Coronado Heights Castle in Lindsborg, Kansas

Castle-like shelter on a hill in LIndsborg, Kansas.Photo bySwampyank, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Lindsborg, Kansas is located in McPherson County. This city is known for its Swedish, Nordic, and Scandinavian heritages. According to World Population Review,

Coronado Heights is one of the attractions in Lindsborg. It's located northwest of Lindsborg on a hill. Supposedly, it's near where Spaniard Francisco Vásquez de Coronado commanded an expedition in 1540 north of Mexico in search of the Seven Cities of Gold (also known as the Seven Cities of Cibola). He found no wealth and ended up returning to Mexico. This site might be where Coronado ended his expedition.

Coronado Heights is part of a chain of seven sandstone bluffs in a Dakota formation that rise about 300 feet. A Dakota formation is the name given to a sedimentary geologic unit in the Midwestern part of North America and is usually made of sandstones, clays, shales, and mudstones.

Coronado Heights.Photo bySwampyank, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

In 1915, J.A. Udden, a Bethany College professor in Lindsborg was at the Sharps Creek site and he found what's called chain mail from Spanish armor. Chain mail is a type of armour with small metal rings that are linked together that form a mesh pattern. It was used by the military in the 3rd century BC and he 16th century AD in Europe.

Sharps Creek is a Native American village excavation site located southwest of the hill which was named Coronado Heights by another professor. Spanish coins have also been found in the valley.

The first road going up the hill was built in 1920. It was called Swensson Drive. The stone shelter that looked like a castle was built in 1936 at the top of the hill. This was a project by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Photo bySmoky Valley Historical Association-Kansas via Facebook.

The WPA also built a picnic area. There are also grills and fireplaces, and stone picnic tables. The castle-like structure was made from Dakota limestone. The view from the hill and the drive is inviting.

The hill is now referred to as Coronado Heights Park and is owned by the Smoky Valley Historical Association. The park is located off of Highway 4 (Coronado Avenue) or 12th and Coronado Road. It's about 3 miles northwest of Lindsborg along the southern border of Saline County. It's open from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.. Admission is free.

Coronado Heights was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 20, 2010.

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