One of the best kept secrets in the state lies near Cedar Bluff State Park and Reservoir. Threshing Machine Canyon was a station on Butterfield’s Overland Despatch (BOD) or the Smoky Hill Trail. The station was the site of an 1867 Native American attack on a wagon train transporting a threshing machine to Brigham Young in Salt Lake City. The group was ambushed in the bottom of the canyon known as Bluffton Station. All of the men were killed and the threshing machine was set on fire. Remains of the old burned threshing machine could be seen for years. Travelers along the trail carved their names in the limestone bluffs. In the historic canyon, you will find carvings dating back to the mid-1800s and some are still visible today.
Check with the Cedar Bluff State Park office for directions and to see if the area is open to the public. This area is located in the Cedar Bluff Wildlife Area and is only open to the public during certain times of the year.
Location:
32001 147 Hwy
13 miles south of I-70, Exit 135, on Hwy 147
Ellis, KS 67637
One of the best kept secrets in the state lies near Cedar Bluff State Park and Reservoir. Threshing Machine Canyon was a station on Butterfield’s Overland Despatch (BOD) or the Smoky Hill Trail. The station was the site of an 1867 Native American attack on a wagon train transporting a threshing machine to Brigham Young in Salt Lake City. The group was ambushed in the bottom of the canyon known as Bluffton Station. All of the men were killed and the threshing machine was set on fire. Remains of the old burned threshing machine could be seen for years. Travelers along the trail carved their names in the limestone bluffs. In the historic canyon, you will find carvings dating back to the mid-1800s and some are still visible today.
