This area of Kansas was once sheep country but is now used for cattle, and its stone fence posts are examples of many still in use where settlers, lacking wood for posts, split Greenhorn “post rock” from limestone strata and worked it into posts. Before American settlement, American Indians occupied this land for centuries. Relations among overland travelers, settlers, and the Indians were generally peaceful at first, but tensions grew as traffic increased and more permanent settlers arrived. During the 1860s, this area saw a number of violent clashes as Indians acted to defend their lands and the U.S. government responded. Ellsworth, about 7 miles south on K-14, was a former cattle town that, like other Wild West towns, saw lawlessness and violence, including an 1873 incident in which several men, including the sheriff, were shot and Main Street was taken over. Nearby are Wilson, with Wilson reservoir 5 miles north, Russell, an oil town, and historic Hays and Fort Hays.