The Riverfest Park Monument Sign is officially complete and now welcomes visitors at the park entrance. Designed to reflect De Soto’s history, the sign highlights the city’s long connection to the Kansas River, which once served as a vital transportation route in the mid-1800s. During that time, steamboats regularly traveled through De Soto, linking the community to Lawrence, Topeka, and Kansas City and supporting local trade and livelihoods.
The monument features a steamboat graphic, river rock base, and a site history plaque honoring Darrel Zimmerman, a lifelong De Soto resident, educator, and civic leader whose original concept helped shape the project.