Mushroom Rock State Park and the surrounding area are rich in early Kansas history. The Fremont Trail passed to the north and was used by the Kaw-Santa Fe Freight Company; it was also the route for the first overland stages to California until hostile Indians forced them to a northern route. Mushroom Rock State Park is approximately five acres in size and was purchased and donated to the State of Kansas by the Ellsworth County Historical Society to be preserved as a scenic park area.