By ROBIN HARDMAN
Western Kansas Graham County native, longtime resident and farmer, Terry Davis of Hill City, is looking forward to the Inaugural Nicodemus Township History Trail Bike tour taking place on Saturday, October 12, 2024. Mr. Davis will be participating as a rider.
Terry was interviewed at the “Rest Area” North of Bogue where two historical signs are located and the second SAG (supply and gear) stop will be setup.* Sign 12: Wildhorse Township Orientation* Sign 13: Crossroads and Development
When asked about his experience as a rider, Mr. Davis shared that in his family, when someone reached their 9th birthday, receiving a bicycle was a given. Since the age of nine he has been riding bikes and he really enjoys it. He has ridden in many tours across different states with his daughters and by himself. Terry estimates that he has completed the annual Bike Across Kansas or BAK at least 25 times. One of the other prominent (known to cyclists) bike rides that Terry has completed is the RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across lowa). He said that he rides his bike by Nicodemus all the time. The history is what’s attracting him to join the ride.
While Terry admits that he is not familiar with the historical significance of the tour, the history is what enticed him to commit and participate. Mr. Davis is looking forward to the opportunity of riding his bike while learning about the history of the baseball field, church and other historical sites that were cornerstones in the Nicodemus community.
Because Terry has much more experience riding on pavement versus gravel, he has opted to ride the shorter 21.5 mile tour. Mr. Davis is hoping that his sister, brother-in-law and a daughter (all residents of Colorado) will also be joining him for the event. Terry encourages others to join the bike tour. Terry's motto is always, "the more the merrier" and hopes more folks throughout the community will consider this event. He stated that it’s a great form of exercise, fun and some rich history to be learned.
The Nicodemus Historical Society invites your entire family including the kids to bring your bikes and ride a FREE shorter route that will take you on a tour around the historic town of Nicodemus to various silhouettes, historic building sites and a few of the historic tour signs.
Come enjoy the free pancake breakfast sponsored by Kansas Black Farmers Association. Share a day of community history, fun, delicious food by “RC RubGrub BBQ” of Glade and enjoy live music by Graham County’s local musicians and house band for Mikkelson's Tavern, Butch Creek. A free showing of the documentary which illustrates the first settlers arriving in Nicodemus,"Ellis Trail To Nicodemus" will be featured on the big screen at 2:30 in the Visitor's Center. The day is expected to be great fun.
Whether you participate in the bike tour or not everyone is welcome to discover the rich history and learn about one of the nation's most iconic African American national sites in the West, Nicodemus.
To learn more about the ride and our history follow us on Facebook. Interested riders should register via the Nicodemus Historical Society’s website at: nicodemushistoricalsociety.org.