ROADSIDE KANSAS:
A TRAVELER’S GUIDE TO GEOLOGY AND LANDMARKS
Second Addition, Revised and
Updated
Rex C. Buchanan
and James R. McCauley; February 2010
The University
of Kansas Press: ISBN-13 9780700617005; ~$14.95
Rex Buchanan and Jim McCauley are master story tellers when it comes to describing the geology of Kansas in
terms that most any traveler can understand!
Roadside Kansas 2010 is the
second edition (first published in 1987) of
the popular book that “…attempts to explain what’s along the state’s
highways—the geology, natural resources, and landscape of Kansas.” I have read most of the state “Roadside
Geology of…….. “series and Buchanan/McCauley’s book is by far the best of the lot. One of the major differences in the books is
that Roadside Kansas offers specific
mileages, as in road logs, in describing the geology: “The hills here are
capped by the Ireland Sandstone Member, a thick Pennsylvanian sandstone that
was deposited in an ancient river valley that extended as far north as Douglas
County” (p. 71). Virtually every major
east-west and north-south highway in the state is covered, over 2600
miles. There are over 100 photographs,
line drawings and maps so the book is well-illustrated. I also appreciated the many historical
aspects presented, such as: “238.7 Barber/Harper county line. Thomas W. Barber was a native of Ohio who was
killed in 1855 while defending Lawrence during a raid by proslavery forces” (p.
55). This is a wonderful book for any
rockhound or interested traveler needing information about the varied geology
and land forms of Kansas. The geology of
Kansas “… reveals a world that is difficult to imagine, a prehistoric world
shaped by powerful, relentless forces”.
Pick up the book at your nearest book dealer, most
likely an internet dealer since I could not find my copy on shelves in Colorado
Springs.