Cottonwood Ranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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John Fenton Pratt Ranch
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Front of the ranch house
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 Location in Kansas
Location in the United States
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| Location | Valley Township, Sheridan County, Kansas, US |
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| Nearest city | Morland, Kansas |
| Architect | John Fenton Pratt |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000442 |
| Added to NRHP | April 28, 1983 |
The Cottonwood Ranch is a special historic place located near Studley in Valley Township, Sheridan County, Kansas, United States. Today, this ranch is protected as a Kansas State Historic Site, meaning it's an important part of Kansas history that people can visit and learn about.
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The Story of Cottonwood Ranch
The Cottonwood Ranch was built by a man named Abraham Pratt. He was from England and first came to the United States during the time of the Colorado Gold Rush. This was when many people traveled west hoping to find gold. After his adventure, Abraham went back to England. But he later decided to move to Kansas with his sons, John Fenton and Tom. They settled near Studley, ready to start a new life.
Building a Home in Kansas
In 1885, Abraham and his sons began building their first home on the ranch. It was a simple one-room house made of stone. The roof was made of sod, which is like thick grass and soil cut into blocks. The floor was just dirt. However, this first house wasn't strong enough to keep them warm during the cold Kansas winters.
So, they improved their home. They replaced the sod roof with a stronger wooden roof. Over the years, they made the house bigger, adding more rooms.
Life on the Ranch: Other Buildings
The Pratt family also built other important structures on their ranch. They had a stable made of sod, where they kept their horses or other animals. There was also a corral, which is an enclosed area for animals, with walls made of sod. For their personal needs, they built a wooden outbuilding that served as a toilet.
Water was very important for life on the ranch. The Pratts built a storage cistern. A cistern is a large tank used to collect and store water. They filled their cistern with water from a natural spring on their property. A spring is a place where water flows naturally out of the ground.
A Place of History
The Cottonwood Ranch is recognized as a very important historical site. In 1983, the ranch property was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of places in the United States that are considered important to the country's history. On this list, the ranch is known as the John Fenton Pratt Ranch, named after one of Abraham's sons who helped build it.
