Editing Independence, Kansas (section)

==Area attractions==
* [[Independence Community College]] is home to the William Inge Center for the Arts,<ref>{{Cite web|title=William Inge Center for the Arts – Home of the Official State Theater Festival of Kansas|url=https://ingecenter.org/|access-date=2021-12-31|language=en-US}}</ref> which maintains the archives of playwright and alumnus, [[William Inge]]. The center utilizes the writer's boyhood home for a playwrights-in-residence program, and sponsors the annual William Inge Festival. Each year during the festival a lifetime achievement award is bestowed on a nationally recognized American playwright.
* The State of Kansas designated the childhood home of [[Laura Ingalls Wilder]] and the Ingalls family near Independence as a historic site; it is open to visitors. It is the location where the Charles Ingalls family resided between 1869-1871 and is described in his daughter [[Laura Ingalls Wilder]]'s book ''[[Little House on the Prairie (novel)|Little House on the Prairie]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.littlehouseontheprairiemuseum.com/Little_House_on_the_Prairie_Museum/Little_House_on_the_Prairie_Museum.html |title=Little House on the Prairie Museum, Inc |access-date=2013-02-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702165345/http://www.littlehouseontheprairiemuseum.com/Little_House_on_the_Prairie_Museum/Little_House_on_the_Prairie_Museum.html |archive-date=2013-07-02 }}</ref> It includes a cabin modeled after the original and a [[post office]] from nearby community of [[Wayside, Kansas|Wayside]]. The Sunnyside School, a one-room schoolhouse that was moved to the site, is also featured. Much of the surrounding countryside retains its open and undeveloped nature. Then located on the [[Osage Nation|Osage]] reservation, the property is now within the boundaries of the William Kurtis Ranch about 13 miles southwest of downtown Independence, east of the unincorporated community of [[Wayside, Kansas|Wayside]].<ref>[http://www.littlehouseontheprairie.com/ "Little House on the Prairie Website"]</ref>
* At the 1964 New York World's Fair, [[Sinclair Oil]] sponsored a dinosaur exhibit, featuring life-size replicas of nine different dinosaurs. On flatbed trucks, they toured the United States. Headquartered in Independence, Sinclair Pipeline Company, a division of Sinclair Oil, was acquired by [[Atlantic Richfield]] (ARCO). After the acquisition by ARCO, one of the nine dinosaurs, the [[Corythosaurus]], was donated to Riverside Park.
* [[Elk City Lake]] and [[Elk City State Park]] are located approximately five miles west of Independence. There are six hiking trails located at Elk City Lake, two of which are notable for receiving a [[National Trails]] designation. It is also in this area that the ruins of the [[Le Hunt, Kansas|Le Hunt]] cement plant are located, although the site on private property.
* Montgomery County State Lake is located approximately 4 miles (6.44&nbsp;km) south of the city on county road 3600. The lake offers boating and fishing opportunities to the area. 
* Riverside Park and Ralph Mitchell Zoo<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independenceks.gov/199/Park-Zoo|title = Riverside Park and Ralph Mitchell Zoo &#124; Independence, KS}}</ref> is located on East Oak Street between Pennsylvania and Park Streets on the northeast side of the city. The park offers playground, 4-H, and meeting facilities, picnic areas, tennis courts, miniature golf, miniature train, and a merry go round. It is also the location of Emmot Field, the home field for sporting events for the Independence Middle School, Independence High School, and the Independence Community College. The Ralph Mitchell Zoo is the home for many species of mammals and reptiles, and was the homeplace of the rhesus macaque Miss Able, who was chosen by NASA alongside [[Miss Baker]] to test out space travel and become the first animals launched into space; she is commemorated with a sign.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Monkey Island, Home of America's First Space Monkey|url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11873|access-date=|website=Roadside America}}</ref> The park is also home to [[Shulthis Stadium Grandstand|Shulthis Stadium]] and Emmot Field, which is the site of the first night baseball game, and the home field where [[Mickey Mantle]] began his professional baseball career.