Fourteen feet under a sidewalk grate near the Keeper of the Plains sits a seven-foot bronze troll — one of Wichita's more unusual pieces of public art, and a good story if you haven't heard it.
The Legend Begins: A Brief History of the Wichita Troll
The Wichita Troll started in 2007 during a riverfront redevelopment project near the Keeper of the Plains Plaza. City planners had a functional overflow pit and storm drain that was too costly to remove, so instead of just leaving it, they turned it into a home for public art.
Local artist Connie Ernatt was commissioned to build it. Her goal was a troll that was neither "too cute or too scary," and she leaned into the fact that "there was no one way that a troll looks." The result is a seven-foot-tall, 200-pound bronze sculpture with greenish skin, big ears, a bald head, wood plank shoes, and a patchwork outfit — three fingers and a thumb included.
The Discovery
Ernatt kept the troll's existence secret after installing it in May 2007, curious how long it would take Wichita to notice. Hidden 14 feet below ground near the old Westar Power building, it went undiscovered for almost three months, until May 19, 2007.
Once found, it became a local icon and a popular "seek-and-find" spot. It sits on the east bank of the Arkansas River, south of the Keeper of the Plains within Veterans Memorial Park — visible from the grate above, or up close from the path below near the river.
A Close Call
In 2013, vandals stole the troll's arm and its bird skull necklace. Connie Ernatt repaired and returned the sculpture in April 2014, and the city added security measures afterward to keep it in place for the long run.
We tell this story because we like it, not because it has much to do with sewer lines — but if you'll allow one connection: unlike Wichita's troll, the ones that show up in your drains aren't collectible. If something's backing up or gurgling, that's not folklore, that's a call to us.