The best part about saying “yes!” to adventure is discovering a destination you didn’t know existed. That was my experience after visiting Ellinwood, Kansas to tour the town’s underground tunnels and The Historic Wolf Hotel. Make sure you add Ellinwood to your central Kansas trip itinerary.
Established by German immigrants in 1870 along the Sante Fe Trail, the town was designed to include two blocks of main street stores with stairs leading underground to additional retail spaces, saloons, brothels, bath house, and an authentic barber shop. Early residents of the town made their income from farming wheat and producing flour. References to wheat can be seen everywhere in the centrally located Kansas town that is located ten miles outside of Great Bend and less than a half hour drive from Lyons.
Ellinwood’s Underground Tunnels allow visitors to walk some of the original passageways while tour guides share stories of early prohibition and entrepreneurship in the area. I was enthralled by the antique relics of the past found deep within the tunnels. The town’s early residents used the tunnels for refuge during WWI, to possibly bootleg alcohol during Prohibition, and to support cowboys and families traveling through the area by providing services to them.
The best part of the tunnels? They have remained nearly untouched! During your tour, you will see items sitting exactly where they were left before the tunnels were abandoned in the 1940s. Much of what you see in these photos is authentic to the space.
Why build tunnels under the town? Imagine how hot the dry summers were in Kansas thanks to open plains and midwestern heat! The underground tunnels were much cooler in temperature and visitors could escape the blustery Kansas wind.
While walking the long, dusty hallways into rooms where turn of the century shopkeepers ran their business, you begin to wonder if you’re being watched by the ghosts of Ellinwood’s past. According to our tour guide, the underground tunnels were active from 1887-1920.
If you want to tour of the underground tunnels and The Historic Wolf Hotel, the admission is $10 per person. The first leg of our tour was led by Ellinwood Emporium owner, Richard Casagrande, and the final leg of the tour took us back to the hotel for a tour led by Chris McCord. Additionally, I highly recommend making a reservation at The Sunflower Room for a country-style lunch of fried chicken and homemade side dishes followed by a slice of pie.
Tourists who appreciate learning the rich history of the area will love the renovated The Historic Wolf Hotel, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1894 by John Wolf at the corner of Sante Fe and Main Street to be a grand focal point of downtown Ellinwood. (The total cost of building it was $10,000.) Today, it serves as a bed and breakfast and event center. However, you don’t have to stay overnight to enjoy its restaurant, The Sunflower Dining Room, or “The Underground” restored saloon.
When not serving guests a meal on Sundays, the dining room doubles as a reservable event space for meetings, private parties, and weddings. From its original flooring and windows to the decorative columns, the room is rich in architectural history and well restored.
During Sunday Bunch dining service, the place setting above is set for Bernard Millit. I don’t want to ruin the tour for you by telling you why, so be sure to as your tour guide the story behind it — and don’t forget to look up to the ceiling.
If you’re someone who appreciates learning the historic roots of a town and about the hardworking people who established it, many of which were immigrants to the area, then I recommend taking a step back in time and visiting Ellinwood, Kansas. Want to discover more about the early construction of The Historic Wolf Hotel and the surrounding area? Read this document available from the National Register of Historic Places.
Love learning about Kansas history? Learn more about Abilene, Kansas, the boyhood home of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Because it was National Margarita Day during our visit, I ordered a salty margarita made with Pepe Zevada Tequila Resposado. It was phenomenal! Later, I asked the bartender the same question I recommend all travelers ask, “If it were your shift meal, what would you order from the menu?” Having served in restaurants for years, I appreciate knowing what meal the staff wants to eat, not necessarily the special for the evening of what the manager wants pushed to patrons. We dined at the dimly lit bar on savory chicken sandwiches and copious amounts of steak fries. The meals are huge!
CRAFT BEER SCENE
Craft Pride is a Texas-only beer bar with 54 taps, and it’s adjacent side room includes single cans and bottles of even more beer! To access the bonus beer room and patio, exit the main tasting room and follow the signs. While I appreciated learning more about the brews from the bartender, I wanted to spend the most time drinking leisurely and listening to bluegrass music outdoors. Visitors will fall in love with the permanent food truck, Via 313 Pizza, open every day in the rear of Craft Pride. Have you ever tried Detroit-style pizza? They serve authentic square pies that are thicker than New York style pizza but less carbolicious than Chicago-style pizza. It is delicious and even better with a cold beer to wash it down! I recommend ordering The Carnivore loaded with two kinds of pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, and bacon.
