Kansas first national park crafted by compromise

(Hutchinson-AP) -- The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is the first national park in Kansas -- and it's a reminder of what the state used to be.

Look down long enough and you might find some arrowheads and other handmade tools of the Wichita and Osage Indians.

The park serves as a reminder of the prairie past that's disappearing in Kansas -- and of the native American tribes that have long since vanished.

It also serves to make people think about a rural lifestyle that's now fading in the state.

The preserve was added to the park system in 1996. The National Park Service is now setting rules for camping, horseback riding, hiking, fishing and picnicking.

Until now, only about 20-thousand visitors a year have had limited access to the park.