North Lawrence businesses have changed dramatically throughout the years, but one constant has remained: the Kansas River.
| 2018 Q4 | story by writer Tara Trenary | photos by Steven Hertzog
Jake Washington, born in 1849 in Missouri and a former slave, fought for his right to live and work on the Kaw River. Dolly Graeber, who lived about the same time as Washington, owned a rental-boat fleet and ice-skating business on the Kaw. Richard Higgins, born in 1910, owned a North Lawrence fish market and sold the carp he caught from the Kaw door to door. Orval Gulley, also born in the 1900s, owned and operated a restaurant on the Kaw. All very different men, to be sure. But they were alike, too. All were Kansas “Riverkings,” and their history teaches community members today what it means to be true Lawrencians.
“The Kansas Riverkings fought for what they believed in,” explains Barbara Higgins-Dover, founder and director of the Kansas Riverkings Museum and granddaughter of Richard Higgins. “They wanted to be able to provide for their own community with food from easily accessible natural resources. They rescued drowning victims when others couldn’t and assisted with some of our greatest floods. The Kansas Riverkings were instrumental in building commerce after the Civil War and after Quantrill burned the town.”
Just like community members today, the Riverkings wanted their community to thrive and grow, and wanted to be an integral part of what makes Lawrence a great place to live, work and own businesses. “The Riverkings make our community unique because they teach us, through their history, lessons in perseverance, determination and the will to succeed,” she says. “They also teach us about cultural differences and the role each person or profession has to play in a community.”
The River Today
Commerce on the river is much different today than it was in the days of the Riverkings. The river is no longer navigable like it was in the 1850s, with ferries and freights coming in, an active commercial fishing presence providing the community its food, and people using the Kaw for leisure activities. The river has been dammed and commercial fishing stopped, but leisure activities such as rowing, hiking and biking remain, and businesses continue to thrive along its banks and nearby.
“I think that the Kansas River is one of the most important resources that we have for all of Kansas, and we are lucky to have it so close in vicinity to us,” says Jason Woolery, Sunflower Outdoor & Bike outreach and event coordinator who volunteers with Friends of the Kaw and The Riverkeeper, and who, in 2017, paddled the entire distance of the Kansas River in five days. “It is from these experiences that I love to share my knowledge and passion for the Kansas River with as many people as possible.”
Sunflower, which has an in-house kayak shop, hosts monthly on-water demo days every summer to help get people out in and test kayaks, as well as giving instructional advice for paddling. It also hosts in-store clinics about the logistics and planning for river trips, and what it takes to begin paddling on a waterway such as the Kansas River. “We help promote awareness of the recreational use and advantages of having a resource such as the Kansas River right in our backyard,” he explains.
The Levee Café
A Historic Figure
One of the earliest and longest-lasting businesses in Lawrence is Bowersock Mills and Power Co., operating since 1874. It is the only operating hydroelectric plant in Kansas, comprised of 11 hydroelectric turbines and capable of producing 7 megawatts of environmentally friendly energy. In its 130-plus years, it has been a flour and paper mill (it produced the first ready-made gingerbread cake mix), hosted a radio station, made barbed wire and produced both electrical and mechanical power. And Bowersock also provided energy to the City of Lawrence at an important time in its history, ensuring its place as a viable community in Kansas.
Today, Bowersock sells all of its energy to the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities to be used in Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County. Though it does not provide energy to Lawrence, it does participate in and give back to the community in which is resides through service work.
“We run tours all the time for school kids, boy and girl scout troops, and any other groups that would like to tour,” explains Sarah Hill-Nelson, Bowersock CEO. “We give quite a bit of time and labor to Friends of the Kaw, which is the river protection group for the Kansas River.”
Bowersock’s management is also committed to serving on nonprofit boards such as Friends of the Kaw, Friends of Lawrence Area Trails and the City of Lawrence Sustainability Advisory Board. “We have been very glad to see that the fishing deck we put in for the community below the North Powerhouse has been popular,” she continues. “Since the North Powerhouse was built, the north side of the river is safer and more aesthetically appealing. We just recently completed a portage path around the Bowersock Dam on the north side of the river. By the end of the year, we hope to have installed two different educational kiosks that will provide relevant cultural, historical and environmental information about the site.”
And being environmentally conscious and “green” is important to Bowersock, especially when talking about the Kaw River that is so important to its success. “Producing hydroelectric energy does not put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere or any other polluting substances like it does with the production of coal or gas-fired energy,” Hill-Nelson explains. “We don’t consume the water, we only borrow its weight to drive our turbines as it passes through the plant, so there is no particulate or CO2 pollution associated with it.” Because of its location and the fish species in the Kansas River (e.g., no salmon), Bowersock does not disrupt the life cycle of significant species as can happen with larger hydroelectric plants.
Barbara Higgins Dover looks out over the Kaw from the balcony next to her Riverkings Museum.
A CLEAN RIVER
The Kansas River “touches the lives of more than forty percent of the people in Kansas,” explains Dawn Buehler, Kansas Riverkeeper and executive director of Friends of the Kaw, a nonprofit organization started by a group of concerned citizens in 1991 in a North Lawrence home. The early group was concerned about dredging and how it initially would impact where they walked and hiked; then it became more about how dredging impacts the entire Kansas River.
“The river generates electricity, gives us water to drink, nourishes our gardens and provides recreational use,” she continues. “No one wants to use a dirty river. The river also provides drinking water to over 800,000 Kansans.”
Now in her fifth year as Riverkeeper, Buehler is the “eyes, ears and voice” for the Kansas River and holds the community accountable for its health. “The community can feel good knowing that someone is watching the river and protecting it, and this is a valuable contribution to the community.”
Friends of the Kaw has become very important in the state of Kansas, doing really important work all along the 173-mile-long river. Members work from Junction City to Kansas City and every place in between. While its roots are in North Lawrence, it has taken its work to the entire watershed, still working to stop dredging in the River while also working on water quality, pollution, river trail access, recreation and education.
A new project called “Protecting the Watershed of Douglas County through History, Education and Action” is financed by a 2018 Douglas County Natural and Cultural Heritage Grant, and partners with Courtney Masterson, botanist and ecologist with Native Lands LLC, City of Lawrence Parks and Recreation, Lawrence Mountain Bike Club, Westar Energy’s Green Team and the Kansas Forest Service. Buehler explains that improvements will include removing invasive plants and planting natives using history as a guide on Kansas Riverfront property. Tree saplings will be provided by Kansas Forest Service, and the project will include a kiosk to be designed by Westar Energy’s Green Team to educate about the effectiveness of native plants and their benefit to water quality in the Kansas River.
“The North Lawrence businesses are an important part of the Kansas River landscape,” Buehler says. “From the long-term businesses … that have served many a river paddler to the newer Levee Café that has quickly become a river enthusiast hot spot.
The Levee Café
Dining on the Water
Open since August 2016, The Levee Café utilizes the unique location with its business, as well, but not in the way some others close to the river do. “We provide good, quick, reasonably priced food. And a nice place to congregate,” owner Mary Holt explains. “I grew up in Old West Lawrence and remember grocery shopping at Rusty’s IGA, where Happy Shirts is now. I love the river and the trails. The North Lawrence community is very welcoming, and I appreciate being a part of it.”
Holt and her husband, Evan, also from Lawrence, traveled the world for 21 years while Evan was in the marines but knew they wanted to settle back in Lawrence and open a business, but not in the hustle and bustle of downtown. “I knew I wanted to do something small, and I stayed away from downtown because of all the great competition,” she says. “When we found this building right across from the levee and on a corner, I was sold.”
Bringing simple, fresh, healthy food to North Lawrence residents and river trail enthusiasts was the goal, and a unique and fun environment in their renovated, industrial-style restaurant at 239 Elm St. was the outcome. “We wouldn’t be anything without the NoLaw people,” Holt explains. “This community takes care of itself and cares deeply for their neighbors.”
Brian Shay owner of Re-Cyclery inside his store.
Cycling and Re-Cyclying
Speaking of neighbors, next door to The Levee Café sits The Lawrence Re-Cyclery. Owner Brian Shay raced BMX bikes as a kid and says he has always been into biking. In 2005, he started buying and selling bikes on the internet, which led to him opening a retail store in East Lawrence in 2007. Shay moved The Re-Cyclery across the river to North Lawrence out of necessity two years ago and found it to be a great location for convenience to the river trail and to the people who use the levee for exercise.
“We rent a lot of bikes to people for the river trails and levee riding,” Shay says. “Bike rentals have been really good in this location.”
The Re-Cyclery offers full service on all styles and makes of bikes. It offers tune-ups, flat repairs and cable replacements, and carries new and used bikes for sale. People also frequent The Re-Cyclery to save money and find obsolete parts for vintage bikes or to fix up bikes for resale.
This spring, Shay plans to donate bikes to the shelter and bikes and services to those who can’t afford them.
“North Lawrence has always been my kinda place,” Shay says. “My shop is special because we sell used bikes and used parts, often giving parts away for free.”
Up a River With a Paddle
Not simply alongside the river like many of the Kaw businesses, Up a Creek does its work on the river. The only livery-styled company that rents kayaks, canoes and paddleboards for day and overnight rentals in North Lawrence, paddlers must choose to pick up equipment on their own or use Up a Creek transportation options. The company offers day and overnight float trips on the Kansas River, as well as transportation from the get-out location to the get-in location.
“Without Mother Kaw, we would not have a business,” owner Craig Pruett says. “We closely monitor the flow rates to keep paddlers safe. We always talk to paddlers about keeping the river clean. What you take in you bring out.”
Up a Creek doesn’t just offer a trip along the river, it offers an experience that customers take with them. “The connection to the river is like a friendship. Once you have lived by it, paddled on it or played on the sandbars, you become kin to its draw,” Pruett explains. “Mother Kaw can call you with her mild, gentle pull of sandbars and bank lines that edge out her path downstream.”
He says Up a Creek works with Friends of the Kaw and Dirty Girl Adventures to educate people about the “wonderful playground in our own backyard.” They also work with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks management and its enforcement officers to protect and promote the Kansas River. Currently, the company is working with the Corps of Engineers to moderate the flows during paddling season. “Flow rates are driven by the needs of the Mississippi and the Missouri [rivers],” Pruett says. “By encouraging more mild flow rates during the summer months, we could put more paddlers on the river.”
Ultimately, Pruett hopes his customers leave having had an experience and “a connection that goes beyond the day, the fun that you may have had or the activity that you did.” And he’s glad he’s able to provide this experience from a place with “its own vibe, its own people.” North Lawrence is “like a small town of its own adjacent to a large community,” he says. “If it were a feeling, it would be like wearing blue jeans and a flannel shirt on the first fall day. It just feels right.”
The Kansas River
What’s Next
Riverkeeper Buehler explains that Friends of the Kaw is always working to improve public access to the river. The group has presented a potential project to the City of Lawrence to develop river access around Bowersock, while completing a portion of the Lawrence Loop, making repairs to the dam and retaining walls, and creating a way for people to really connect to the river. “Our proposal looks at using already-budgeted dollars to complete this all at one time, saving money while also utilizing other funding sources to add to the Lawrence Loop. We would like to see both North Lawrence and Downtown Lawrence connect back to the river and use the riverfront for access to the public.”
The potential project includes partners from Friends of the Kaw, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, Friends of Lawrence Area Trails and Sunflower Outdoor & Bike. “We have great grassroots support and hope that we can find a way to bring this great amenity to the Lawrence community,” Buehler says.
Distinctly NoLaw
The Kansas River is an important historical piece of the North Lawrence community. “The community has a real tie to the river … the neighborhoods have their very own distinct feel and presence …,” Buehler says. “North Lawrence is a community in and of itself.”
She believes NoLaw offers its residents a little bit of back in time, where people sit on their porches, walk their dogs, grow their gardens and enjoy the river scene.
Sean Ingram, NoLaw resident and owner of Blue Collar Press, who has paddled the entire distance of the Kaw solo just to prove he “could still do something cool,” agrees.
“As part of the North Lawrence community as a resident, I’m all about paddling from Riverfront Park down to the dam and back,” he says. “It’s the best-kept secret in town. Nature, fresh air, a little adventure for little dollars. My opinion is that developers have not even started to uncover the river’s financial potential.”