In the little town of Athol, KS you will find one of the most famous cabins in the world. It is literally the “Home on the Range.” This tiny cabin is where Dr. Brewster M. Higley wrote a poem called My Western Home.
The poem was originally published in December 1873 with the title, “Oh, Give Me a Home Where the Buffalo Roam.” A year later, a Kansas fiddle player named Dan Kelley set the poem to music.
The song, which we call, “Home on the Range,” was adopted as the Kansas state song in 1947.
It’s been recorded by Tori Amos, Slim Whitman, Frank Sinatra, Johnnie Ray, Bing Crosby, Pete Seeger, Gene Autry, Connie Francis, Burl Ives along with my favs- Bugs Bunny and Porky the Pig.
Daniel E. Kelley died in 1905 at the age of 62, he is buried in Waterloo, IA.
Brewster Martin Higley died in 1911 at the age of 88, he is buried in Shawnee, OK.
Higley’s cabin home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
An extensive restoration job brought the cabin back to its former glory. Visitors can still see the cabin and take a look inside. The family that owns the property insists that history should be free to all, so there is no charge. There is a walking trail with other historic information, but we were tight on time, so we checked out the little cabin and enjoyed the scenery. It is really a nice area.
Jeremy commented it was one of those places where you could really feel a strong vibe and the importance of this little cabin in our history.
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