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.
Established by German immigrants in 1870 along the Santa Fe Trail, the town was designed to include two blocks of main street stores with stairs leading underground to additional retail spaces, saloons, brothels, a bathhouse, and an authentic barbershop.
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 early prohibition and entrepreneurship stories 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 are 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 the 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 the underground tunnels and The Historic Wolf Hotel, the admission is $15 per person for a full tour. The first leg of our tour ($7.50) was led by Ellinwood Emporium owner, Richard Casagrande, and the final leg of the tour ($7.50) took us back to the hotel for a tour led by Chris McCord.
I highly recommend making a reservation at The Sunflower Dining 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. The room is rich in architectural history and well restored from its original flooring and windows to the decorative columns.
During Sunday lunch 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.
Keep the road trip going! Nearby Great Bend offers an abundance of places to explore, especially during the summertime.
Do you love learning about Kansas history? Learn more about Abilene, Kansas, the boyhood home of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, or talk a virtual historical tour of Lawrence, Kansas.
How incredibly fascinating! I’ve never heard of any place like this before!! This definitely is now on my list!
Hi Katy! I’m glad I was able to teach you something new. 😉 Apparently, there are more underground tunnels around Kansas just waiting for me to discover them, too!
What a cool experience! Wouldn’t it be something to see that back in the day when it was active? This is definitely something we will keep handy as I have never heard of it before! Thanks!!
Mariah – Thank you for commenting! Yes, I was trying to envision what it must have been like to regularly use an underground space like it back in the day. I hope you get to visit Ellinwood someday.
This is really cool! I’m from Oklahoma and have never heard of this place even though it neighbors me. I’m adding this to my list for when I road trip across the States.
Hi Disha! Thank you for the feedback, and I’m glad I’ve inspired you to travel to Kansas and check it out on your way through from Oklahoma. You will love the experience!
Would love to receive more information on this attraction. Also, information on the bed and breakfast, rates, ammenities, etc. Looking forward to making a summer trip there.
Hi Nancy! Wow! I’m so pleased to hear that you appreciated the post and want to visit Ellinwood. I don’t work for The Historic Wolf Hotel, but you can find the contact information here: http://www.historicwolfhotel.com/
I visited Ellenwood about three years ago with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. You didn’t include why the tunnel was built from the railroad to under the town. The Cowboys that came up from Texas driving herds of Longhorns to the railroad, the towns men did not want them associating with their women folk! It’s a great place to visit and we had a great time the guides are most helpful and very knowledgeable. I also knew one of your former guides Bill Starr. Where is he now!
Thanks for the added details about the tunnel, Roma! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I’m not a resident of Ellinwood and only a fan, so I’m not familiar with Bill Starr. Happy travels!
My name is Gerald or Jerry Rapp. I live in Orange Calif. Went to Kinsley Hight School 1957. My Father name was Fred Rapp of Kinsley. My Father Fred youngest brother (John Rapp and Wife family) lived in Ellinwood for years. I am sure you all knew them they live just down the street on the left hand side. John was my World War II friend I alway looked up to.
I was there last summer went by John house looked OK. John and his wife passed away in Hemet California where their older son lives. The strange part of it is I never knew this tunnel existed. I was talking to some family friends the next day and they told me all about it. So next time I come to Ellinwood possibly this summer I’m going to come in and see the tunnels should be a fun.
Hello Gerald! It’s great to see that I have a reader from California that appreciated this post. A resident of Wichita, I’m not familiar with your family members from Ellinwood. I’m so happy that I was able to inspire your travels! Enjoy.
Wow! I don’t live that far from this and have not heard of it before! I definitely want to see this!
Hi Barb! Yes, it is literally a hidden gem. I look forward to hearing what you think of the tunnels and the historic hotel once you’ve visited. Happy travels!