Baxter Springs

Baxter Springs is a town with a lot of parks. In fact, we saw three parks before even getting into the city limits!

The town has several claims to fame, including (as the town sign says) being the Birthplace of Waterjet Cutting. Another sign declares it to be "The first cowtown in Kansas."

Long before white settlers came to this part of the country, the Osage tribe often stopped in this area to enjoy the natural mineral springs here. Those springs used to flow right alongside the road through town, though they no longer do. 

The town has a lot of nice older homes and a historical society. Unlike many older towns we've been through, there weren't many homes in a state of disrepair. It felt like a community where people really cared about their buildings and land. There was also a downtown with several shops.