Did you know that a healthy population of Northern Bobwhite quail resides in a 3-state range straddling a western spur[1] of the Underground Railroad? This quail rich region of the Great Plains expands across the Loess Hills of Nebraska, the Northwest Prairies of Missouri, and the Glaciated Plains of Kansas - put simply, southeast Nebraska, northwest Missouri, and northeast Kansas. The 2022 Quail Hunting Forecast by Quail Forever supports a similar conclusion. This area has a fascinating history that includes the Underground Railroad and the statehoods of Kansas and Nebraska.

[1] A railway spur is generally understood as a section of rail track that diverges from the main line. In this case, this western spur is a divergence from the main routes of the underground found on east of the Mississippi River.

INSPIRATION FROM FREEDOM SIGNS

The addition of Stá’ao has intensified my passion for quail hunting. In part, because a prime quail range is close to our home in Kansas City, but also because wild quail are an ideal gamebird for training young birddogs. As such, each time we departed the city to hunt, I began to notice vestiges of the former city of Quindaro, KS. To my discovery this was a former abolitionist stronghold named after Wyandotte Nation's term for a “bundle of sticks”.  As I pressed further into the region in search of quail habitat, I kept seeing signs featuring “Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area” (FFNHA). For better or worse, my inquisitive mind was left to wander behind the wheel.

A BORDER WAR FOR FREEDOM ALONG THE WESTERN SPUR

A precursor to the civil war was the question of slavery in the west. In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, left the question of slavery in the western territories up to popular sovereignty. In practice, the doctrine of popular sovereignty was to allow the people of the territory, through their territorial legislature, to determine whether to allow slavery or not. While the Act created two new territories, Nebraska and Kansas, it also gave way to violent clashes known as “Bleeding Kansas” and subsequent battles in the American Civil War.  

Throughout the 1850s-60s, the conflicts of the region consisted primarily between the “Free Staters” or “Jayhawkers” of Kansas that were opposed to slavery and the “Bushwhackers” or “Border Ruffians” of Missouri that were pro-slavery. This was also the time of the abolitionist John Brown’s escapades in Kansas, although he seems to be more famous for the Harper’s Ferry Raid in present day West Virginia. Nevertheless, in 1861, Kansas was admitted into the Union as a free state. This status led many slaves to cross the Missouri River via the Underground Railroad from Missouri into the free state of Kansas and onward through Nebraska. The major crossing point was the former town of Quindaro, KS located on the north side of Kansas City. This western spur of the Underground Railroad named the Lane Trail encompasses portions of present-day US Highway 75.

THE FREEDOM’S FRONTIER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA IS ESTABLISHED

Those FFNHA signs I kept seeing were that of a national heritage area which was established in 2006, to tell the history of the Kansas-Missouri border war and promote tourism. Interestingly, when the FFNHA was first discussed, it was Kansas centric and slated to be named “Bleeding Kansas” as a way to commemorate the bloodshed in Kansas. However, since a National Heritage Area must be approved by Congress, Missouri congressional representatives objected to the name and sought to have their state included in the area with positive representation – the remnants of the border war still exist. Understandably, naming the heritage area Bleeding Kansas would have placed Missouri and its present-day residents in a negative light, a likely justification held among the congressional delegation. Today, the FFHNA consists of 41 cooperating counties across Kansas and Missouri.

BOBWHITES WHISTLING TO THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Throughout this hunting season, I have spent a considerable amount of time chasing quail coveys across this landscape while speaking to various state wildlife representatives about production and harvest numbers. The collective history of this area and its connection to the Underground Railroad is fascinating – the bobwhites whistling to each conductor and their passengers.

While the stories told on the Underground Railroad are filled with tragedy, misery, and sorrow – its purpose was to uplift and provide a better life for those souls that rode its rails. Although I enjoy the experience of watching my dogs afield, knowing the history of this western spur gives me a deeper connection to these lands.

As our nation continues to feel the effects of its original sins, it is my hope that we continue to learn from our past to build a better future.

Such an amazing discovery to find out that the roads I take toward quality quail habitat are former tracks of the Underground Railroad.