Nelson's Island

There’s an undiscovered magical island of enchantment along the Kansas River in northwest Johnson County.

Well, not really.

Still, the scruffy sliver of land named Nelson’s Island is a pleasant enough diversion for casual hikers and nature lovers. You get there by following the garbage trucks off the Holliday Drive exit from I-435. The county-run park is adjacent to the enormous trash dump operated by Deffenbaugh.

My companion and I had it to ourselves Saturday morning. A paved path meanders through a meadow before reaching a bridge to the island. The lack of water under the bridge somewhat spoils the romantic island concept, but I’ll chalk it up to the winter drought. A couple paths loop across the so-called island.

The land was the site of a mill built for Shawnee Indians that was destroyed by a flood in 1844. And a man named Frank Nelson lived there seventy years ago. Yet recalling the past isn't easy; there's a constant rumble from the dump and nearby train tracks, and industrial concerns flank the north riverbank.

A savvy entrepreneur might propose transforming this obscure real estate into a modest Tom Sawyer theme park, replete with wooden forts, mazes and the like. It’d be a guaranteed hit.