"Race Horses Brought Success to Prairie Dell Farm"

A Moment in Time

Kansas Historical Society

May 1998

By Bobbie Athon

A monthly series from the Kansas Historical Society

Not all successful race horses have come from the green grass of Kentucky. Kansas can claim its share of famous racers. The Prairie Dell Farm located in Shawnee County once stood among the top stables in the nation. The farm's history, as well as many other stories from the area, are being told at the newly opened Kansas History Center Nature Trail in Topeka which crosses history with natural resources. In 1873 Boston-born Robert Ives Lee purchased land formerly held by the Baptist church for use as a Potawatomi mission. Following his losses in the cattle market after the Chicago fire in 1871, Lee established the farm and married Abbie Kimber, where they raised three children and a number of horses. The farm constituted 320 acres in what was to become Shawnee County, much of it was fenced with stone. Lee remodeled the old Potawatomi mission into a barn and stable for his racehorses. He later added a half-mile racetrack. Between 5 to 20 stallions and 50 to 150 mares were maintained during the farm's peak. The farm's best known horse was Robert McGregor, said to have been the greatest trotting sire ever produced. Other horses in the Lee stable included Creaceus (sired by Robert McGregor and one of the fastest trotting stallions in the United States), Monroe, Evan Dhu, Coriander, Glenwood, Magnolia, McLeoud, Jackdraw, Jack Cade, Fergus McGregor, The Shamrock, Aladdin, Pansy McGregor, and the lead stallion Hiram Woodruf. Lee's mares were said to be the best racehorse dams of the time.

The Lee family home also drew attention. Constructed of stone, the T-shaped house had two stories and a basement. Built into the south side of a bluff, the house featured a wrap-around porch supported by pillars and overlooked the stable and old mission complex.

Lee sold most of his horses at a dispersal sale in 1908. He died in 1911 and the farm remained in the family until 1925. In 1973 the Kansas Historical Society acquired the eighty acres for the construction of the new Kansas Museum of History.

Prairie Dell Farm is one of the many stories that will be told on the Kansas History Center Nature Trail. A half mile loop on the east part of the trail is now open and is ADA accessible. Signs along the trail also provide information about the Potawatomie Baptist Manual Labor Training School; the mission kitchen garden; the Native American, Santa Fe, and Oregon Trails across Kansas; rivers and crossings; the tallgrass prairie; and wildlife on the prairie. Other features include a footbridge crossing Mission Creek and hedge, stone, and barbed-wire fencing examples.

The Kansas History Center Nature Trail is open 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. daily. The nature trail, the Kansas Museum of History, the Center for Historical Research, and the Koch Industries Education Center in the Potawatomi Mission are all part of the Kansas History Center, 6425 SW Sixth Avenue, Topeka, KS 66615; 785-272-8681; TTY 785-272-8683; www.kshs.org

The Kansas Historical Society does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs. The Society requests prior notification to accommodate individuals with special needs or disabilities.