A PRAIRIE PARK RICH IN HISTORY

A lovely photo depicting a grassy hillside under blue sky.

Mount Mitchell

Come to a place that is rich in history and alive with the wonders of nature.

Man walking up a golden hill painted in sunset shades.

Tallgrass Prairie

Experience an ungrazed tallgrass prairie of remarkable biological diversity.

Painting of a historical figure.

Explore the many fascinating stories about the people and events associated with this prairie.

Illustration of historical events regarding the Underground Railroad.

Underground Railroad

Learn about the westernmost route of the famous path to freedom.
Painting of an American Indian man of this region from the past.

American Indian

Discover the people and cultures who have lived here for thousands of years.

Antique photo of an African American homesteader couple.

African American

Hear the stories about Exodusters and their new lives in Kansas.

A photo of Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards hard at work.

MOUNT MITCHELL PRAIRIE GUARDS

Find out who has created and maintains the Park enjoyed by all.

A lovely view of Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie Park from above.

Mount Mitchell News & Updates

It’s Wamego Match Day!

It’s Wamego Match Day!

OCTOBER 3 - 5, 2024 Prorated match on giftsup to $5,000 per organization per donor IN-PERSON EVENT...

Mount Mitchell’s Other Memorial

Dodge Fielding - Captain George T. Fielding III. 192nd F.A. Bn., 43rd Div., U.S. A. Killed in Action Near Manila. P.I. April 30, 1945. Aged 28 years.

MEMORIAL TO CAPTAIN FIELDING

Alma Signal Enterprise June 5, 1947

 

The members of Ed. Palenske Post No. 32, of Alma, had charge of the Memorial Day services at the Wabaunsee Cemetery.

After the Wabaunsee services the thirty-two members of the Post present went to the Mitchell farm in Wabaunsee township, where a stone with bronze tablet had been erected to the memory of Captain George T. Fielding III, who was killed in action at Luzon. The monument was dedicated by the Legion to all service men who lost their lives in the war, and to Captain Fielding.

The following story was written by Temple Fielding, a brother of Captain Fielding, but was received too late for publication on Memorial Day:

“In his early boyhood, one of life’s greatest adventures for George was to return to the land of his people. Grandfather Fielding was several times Mayor of Manhattan, a pillar in the community; Father Fielding was a proud graduate of the wheat fields, the local schools and the State College. They were Kansas. By blood and choice, so was young “Dodge.”

Dodge Fielding on the Right

Dodge Fielding on the Right

It was 1926 when he made his boldest expedition. He was passing his second summer at the Big Four Ranch near Wamego, a quiet earnest boy of ten. Miss Maude Mitchell, his cousin, packed a lunch for the pirates—Junior Bright, age nine, was his companion—and together they trudged across the road and up the steep hill, which smiles over the countryside. As an afterthought, Miss Mitchell tucked a ten-cent bag of clover seed into their parcel.

They spent a long day on top of their mountain, searching for arrowheads, playing Captain Kidd, munching sweet drumsticks from the lunch box, watching the wind in the golden sea below. Dodge planted the clover with tender care; Junior sunned himself on a rock and made up yarns about the cotton clouds. Before darkness fell, they returned to the farmhouse, happy in the accomplishment of their perilous mission.

Dodge Fielding in uniformAs the years passed, Dodge grew away from the soil, but he never forgot it. Eastern schools claimed him. He was graduated from Princeton with Highest Honors in 1939. The University gave him the White Cup, symbol for performance in the ROTC; they knew a soldier when they saw one.

In battle, percentages too often run out. He volunteered for the National Guard in 1940, and during his three years in the Pacific he fought as a forward observer, survey officer, and reconnaissance officer—the riskiest assignments in Field Artillery. At Munda he was personally commended by Lt. General Harmon, Supreme Commander of the invasion; in New Guinea he was awarded the Bronze Star; later he was recommended for the Legion of Merit. But no soldier can land with the first wave forever; his chapter was closed when a Jap grenade exploded during the last major campaign of the war.

Dodge Fielding in uniform

 

Twenty-one years is a lifetime to many men, but to clover it is a fleeting second of time. The seeds this youngster planted multiplied with two decades of passing seasons. On top of the hill there now stretches a soft rich blanket, a blaze of color which can be seen from miles around. The American Legion men of Alma were there on Memorial Day; so was “Aunt Maude,” Hal Weaver and other friends.

The surviving members of his family—Connecticut, Michigan, New York, California, and five other states—have chosen this flowering hilltop as the site most suitable as a living memorial. On a large rock in the center of the pink patch was placed a bronze tablet. It says:—

Captain George T. Fielding III. 192nd F.A. Bn., 43rd Div., U.S. A. Killed in Action Near Manila. P.I. April 30, 1945. Aged 28 years.

Then simply and quietly, “In memory of Dodge—Doer of Good Deeds.”

Because the memory of Dodge and our thousands of Dodge’s will live as long and spread as heartily as the Kansas clover.”

Memorial for Captain George T. Fielding III. 192nd F.A. Bn., 43rd Div., U.S. A. Killed in Action Near Manila. P.I. April 30, 1945. Aged 28 years.

DONATE

The Prairie Guards are a 501(c) (3) charitable organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Checks may be sent to PO Box 136, Wamego, KS 66547

Freedom’s Frontier NHA grant awarded to Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards

The Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards received $1,000 in grant funding from Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area. The award will help reprint the popular Park’s brochure, which is distributed locally and at Kansas Travel Information Centers across the state.

The Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards manage the 164-acre Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie Park south of Wamego in Wabaunsee County. The Guards recently completed construction of a new entrance to the Park at 29000 Mount Mitchell Road. Improvements include an accessible trail to the ruts of the Topeka Fort Riley Road used by the Underground Railroad helping enslaved people escape to freedom in Canada.

Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA) is a federally funded nonprofit organization and affiliate of the National Park Service dedicated to building awareness of the struggle for freedom along the Missouri-Kansas border. Established by Congress in 2006, its nationally significant themes are the settlement of the frontier, the Missouri-Kansas Border War and Civil War, and the enduring struggle for freedom. These diverse, interwoven, and nationally important stories grew from a unique physical and cultural landscape. FFNHA inspires respect for multiple perspectives and empowers residents to preserve and share these stories. We achieve our goals through interpretation, preservation, conservation, and education for all residents and visitors.

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