From a distance across the flat plains, the towering grain elevators make McPherson (pop. 13,770), 35 miles east of Lyons and marking the junction of US-56 and I-135 between Salina and Wichita, look more impressive than it really is. You can fill the gas tank or get a bite to eat (all the usual franchise food places and gas stations are here) or just stretch your legs wandering around the four-block Main Street business district.
The small McPherson Museum (Tues.–Sun. 1–5 pm; donations; 620/241-8464), well-marked in a residential district at 1130 Euclid Street, displays rooms furnished in typical turn-of-the-20th-century Kansas style. It also holds the world’s first manmade diamond, produced by Willard Hershey, a local chemistry teacher.
