The Frisco Ponds

The Frisco Ponds were developed in 1885 along with the wooden water tower, and their water supplied steam locomotives traveling west on the Frisco Line after they had used all their water pulling the steep grade from Piedmont, Kansas. The ponds were constructed with horses and large drag strips known as Fresnos, as horse teams traveled round and round, increasing the depth and circumference with each pass. In 2005, the Beaumont Hotel received the Frisco Ponds through the generosity of Pete Ferrell, a fourth-generation rancher whose family owned and operated the Ferrell Ranch south of Beaumont. In 2007, Stephen Craig restored both the upper and lower dams and concrete spillways to return both ponds to full capacity, with further improvements planned for wildlife habitat, and the ponds provided excellent fishing for guests of the Beaumont Hotel.

Beaumont, Kansas · United States