The Faris Caves

Location:  From Brookville, take Hwy. K-140 west 13 miles to County Road 22.  Turn South on 22 Road and follow this gravel road 4 1/2 miles.  It jogs East a short distance in several places, but eventually intersects Road 'N'.  Turn west on 'N' Road and follow it 1 1/2 miles to where it ends at the caves.  The last 1 1/2 miles is Dry Weather ONLY.  A guide is available from the contacts below.

Contact:  Kanopolis State Park--Ph.  785/546-2565   Ellsworth/Kanopolis Chamber of Commerce--Ph.   785/472-4071.

Nearest Towns:  Brookville, Kanopolis, Ellsworth, Salina

Three holes appear in the outcropping of Dakota Sandstone at the end of the dirt access road.  These caves were excavated by a Colorado miner named Charles Griffee in the 1880's for use by him as a dwelling.   He only lived in the caves a short while before selling the land to the Faris family in 1893.  The Faris Ranch grew to one of the largest in the area.  Though the Faris family constructed a house nearby, they used the caves as a spring house, a generator room, and for a short time, as a school.

Today, there's little evidence to suggest that anyone ever lived here.  Trees grow in the cement foundation of what was once a corn crib.  A small stream trickles from the mouth of the caves.   It's a peaceful, if even a little spooky place.  The sandstone itself has become a register of sorts.  There is said to be Indian writing in the area, but if there is, it's quite difficult to find it among the more recent inscriptions.

BACK TO INDEX