Vandals Heavily Damage Mount Sunflower

We are heartbroken to see this story in the November 18, 2011, Hays, Kansas Daily News reporting on vandalism to Mount Sunflower in Kansas.

This is the worst vandalism we have ever seen on a summit. The Highpointers Foundation has been in contact with Ed and Cindy Harold, owners of Sunflower who have been very generous in permitting open access.

The article notes:

This time around, the Mount Sunflower sign was backed into and pulled apart, and they backed into the limestone sign, breaking it in half “My uncle had put that sign up,” Harold said, “commemorating my grandparents’ homesteading of the land.” Harold has since moved the limestone marker down to his residence and is trying to repair it, so it can be returned to its rightful spot. Ironically, he’s also breathing a sigh of relief. “They didn’t do any damage to the big sign the chamber of commerce paid for,” he said

This entry was posted in General and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to Vandals Heavily Damage Mount Sunflower

  1. Alan Zarchy says:

    I was just at Sunflower in August. It was my 40th highpoint. It is such a peaceful,
    beautiful part of America. I hope the owners don’t get discouraged. There are a few
    bad apples in the world that try to ruin it for the rest of us.
    Alan Zarchy – Mineola New York

  2. Dee Turner says:

    So very sad! I love Mount Sunflower.

  3. Travis Sutton Byrd says:

    My climing partner and I got to Mt Sunflower right as the winter sky turned into an incredible pallet of Impressionist colors. This was in January,1997 and, to this day, the sunset vista breaking behind the wroght iron sculpture remains in my memory as the very best–the essence–of the high plains… that somebody would remove such heartfelt moments from future visitors is appalling–the absolute worst of the high plains and the nadir of the human condition!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *