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Stone Post County

The miles of stone fenceposts in this area are a tribute to the ingenuity of early settlers who solved their fencing problems on treeless plains by quarrying rock to use as posts.  These stone posts have become a trademark of the Land of the Post Rock located in north-central Kansas.

The stone used for posts and homestead buildings was quarried from a rock layer found near the surface.  This rock is a chalky limestone of rather uniform thickness, 8-9 inches.  When freshly quarried, it is soft enough to be sawed, notched, drilled, or shaped with hand tools.  After prolonged exposure to air, it hardens and becomes weather resistant.

The communities surrounding the lake have many interesting buildings constructed of stoneposts quarried in the area.  One-room schoolhouses, churches, homes, barns, businesses, jails, and bridges may still be found standing as a tribute to the early settlers of the area.

Various geological formations found in stone post country may be seen in road cuts north and south of Wilson Lake.  The Dakota sandstone rocks contain ancient flood plain material and ancient seashore deposits.  Impressions of ancient plant life have been located in the Dakota formation.  The overlying Graneros shale is dark gray due to the combination of ancient plant materials and iron sulfide minerals.  Gypsum crystals may be found in this formation.  The next formation is Greenhorn limestone which includes the Fencepost bed.  The lowest formation is the Carlishle shale.