Tall golden prairie grass and a rugged path guided the 20 participants in the Underground Railroad tour of Kansas as they meditated in silence on what it would be like to be a slave.

"I knew that slavery was horrible, but this tour really made it more real," said Alexa Bastian sophomore in agricultural science who attended the tour for a leadership studies class. "Before this tour I didn't realize the full impact on slavery."

On Saturday, a group of about 20 K-State students, Manhattan residents and even a couple from Council Bluff, Iowa traveled throughout Wabaunsee and Riley counties learning about the slaves and abolitionists that helped Kansas become a free state during the The Underground Railroad Tour of Kansas.

Many of the participants said the highlight of the tour was a hike up Mt. Mitchell, a historical monument to honor Captain Mitchell, a Civil War Veteran and abolitionist, in Wabaunsee county east of Manhattan.

Tour participants said they were enlightened and learned something new about a different culture.

Anirudh Agarwal, sophomore in business administration, who is from India, said the tour helped him understand more about American history and how it relates to Kansas.

The tour which is usually given to private groups upon request was opened up to the public on Saturday for the first time in three years, said Richard Pitts, Executive Director of the Wonder Workshop Children's Museum and tour guide on the Underground Railroad Tour in Kansas.

The three-and-a-half hour tour consisted of four stops: The Beecher Bible and Rifle Church, one of the first integrated churches in Kansas; Wabaunsee Township Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in Kansas with the graves of 60 Civil War veterans; Mt. Mitchell, named after Captain Mitchell, an abolitionist whose house was one of the stations on the Underground Railroad and Chris Barr's Cabin, which was believed to be a station on the underground railroad.

Pitts began the tour asking the participants: Why is history important? One person answered, ‘You don't know where you are going until you know where you came from.'

"History gives us a memory of who we are, who got us here and the work we still need to do," he said.

Pitts told the story of The Underground Railroad and how it relates to Kansas. Along the Underground Railroad trail, which started in the deep south, many stops in Kansas were Quindero, Lawrence, Topeka and Holton. He said slaves who would have came through Kansas most likely escaped from slave masters in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

On the third stop, participants hiked about a mile in a half to the top of Mt. Mitchell. Many of the participants said they appreciated the time for reflection during the mile and a half hike up approximately 300 feet.

"This gives me the opportunity to be outside and go to some places that I've always wanted to stop at," said Regina Beard, participant of the tour and Hale Library Librarian.

Beard had a very personal connection to the tour, her grandfather was buried in the Wabaunsee Township Cemetery, which was one of the tour stops. She said going on the tour made her become more curious about how her ancestors arrived to Kansas.

"The connection Kansas has to the Underground Railroad seems to be terrificly understated," she said.

Throughout the tour, there were several reenactments for participants to watch and they were encouraged to ask questions.

For much of the tour Pitts talked about abolitionists in Kansas.

"They said enough was a enough," he said. "These people came here for a reason and now we are walking in their footsteps."

Pitts said he believes the reason abolitionists were different from white slave owners in the South because many of them had education along with faith in God.

"Having an education helps you think for yourself, instead of just listening to what everyone else says," he said.

The last stop was Chris Barr's Cabin built in 1863. The cabin was recently found inside of a house. "As you can see there's not much room in here," Pitts said. "So it wasn't the rich folks helping out."

The cabin had a small loft area where runaway slaves would get to through a faux cabinet that slaves would climb up the shelving to hide during the day. There were also a trap door in the floor.

The tour ended with a reenactment of a runaway slave coming to the cabin to hide. The seven women actresses who are also K-State students sang the hymn "Amazing Grace," in honor of the people who lost their lives in the Underground Railroad.

Pitts said there are Underground Railroad stops in Manhattan as well. Pitts published a book titled, "A Self-Guided Tour of the Underground Railroad in Kansas," to help people navigate their way around the stops.

Many of the participants have been waiting for the next public tour and said they were pleased with the experience.

"The whole tour was very impressive," said Felisa Osburn, library assistant in Hale Library. "The hike was pretty moving as well as the whole experience."