Coronado Heights, Sandstone hill in Lindsborg, United States.
Coronado Heights is a sandstone hill formed from the Dakota geological layer that rises roughly 300 feet (90 meters) above the surrounding Smoky Hills landscape. The summit features a castle structure made of stone, while trails wind through the grounds offering views across the Smoky Hill River valley.
Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado reached this location during his 1541 expedition searching for legendary wealth in the interior of North America. The site later received development in the 1930s when a public works program constructed the stone castle at its summit.
The hill's name comes from a Bethany College professor who promoted it in the early 20th century, after a colleague found Spanish chain mail at the nearby Sharps Creek Site in 1915. The Works Progress Administration built the castle-like stone shelter in 1936, and the Smoky Valley Historical Association now owns the park. A 1988 sculpture by John Whitfield stands halfway up, inscribed "Coronado Heights 'A Place to Share'."
The summit is reached by Swensson Drive, the road built up the hill in 1920; the Olsson Trail footpath also climbs it. A sculpture by John Whitfield stands halfway up. The park is owned by the Smoky Valley Historical Association and lies northwest of Lindsborg.
The chain mail linked to Coronado was found in 1915 by a Bethany College professor, not on the hill itself but at the Sharps Creek Site, a Native American village excavation a few miles southwest. No coins were reported. The hill's name was promoted separately by another Bethany College professor.
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