Buffalo Grass That grows in Kansas

Buffalo grass grew in the pastures and meadows around the school yard and between the tracks in the road from the corner through the gate around the bend and up to our house. The road was actually a trail with two ruts which had grass growing in the middle. The ruts grew deeper and deeper and sometimes cars had to start a new road and drive with one wheel in between the two ruts. When it would rain, the water would run down through these ruts and wash them into deep gullies. Then the wind would blow and fill them up with soft dirt. I can remember daddy getting high-centered and the wheels would spin without going anywhere.

It took a lot of strength for daddy to get the car to crawl up the sides of those ruts by turning the steering wheel hard to one side and at the same time stepping on the gas pedal and the old Model T would almost roar. Then when you got up out of the rut you had to quickly let up on the gas to keep from slipping down into the old rut again.

The little girls in the car were scared and would brace themselves. The mamma was holding tight onto the little brother to keep from being jolted against the side or front or which ever way – tipping and going in spurts until the car was on top and making a new trail. Sometimes the daddy would have to get a spade with the long handle or walk to the house to get help horses or manpower to push the car up on to the top above the ruts.

That Kansas sod was very strong with the roots of that Buffalo grass and no rocks in it. People used to make blocks of sod to be used to build their sod houses. Our house on the Fancher Place had thick walls made of sod.

-- A note written by Alice Gregory