in rural areas will love the easy access to finding things to see and do.  Any community that has the gumption to be viable and put out some effort will find benefit in this. The rural culture assessment will help communities see that they do have something to offer.