Was this obscure hilltop a lookout for anti-slavery forces?
John Brown Lookout, Miami County, Kansas
John Brown Lookout may have been used by the radical abolitionist’s guerillas.
John Brown Lookout is atop a hill that rises about 200-feet above the Marais Des Cygnes River valley near Paola in Miami County, Kansas. It's a remote location that apparently has ties to the radical abolitionist John Brown, a local anti-slavery guerilla fighter. This location seems like a plausible lookout because of its elevated and strategic vantage point. It would be an ideal spot to survey the horizon for armed gangs on the move. It’s a short – but very steep – walk to the top of the hill via a mowed path.
“Tragic Prelude” is a mural of John Brown by Kansan John Steuart Curry for the Kansas State Capitol building.
Who was John Brown?
If you need a little brushing up on your history (like most of us do), John Brown was a pre-Civil War anti-slavery activist. That certainly sounds like an enlightened position to hold. But it was his methods, not his viewpoints, that led to his demise. In 1855 Brown left New York and settled in Osawatomie, Kan. Soon afterward he began hacking pro-slavery people to death – literally. Brown sealed his fate when he and a guerilla force attacked a U.S. fort in West Virginia and took hostages. Brown was eventually overpowered by the military and was executed in 1859. His battle with the government presaged the Civil War, when Union soldiers sang a song called “John Brown’s Body” as they marched into armed conflict.
Did John Brown’s fighters use this location to spy out incoming enemies? It could be folklore. But does it really matter? The spirit of John Brown and his explosive life certainly live here.
Address
The “official” address is 31788 Lookout Road, Paola, KS 66071. That point is at the top of a steeply graded gravel road. You can also access the park near the intersection of 319th Street and Lookout Road, where you’ll walk up from the bottom of the hill.
Parking
There is no official parking, only gravel roadside shoulders.
You can park at the bottom of the hill on 319th Street and walk to the top.
Or you can park at the top of the hill by driving up a steep grade on Lookout Road. When you reach the top, there is a small staircase that bridges a fence and leads to the summit.
Other area attractions
