Rutlader Cemetery Traditional Geocache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Caching around Kansas back roads you will find many hidden treasures beyond just caches. The Rutlader Cemetery is one of these treasures and the town of Rutlader nearby. Respect this well-kept cemetery and people you may see here. This is an easy park and grab but look around at this beautiful location while there.
It's Saturday night at Rutlader Middle Creek Theatre, part of the Rutlader Outpost, a 25-acre complex located seven miles south of Louisburg, KS along the Frontier Military Scenic Byway (old 69 Hwy). You can hear the sweet notes of country music playing and as you look up over the Outpost Store you will see the town sign “Rutlader: Population 11” In 1990, Rutlader and his late brother Joseph gave 125 acres to Kansas with a promise frog state officials they would put Rutlader on the map. The donated land is now the Rutlader Wildlife Area while the “town” still bears a Louisburg, KS mailing address. But this didn’t stop Jimmy Rutlader from installing his own sign and make his lifelong dream come true, he built his own town complete with a public cemetery. A short drive around the corner from Rutlader’s Outpost reveals the first entrance leading inside the 12-acre Rutlader Cemetery. A big “R” is emblazoned on the front of the cream-color, wrought iron gate. Inside, about a dozen, tiny white grave markers dot the roadside. A picnic table stands beneath a lone pine tree. A second black wrought-iron gate, also displays a “R”, leads to an enclosed sanctuary with larger, more impressive headstones, including several statues of angelic beings. An engraved headstone propped against a carriage house reads: Rutlader, Kansas. “This used to be a cornfield,” Jimmy says. He walks past a series of headstones heralding the family name and points at the last one. It bears his name and birthday — June 8, 1921. The date of his death is, of course, left blank. His parents, as well as his brother Joseph, are buried in this cemetery. Jim has lived on this land, which once totaled 360 acres, since he was 11 years old. He only left when he served in the Medical Corps for the U.S. Army. “We have Buddhists buried here, too,” he says, pointing to two Asian designed headstones. They usually want to be cremated. He’s constructing a vault that will hold their ashes. A rock garden borders one side of the plot; a tiny, white ceramic bench is positioned in the center. “Different religions have different ways,” Jim says. Not only are all faiths welcome in Rutlader’s Cemetery, he also offers free plots to anyone unable to afford burial. It’s the same generosity and vision that led him to pursue his dream of building a town. Enjoy the cache and the town of Rutlader Kansas and its Cemetery Congratulations to the Love Caches for the first to find!*** Update Jim Rutlander passed away peacefully Aug 6, 2016 surround by his loving family. He is gone but not forgotten....
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Qba'g onex hc gur jebat gerr ...