KANSAS! Magazine Issue No. 2 2025

2025 | vol 81 | issue 2 | kansasmag.com

L O O K I N G

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F U T U R E

Through History

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SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

It may still be chilly out, but Topeka has plenty of indoor attractions to explore like Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, Combat Air Museum, Kansas Statehouse, and more! Join in on the fun of St. Patrick’s Day in March with a full day of celebrations downtown including the annual parade and IrishFest! There’s something for every member of the family this spring in #TopCity.

VISITTOPEKA.COM

Explore COME EXPLORE GREAT BEND, KS—WHERE THERE’S A REASON WE’RE CALLED GREAT! SIP AND SAVOR AT OUR LOCAL WINERY AND BREWERY, OR DIVE INTO PLENTY OF FAMILY FUN, INCLUDING THE STATE’S FIRST NINJA COURSE PLAYGROUND! FROM BREATHTAKING OUTDOOR ADVENTURES AT CHEYENNE BOTTOMS TO VIBRANT EVENTS, UNIQUE SHOPPING, AND A RELAX ATMOSPHERE, THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. PLAN YOUR VISIT TODAY AND COME EXPLORE GREAT BEND!

www.exploregreatbend.com

Discover Geary County, KS

Where History Meets the Outdoors Experience Junction City’s Historic Downtown Charm.

Explore unique shops and savor diverse cuisine.

Visit the U.S. Cavalry Museum, 1st Territorial Capitol of KS, Geary County Historical Museum, Black History Trail of Geary County, and Heritage Park.

Your Destination for Outdoor Adventures. Hike/Bike or Horseback Ride our Trails, Fish or Boat at Milford Lake, and visit the Milford Nature Center

Geary County, KS Your Historic and Outdoor Destination www.visitgearycounty.com 785-238-2885 Ext. 41

KCK Legacy Trail

Sporting KC

WHAT’S INSIDE /

featured

featured stories

34

Timeless Stories

Renowned photojournalist Jim Richardson has spent a lifetime capturing stories from around the world. Now he’s busy archiving his work for future generations

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150 Years of History As the Kansas State Historical Society celebrates a major milestone, we reflect on how it got its start

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A Coal Mine on the Plains PHOTO Nick Krug

Beneath Cloud County’s prairie landscape, a hidden coal reserve once supported a small community

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PA I D A DV E R T I S E M E N T

WHAT’S INSIDE /

departments

kansas DETAILS

10

80 Years

A Look Back at How

KANSAS! Covered Kansas

12

Air

14

Cuisine

16

Heartland

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Culture

The Freshness of Outdoor Life

Fine Food and Good Eats

People and Places That Define Us

Arts and Experiences

the Scenes 20 Behind A Conversation with KANSAS! Contributors

22 Captured Life in the Sunflower State We Love Kansas 24 Reasons Celebrating Unique Attractions

wide open SPACES

Wild West 28 Wild, For a taste of frontier life, follow

this road trip through four Kansas cities featured in the iconic TV show Gunsmoke

kansas TASTE

Trains Embrace 58 Dinner Kansas History The Abilene & Smoky Valley

Railroad transports passengers to the golden age of rail travel with classic dining experiences

IN EVERY ISSUE The popular TV series Gunsmoke, set in Dodge City, ran for 20 years.

On the Cover Photojournalist Jim Richardson, sitting in his Lindsborg office, meticulously sifts through his archives to curate a timeless collection future generations can enjoy. Photograph by David Mayes.

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The Extra Details

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Kansas Gallery

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Hello from Our Publisher From the Poet Laureate

KANSAS TOURISM, A DIVISION OF THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Andrea Etzel PUBLISHER

Laura Kelly GOVERNOR

David Toland

LT. GOVERNOR & SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Bridgette Jobe TOURISM DIRECTOR

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Bill Uhler

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DIRECTOR

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MANAGING EDITOR

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PRINTER

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ACCOUNT MANAGER

KANSAS! (ISSN 0022-8435) is published five (5) times per year

by Kansas Tourism 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66612; 785.296.3479; TTY Hearing Impaired: 785.296.3487.

Periodical postage paid at Topeka, KS, and at additional mailing offices.

Newsstand price $5 per issue; subscription price $20 per year; $36 for two years.

All prices include all applicable sales tax.

Please address subscription inquiries to: Toll-free: 800.678.6424 KANSAS!, 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66612 Email: kansas.mag@ks.gov | Website: www.KansasMag.com POSTMASTER: Send address change to: KANSAS!, P.O. Box 146, Topeka, KS 66601-0146.

Maxwell Wildlife Refuge

Please mail all editorial inquiries to: KANSAS!, 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66612 email: kansas.mag@ks.gov The articles and photographs that appear in KANSAS! magazine may not be broadcast, published or otherwise reproduced without the express written consent of Kansas Tourism or the appropriate copyright owner.

Unauthorized use is prohibited. Additional restrictions may apply.

Located in the heart of the Smoky Hills

visit our website for more information

MaxwellWildlifeRefuge.com tickets can be purchased online or reservations accepted by email or phone

MaxwellWildlifeRefuge@gmail.com

620.654.7230

Don’t miss out on Elk Days!

The elk are out for viewing until March and then we bounce right into spring babies.

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KANSAS /

the extra details

the extra details Around the State

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1 Beeler / page 15

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2 Coffeyville / page 16

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3 WaKeeney / page 19

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4 Liberal / page 26 5 Riley / page 61

6 Cuba / page 39

7 Cloud County / page 48

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KANSAS! Kids Dinosaurs, aerospace engineers and race car drivers—what Food for Thought! Don’t forget to visit Liberal

on March 4 to watch the city’s annual International Pancake Day Race. This friendly competition between Liberal and Olney, England, features women—all wearing a skirt and apron and carrying a skillet—racing 415 yards down the streets of town. visitliberal.com/international-pancake-day You could also join thousands of Kansans at the Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, April 11–12.

Buy an antique tractor or a quilt, or dine on the Russian-Mennonite specialty verenika. It tastes delicious with ham gravy and sausage. kansas.mccsale.org

more could young Kansans want? Be sure to pick up a copy of our children’s special edition if you haven’t already received a complimentary issue.

All fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students received a copy just in time for Kansas Day back in January. To request a copy, see travelks.com/ kansas-magazine/aboutkansas/kansas-kids/ request-a-magazine.

Hidden History On September 7, 2024,

200 people gathered at Rosedale Middle School to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Rosedale Memorial Arch. This monument stands atop a steep hill near the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Local soldier, architect and engineer John LeRoy Marshall designed this scale replica of the Arc de Triomphe to honor fallen soldiers in the 42nd Division of the United States Infantry in World War I, popularly known as the “Rainbow Division.” rosedale.org/rosedale-arch

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Correction On page 30 of our last issue, in the caption of the article “Barolo Grille Brings Artsy Atmosphere On and Around the Tables,” we

incorrectly identified operating partner Vaughn Kresin as executive chef Jonathan Covert. We apologize for this error.

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A Life Through the Lens

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ANDREA ETZEL

PUBLISHER, KANSAS! MAGAZINE

facebook.com/KansasMagazine @KANSASMag KansasMagazine

(get spotted; use #kansasmag to tag us)

PHOTO Andrea Etzel

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

It’s a question often asked, but for many of us, the answer remains elusive well into adulthood.

Dreams shift and evolve. Sometimes, they get put aside. Then, someone or something reignites them.

For National Geographic photojournalist Jim Richardson, storytelling through images has been a lifelong pursuit. His ability to capture not just moments but entire narratives has made him one of the most respected photographers in his field. But beyond his portfolio of breathtaking landscapes and cultural documentation, Jim has inspired countless photographers—myself included.

I received my first camera at 13 but didn’t enroll in my first photography class until high school. Though I thought my work wasn’t bad, my teacher let me know otherwise. I was crushed. I decided photography would be only a hobby. Then I attended a lecture by Jim, hosted

by Wolfe’s Camera Shop in Topeka. Hearing Jim talk about his National Geographic work on Celtic culture sparked something in me.

He spoke about composition and light and the deeper connections photography can foster.

How a camera isn’t just a tool—it’s a bridge to people, places and stories waiting to be told.

Walking out of that lecture, I knew this was what I wanted to do.

Fast forward 20 years. During a recent visit to Small World Gallery in Lindsborg, Jim pulled me aside. “Do you have time for me to show you something,” he asked. Of course, the answer was yes. He led me across the street to his studio, where he is archiving his work—a lifetime of stories meticulously preserved. It was a rare behind-thescenes look at a career spent documenting the world. Now you can get a glimpse too in our feature “Timeless Stories” (pg. 34).

Jim’s influence on photography in Kansas runs deep. He was a contributing photographer for KANSAS! in the 1970s, and in 2005, we published our first profile about him (“It’s a Small World After All”).

Decades later, his impact endures.

As KANSAS! celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2025, we’ve reflected on our own history. Our archives are filled with stories that have shaped this publication. We’ll be sharing those stories throughout the year.

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VISITMANHATTANKS.ORG

80 Years / K A N S A S D E T A I L S

The Evolution of Our Cover A look back at the covers that defined KANSAS! Story by Andrea Etzel Covers courtesy Kansas Tourism

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magazine cover serves as its calling card, a visual representation of its identity and purpose. It sets the tone, giving readers a preview of the stories featured inside. The design, photography and typography are not just aesthetic choices but intentional signals that convey the magazine’s voice and focus.

From its origins as a tool for promoting industrial growth to its evolution into a celebrated lifestyle and travel magazine, KANSAS! has mirrored the shifting identity of the state it represents. Over the decades, the magazine has transitioned from focusing on development and infrastructure to showcasing Kansas’ culture and natural beauty.

To the Stars Era (1940s–1950s) First released in November 1945, the magazine was titled To the Stars and was an industry newsletter for the Kansas Industrial Development Commission. Its masthead was utilitarian and its purpose was clear: promote Kansas as a growing hub for industry in postwar America. A touch of personality eventually emerged in the 1950s with themed covers such as the “Tourist” issue, which introduced a lively hand-drawn logo paired with striking black-and-white photography.

A Modern Lifestyle Icon (2000s–present) In recent decades, KANSAS! has fully embraced its role as a legacy lifestyle and travel magazine.

The design reflects contemporary trends with sleek, modern mastheads and visually compelling layouts. As the magazine’s feature stories have become more dynamic, so have the covers.

Rich in striking imagery and captivating designs, KANSAS! has continually received awards for its covers. Most recently, the 2024 “Notorious” issue, which featured a cover created by Lawrence artist Torren Thomas, won a Gold award from the International Regional Media Association.

Each cover is a visual narrative, inviting readers to explore the stories within. As the magazine continues to thrive and adapt, it remains a testament to the spirit of Kansas.

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Embracing Regional Identity (1960s–1980s) As the state’s narrative shifted, so did the magazine’s focus. By the 1960s, it rebranded as KANSAS!—a bold declaration of state pride. During this time, the covers leaned heavily on color photography and vibrant illustrations that focused on the state’s natural beauty and rural charm. The typography and design became cleaner, reflecting the shift from a businessdriven newsletter to a culture and lifestyle magazine.

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air / K A N S A S D E T A I L S

Wild Encounters Reported sightings of the elusive mountain lion have risen in Kansas, sparking a debate about their presence in the state

distances male mountain lions can wander, it’s highly likely the same animal was captured on different cameras. For example, a mountain lion killed on a Connecticut highway had DNA that indicated it was from Story by Michael Pearce the Black Hills.

It’s believed many of the lions documented in Kansas soon leave and that most are probably males.

There’s no evidence mountain lions have reproduced or brought cubs ossibly, no three words incite lively conversation as fast as into Kansas, Peek says.

“Kansas mountain lion.” The mention of these beasts brings Despite investigating hundreds stories (and denials) of government stocking programs, mauled of reported cases, biologists from livestock and recent sightings, including within our larger cities. the Kansas Department of Wildlife Jeff Alterman is an avid outdoorsman who moved back to and Parks and the Kansas State north-central Kansas after living four years in southeastern Montana. He Research and Extension have has spent thousands of days afield and seen no sign of a mountain lion in found no proof of mountain lions Kansas. Yet to hear Kansans talk, he says, big cats are as common as rabbits. attacking Kansas livestock. And “In Kansas, I talked with more people in a month who said they’d seen because bobcats and house cats are mountain lions than I did people who said they’d seen one in the four years often mistaken for mountain lions, I lived in Montana,” Alterman says. “I knew a rancher in only a small percentage his 70s in Montana who said he’d seen a lot of tracks, but of reported sightings “We’re up to a he’d never seen a live mountain lion. They’re extremely in Kansas are actual elusive. Kansas has a few mountain lions, but nothing mountain lions. little over 100 near what many think.”

Peek is aware of the confirmations, In 1904, a mountain lion was shot near Hays. This was rumor that the state the last confirmed Kansas mountain lion from the 1900s. secretly released mountain as of now. The Despite thousands of such claims through the following lions to control the Kansas number of decades, the next confirmed Kansas mountain lion wasn’t deer population and then documented until 2007—more than 100 years later—when denied it to avoid liability, confirmations a Medicine Lodge rancher shot one near his cattle. Since but he quickly dispels it as seems to have then, verifications (which include good photography, dead baseless. The department increased animals and clear tracks) have steadily increased. doesn’t deny mountain “We’re up to a little over 100 confirmations, as of lions exist in Kansas, but in the last now,” says Matt Peek, furbearer biologist for the Kansas before 2007, they had no several years.”

Department of Wildlife and Parks. “We appear to be getting evidence. a few more individuals in the state, and, in some cases, they Peek hesitates to believe —MATT PEEK may be staying longer than they had in the past.” stories of black panthers Territorial adult mountain lions often send misplaced roaming Kansas. “That would juvenile lions, usually males, to look for new territory. Peek credited be a really long shot,” he says. “There’s established mountain lion populations, including in the Rocky Mountains never been a single black mountain and the Black Hills, for possible mountain lion population growth in Kansas. lion documented in history.”

Many documented sightings come from remote trail cameras, which But that doesn’t stop the hunters place afield to monitor deer, Peek says. There are probably rumor mill. hundreds of such cameras per county.

“I heard about those a lot of times,” At least four trail cameras may have photographed the same mountain Alterman says. “It’s hard to convince lion in Chase County one night last fall. Considering the extensive people they don’t even exist.”

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Above A trail camera captures an image of the elusive mountain lion roaming Chase County.

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VisitLeavenworthKS.com

St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 17, 2025

From Then to Now, you can Live the Adventure at the Martin & Osa Johnson Safari Museum in Chanute, KS! Martin and Osa Johnson were filmmakers, photographers, naturalists and authors. In the early 20th century, they explored then-unknown lands of Africa, the South Pacific Islands and British North Borneo bringing to the U.S. knowledge of cultures and sights never before seen.

The museum also houses the largest collection of West African Art in the Midwest.

Other attractions in Chanute include: • Summit Hill Gardens Soap Shop • Chanute Art Gallery • Chanute Historical Museum • Wright Brothers-Octave Chanute Memorial Sculpture • Howard’s Toys for Big Boys Automotive Museum • Cardinal Drug Store Old-Fashioned Soda Fountain • Numerous Downtown Murals

21 N. Lincoln ~ 620-431-3350

information@chanutechamber.com

www.chanutechamber.com

Conveniently located in the heart of Southeast Kansas

cuisine / K A N S A S D E T A I L S

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hen most people hear the name George Washington Carver, their thoughts often turn to the peanut. History regards Carver as “The Peanut Man,” as he helped popularize this humble legume by discovering more than 300 different uses. But, as shown at “The Seeds Take Root,” a new exhibit in the Ottawa County Historical Museum in Minneapolis, Kansas, his work with the peanut is but a bullet point on his long list of scientific and agricultural innovations.

Carver began life as an enslaved person in Missouri and spent several of his formative years in Kansas. He is believed to have been born in 1864 and orphaned when he was just a baby. Carver wrote in a brief autobiography displayed in the museum that he was reared by his former enslavers, who taught him to read and write and encouraged him to continue his education. When he was about 13, he left home to attend the Colored School in Fort Scott and supported himself by cooking

“No individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it.”

More Than Peanuts Above This vintage whiskey decanter is one of many artifacts on display at the Ottawa County Historical Museum.

A new exhibit in Minneapolis highlights the legacy of George Washington Carver Story by Cecilia Harris Photography by Jason Dailey

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­—GEORGE W. CARVER, MAY 25, 1916 for a wealthy family in exchange for board, clothing and school privileges. He then attended school in Olathe for a year while doing odd jobs and helping another former enslaved person, Lucy Seymour, with her laundry business. According to museum curator Samantha Davis, Carver arrived in Minneapolis with the Seymour family in 1880.

“He lived in ‘Poverty Gulch,’” Davis says of Carver in his mid-teens. “He had a laundry business, he owned his own place, and he did school, which

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wasn’t necessarily a structured grade system. He started out with grade school when he was a young adult and finished his schooling. All he was trying to do was to get his education because he wanted to be able to go to college.”

In just a few years, Carver met the high school diploma requirements, including studying Latin and Greek. A sign on Sheridan Street in Minneapolis marks the site of the school Carver attended, Davis says.

After leaving Minneapolis, Carver applied by mail and was admitted to Highland College in 1885, but administrators denied him entrance when he arrived and “He had written little they saw he was Black. recipe books like 101 Dejected, Carver headed west to homestead near Things to Do with a Beeler in Ness County.

Tomato … just all kinds After moving several of really neat stuff more times, Carver enrolled in agriculture that’s fascinating and at Iowa State University, kind of fits in with why where he earned kids seem to be drawn undergraduate and graduate degrees and to him still to this day.” became the first Black ­—SAMANTHA DAVIS faculty member. In 1896, Booker T. Washington invited Carver to lead the agriculture department at the Tuskegee Institute. Carver spent 47 years in that role, teaching agriculture and botany, conducting research, and publishing educational bulletins for teachers and farmers.

“He loved everything that had to do with nature,” Davis says.

“He’s known for the peanut, but there’s so much more.”

Although the exhibit illustrates some of the remarkable uses Carver discovered for the peanut (it can be used in chili sauce, instant coffee and mayonnaise!), it also features much of his innovative research. Walk through the exhibit to learn how Carver pioneered hundreds of products from pecans, soybeans and sweet potatoes; taught farmers the importance of crop rotation; grew flowers in his small conservatory; and even wrote poetry. Books about Carver’s life and accomplishments are popular displays at the exhibit. Davis says she often has extra copies for visitors to read. Photographs, personal letters, bottles of some of his products, and newspaper articles join other artifacts in this special museum section dedicated to the man whose contributions to agriculture and promotion of racial equality are legendary.

“He had written little recipe books like 101 Things to Do with a Tomato … just all kinds of really neat stuff that’s fascinating and kind of fits in with why kids seem to be drawn to him still to this day,” Davis says. museum037.wixsite.com/website / 785.392.3621

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Minneapolis Beeler Olathe

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3 Important Markers Beeler / For three years of his life, agricultural scientist George Washington Carver homesteaded a section of land near Beeler. Today, two historical markers in Beeler honor his time there. A plaque atop a large stone marks the northeast corner of Carver’s homestead, where he built a sod house, planted crops, and sketched the area’s flora and fauna. This plaque, constructed in 1953 by the Ness County Historical Society, identifies Carver as “a citizen, scientist and benefactor who rose from slavery to fame and gave to our country an everlasting heritage.”

Two miles away, along Highway 96 just west of Beeler, another marker honors Carver’s “Homestead of a Genius.” Along with a brief history of his life, this sign recognizes Carver’s accomplishments in agriculture and lists some of the more than 500 products he developed from peanuts and sweet potatoes. The Kansas State Historical Society and the Kansas Department of Transportation erected the sign in the 1950s and revised and replaced it in 2007.

Olathe / A sign in Johnson County Square reveals Carver attended school, studied nature, and played marbles in the Olathe area. According to the marker, Carver arrived in Olathe in 1879 while in his midteens to attend an all-Black school and left a year later. He learned the basics of reading and writing at home but ventured into Kansas to further his education.

(He had heard that schools for Black children were better in Kansas.) Several giant marbles are placed in the square to commemorate Carver playing this childhood game while living in Olathe.

heartland / K A N S A S D E T A I L S

Victorian-Era Charm Get a glimpse into the past by exploring these elegant Kansas homes Story by Lisa Waterman Gray and Beccy Tanner

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in natural gas in downtown uspended above the dining room table in the Brown Mansion, Coffeyville with two other a Tiffany chandelier casts a warm, inviting glow. According to gentlemen,” Thornburg says. “The legend, Louis Comfort Tiffany himself studied the mansion’s day before the well hit, the two unique patterns of natural light before designing the gorgeous other gentlemen backed out and he fixture that continues to light the space today. was the only investor.”

The story behind the legendary Brown Mansion begins with William Brown also installed a Pitzer Brown, a tall and wealthy entrepreneur, and Nancy Kilgore, the surprisingly modern gas heating petite woman he fell in love with. “Nancy and William met at a dance,” says Darla Thornburg, a former board member of the Coffeyville Historical “When Violet was bedridden and had no family, Society and current coordinator of the had nobody to leave the mansion to, she sold it.

Christmas Candlelit Tours at the Brown She left everything ... It’s like somebody got up Mansion. “She filled out her dance card to dance with him all night.” William and walked away from the house. If you were to courted Nancy for a year before asking open the drawers, the linens are still there.” ­ for her hand in marriage.

Soon, the two were wed and moved to Coffeyville. It was during this time— in 1904—that William completed the neoclassic Brown Mansion at a wholesale price of $125,000. Positioned at the top of a majestic hill, this three-story mansion remains a period showpiece.

Brown secured such a reasonable price because he owned a lumberyard, plus oil and gas interests. “The story is that he invested

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—DARLA THORNBURG system, which benefited from the building’s 20-inch-thick brick and concrete walls, and made special accommodations in the home for his 4-foot-11-inch wife.

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Abilene Dodge City Coffeyville

Mueller-Schmidt House

“The staircase railing is built for her height; the steps are short for her feet, and long and deep for his larger feet,” Thornburg says. “They wanted the mansion to be filled with love and laughter and children.”

The couple had five children, but only their daughter Violet survived into adulthood. About 70 years after its completion, Violet sold the home and all its contents to the Coffeyville Historical Society. “When Violet was bedridden and had no family, had nobody to leave the mansion to, she sold it,” Thornburg says. “She left everything ... It’s like somebody got up and walked away from the house. If you were to open the drawers, the linens are still there.”

Family antiques and fireplaces are abundant throughout the home’s five bedrooms and three full baths.

One of the bedrooms is named after William Howard Taft, the 27th president, in honor of his visit to the home during his 1912 campaign for a second term of presidency.

The first- and second-story verandas are supported

by Tuscan columns, and Chinoiserie-patterned railings decorate the balcony. The basement houses the butler’s quarters, a walk-in icebox, a wine cellar and storage rooms. A 2,800-square-foot ballroom, which also served the Brown family as a schoolroom and gymnasium, occupies the entire third floor.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Brown Mansion is available to book for special events such as weddings, proms and reunions through the Coffeyville Historical Society. coffeyvillehistory.com/the-brown-mansion / 620.251.0431

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Dodge City / Surrounded by trees atop a hill, this 1881 “Home of Stone” is one of Dodge City’s oldest homes and lone limestone house. The original owner, John Mueller, used the profits from his successful boot store to invest in a saloon and become a cattle rancher. But after a string of bad luck in 1890—he lost his cattle in a blizzard and lost his saloon to a fire—Mueller sold the home and its furnishings to Adam Schmidt, a blacksmith in Dodge City.

By 1965, Schmidt’s children, Elma and Henrich, sold the Mueller-Schmidt House and its furnishings to Ford County. Today, visitors can travel back in time by viewing the restored parlor, kitchen and bedrooms.

Several items on display include a cast iron stove, a pump organ, ornate wallpaper and hand-carved black walnut woodwork. You can also glimpse some homemade period clothing, including an Uncle Sam costume worn by Henrich and a dress made for Elma’s high school graduation. visitdodgecity.org / 620.225.8166

Seelye Mansion

Abilene / The historic Seelye Mansion, located in Abilene, features gorgeous natural landscaping that complements its stately white exterior. Built in 1905, this Georgian-style home is the epitome of elegance.

With 25 rooms, three stories, and 11,00 square feet, it was built with an initial construction cost of $55,000 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The original owners, Dr. A.B. Seelye and his wife, Jennette Seelye, often hosted parties for dignitaries and other special guests. It showcases many original upscale furnishings from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. A working 1920 Steinway piano and several pieces of goldpainted French furniture fill the music room. There’s also a stunning Tiffany-style fireplace mantel near the entrance, and the elegant dining room displays Haviland china. Guests can even visit the basement to try out an early form of bowling—the 1904 “box ball” alley.

Visitors should also tour the Patent Medicine Museum in an adjacent building. It houses artifacts associated with more than 100 products that A.B. Seelye Medical Company sold over a 14-state area, helping to create the family’s massive fortune. seelyemansion.org / 785.263.1084

culture / K A N S A S D E T A I L S

Reviving the Faith The historic St. Joseph Catholic Church in Geary County gets a second life as restoration efforts progress Story by Cecilia Harris Photography by Jason Dailey

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nce the home of a thriving congregation, St. “If it just sits there, it’s nothing, it Joseph Catholic Church in Geary County stood for doesn’t matter,” she says of abandoned decades as the social hub for the McDowell Creek buildings in general. “I love history. I love the community. Sunday mass, baptisms, weddings, neighborhood. I love the Flint Hills with a funerals and other church activities regularly passion. You see all these buildings, churches occurred in the limestone structure built in 1910. When it and old schools, falling down, and it just breaks was decommissioned in 1989, the building sat empty for your heart.” years, falling into disrepair. However, salvation is close at Quinlan is quick to sing the praises of hand for the local landmark. contractors who honored prices quoted In 2008, the St. Joseph Catholic before the pandemic Church joined the Geary County and people who have “I love history. I love the Historical Society’s museums. To contributed time, neighborhood.

I love the Flint preserve the church’s architectural talents and money— history, the historical society began Hills with a passion. You see all including three major restoring the building’s beauty monetary gifts—to these buildings, churches and and functionality. Renovations are make possible the well underway, and the building old schools, falling down, and it installation of a is structurally sound, says Cindy new roof, windows, just breaks your heart.”

Quinlan, chair of the Geary County electricity, lighting Historical Society’s St. Joseph fixtures and walkways; —CINDY QUINLAN Restoration Committee. The plan is to rebuild the heavily for the historic building to reopen as a community center damaged tower interior; and to complete major and venue within the next five to 10 years, depending on tuck-pointing. donations and the availability of people who can do the work.

To raise funds for the restoration, the Like many turn-of-the-20th-century country churches, it historical society holds two annual events—an was constructed in Gothic Revival style. It features an arched open house at the church in the spring and a entrance and windows, a central stone tower, and a steeply fall event called Acoustic Junction, with food pitched roof with cornice detailing. and free concerts. Although not completely “Every single thing was stripped out of it and auctioned renovated, the church has been the site of a off,” Quinlan says. “Even the stained glass windows were Geary County Historical Society workshop and taken out. They were from France, and to replace them would a funeral. The society plans to hold more events be impossible. They were incredibly expensive, very rich at the church, which is now available to rent. stained glass.”

Quinlan says she often sees visitors on the When the historical society first acquired the church, the church grounds, perhaps finding a little piece windows were boarded up, interior doors filled the original of heaven. “There are people who come out entrance, and the deteriorating roof had allowed water to here and have sat there and meditated and damage the walls and floors, Quinlan says. Nine years ago, prayed. They’ve told me that, and that’s a real when Quinlan noticed the front doors were falling in, she important aspect of the whole thing.” gearyhistory.org / 785.238.1666 became the driving force behind the church’s resurrection.

Cozy Church House

WaKeeney / Sleeping in church is encouraged when visiting the former Immanuel Lutheran Church building constructed in 1946 in WaKeeney. Also known as Kirch Haus (German for “church house”), the one-of-a-kind, fourbedroom vacation rental sleeps 12 and features the church’s original stained glass windows, wooden floors and cathedral ceiling. A hymn board welcomes guests. A piece of the altar creates a unique headboard in the master bedroom, and the base of the altar supports the kitchen island. Original cathedral chairs, pews, a lectern and two pianos are found throughout the establishment. vrbo.com/2499824 / 785.650.1014

Opposite The St. Joseph Restoration Committee aims to preserve the architectural history of this Gothic Revival structure.

19 KANSAS! magazine

Geary County WaKeeney

behind the scenes / K A N S A S D E T A I L S

What inspired you to pursue a career in freelance writing? Just a couple of months after having twin boys, I wrote my first article as a freelance writer. I wanted the best of both worlds as a mother and a writer. My connections at the newspapers and with the people I had interviewed led me to freelance opportunities.

What do you enjoy writing about the most? My passion is to inspire the exploration and appreciation of my home state. I enjoy writing about attractions, restaurants, cultural events and scenic sites in Kansas. I also have a passion for history and take pleasure in uncovering personal stories that relate to historic sites and events in our state.

What do you enjoy reading? I love browsing the Internet to learn more about people and places in Kansas as well as places where I hope to travel. I also like to read historical fiction.

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH

Cecilia Harris Cecilia Harris has lived in Kansas all her life. Born in Concordia, she grew up on a farm near Cuba, then graduated from Kansas State University. Armed with a degree in journalism and home economics, she moved to Abilene where she worked at the Abilene Reflector Chronicle and later the Salina Journal. Eventually, she took up a career as a professional freelance writer and has since written for various travel magazines, travel guides, blogs, websites and newspapers. She enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

How do you approach finding a subject to write about? How do you find compelling sources? I keep an ongoing list of topics I find interesting when browsing the Internet as well as places and events that people mention to me during my travels. Occasionally while conducting research, I’ll run across a brief article or hear about someone who has done something amazing. For example, Abilene’s Terry Tietjens—he took three historic buildings and turned them into outstanding tourist attractions.

What has been your favorite article to write for KANSAS! magazine, and what made it so special for you? I have written for KANSAS! magazine for more than 30 years, so it’s difficult to choose just one. It has been an honor for me to write several articles about former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home. I admire his outstanding character and leadership skills. The museum does an excellent job sharing Ike and Mamie’s remarkable life using their own words with interactive components and artifacts. Eisenhower’s words “The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene” have special meaning to me as a resident of his hometown.

What is a subject you would love to write about someday? I am already writing about the subject I love most—Kansas! My fervent desire is to share what I find through my writing to motivate readers to explore and appreciate my home state. Every community, no matter its size, has something to offer visitors seeking adventure.

In your opinion, what are the most important skills that every freelance writer should develop to be successful? Online research skills are critical in developing questions for an interview. Proofreading and editing result in the best product, and time management is vital to meeting deadlines.

What advice would you give to an aspiring freelance writer? Read and dissect numerous magazine articles to get a better understanding of magazine style, grammar and punctuation rules. They differ from other forms of writing.

20 KANSAS! magazine

his year marks 50 years since the release of Paper Moon, a Paramount Pictures road comedy-drama set in Depressionera Kansas. The film is about a young girl, Addie, and her criminal guardian, Moze, who cross the state conning vulnerable widows into buying Bibles, carrying out one fast-buck scheme after another, and keeping one step ahead of the law.

You can plan your own road trip to filming locations in McCracken, LaCrosse, Liebenthal, Wilson, Gorham, Codell, Hays and White Cloud for insight into the movie. An extra bonus will be the views of endless skies, colorful sunsets, rolling hills, and vast fields of farmland where silver water towers and grain bins dot the skyline.

It might be best to begin your road trip where the movie does—in Nickel Cemetery southwest of Liebenthal, where a hand water pump visible in the opening scene still stands.

The next stop is McCracken, a major film location because the movie’s production designer needed only to cover the thenpaved street with dirt, add false fronts to some buildings, and refurbish an old-time service station with antique gas pumps An offshoot of the film to reflect the Depression-era look needed for the film. Still was a 1974–1975 television standing is the 1919 two-story series, also called Paper red brick grocery store that was Moon, in which Jodie transformed for the film into The Foster starred as Addie and Dream movie theater with a false Christopher Connelly as front and movie posters.

Moses Pray in 13 episodes The movie stars real-life before being canceled after father-daughter duo Ryan and its first season. The series Tatum O’Neal, who at age 10 also was filmed on location won an Oscar as best supporting in Kansas. actress for her performance as Addie Loggins.

Carolyn Thompson, the board president of McCracken Historical Museum, says her organization has worked to preserve many of the film’s props, as well as the memorabilia related to the production and to the actors.

“We have the false fronts, and we incorporated those in the new section of our museum,” says Thompson. The McCracken Historical Museum, located in a restored 1901 limestone jail with two original cells, recently constructed an addition specifically for Paper Moon exhibits. Displayed are photographs, newspaper articles, scrapbooks and other memorabilia, including an unopened NeHi Root Beer bottle used in a café scene and the original license plate from the Model A Roadster that the film’s heroes drove.

Paper Moon Pilgrimage

Celebrate 50 years of this classic Hollywood film by following the heroes’ route across Kansas or stopping by any of the numerous locations and events commemorating the movie

“The hotel was one of the main places that they filmed in town, but it is gone,” Thompson says of the demolished 1909 Eagle Hotel where several scenes were shot, including one where Moze and Addie outsmart a bootlegger late one night.

“There was a scene in the movie where they used the telephone booth in the hotel and we have the telephone booth, we have a large mirror from the hotel, we have the front window, we have a door pull, and we have a room key—that was a real find.”

Newly added is a replica of the moon Addie sat on to have her photo taken while at a carnival. During the Great Depression, photo booths often used paper-crafted crescent moons and starstudded backdrops. These photo booths were immortalized by the 1933 Harold Arlen song It’s Only a Paper Moon featured in a Broadway play; the song influenced the movie’s director, Peter Bogdanovich, to change

Movie Trivia

S T O R Y

the title to Paper Moon instead of using the title of the novel on which the movie is based, Addie Pray, by Joe David Brown.

“We reconstructed the moon so people can get their picture taken there,” Thompson says, adding that the entire exhibit is a labor of love. “A local lady fired a moon in a kiln and then Tatum signed it, so we have that.”

The museum also holds still pictures from the movie and a poster signed by Bogdanovich and Ryan O’Neal.

From McCracken, you can continue the journey to LaCrosse, where the Rush County fairgrounds provided the setting for the movie’s carnival scenes. One of the widows’ homes and many of the rural landscapes viewed as the twosome traveled in their car were filmed near the towns of Liebenthal and La Crosse, according to Brad Penka, Rush County Economic Development administrator.

Discover More Natural Beauty

La Cygne Historical Society Museum Coming in May - Special Exhibit “NOTORIOUS”

Check out our local history exhibits: Early settlers, businesses, Civil War, WWI, WWII, period rooms, farm machinery & more!

“City of Swans”

Proud Past – Brilliant Future

B Y

Cecilia Harris P H O T O G R A P H Y

300 N. Broadway La Cygne, KS

Traveling exhibit from Smokey Hills Museum May 1-29, 2023 • Hours 1-5 daily Appointments available for other times (913) 757-4478 (leave message) or (913) 757-2151

Paper Moon was filmed at various locations in Kansas, but the McCracken Historical Museum has assembled the most film-related artifacts for public display.

B Y

Jessi Jacobs

Come Visit Eisenhower State Park Pomona State Park

222 W. 6th Street Junction City 785-238-2885 EXT. 203

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Along for the Ride Kansas Pony Express sites celebrate the 160th anniversary of the legendary, short-lived mail system

Paper Moon GOLDEN CELEBRATION EVENTS ACROSS KANSAS

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MOVIE SHOWING April 30 / Stockton The movie Paper Moon will be featured at 2 p.m. on April 30 at the Nova Theatre in Stockton as part of this Rooks County Historical Society’s event to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary. Carolyn Thompson of the McCracken Historic Society will appear as guest speaker. rookscounty.net/rooks-co-museum 785.425.7217 50TH ANNIVERSARY PAPER MOON FESTIVAL May 5–6 / Wilson The festivities begin on May 5 with a showing of Paper Moon on the back wall of the Midland Hotel. The next day there will be tours of Paper Moon locations, Coney Island hot dogs and Nehi sodas for lunch, a Scruples game, a pie contest, a photo booth, and a fried chicken dinner followed by a Swing Dance.

Czech Out Wilson on Facebook 785.658.2284

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BARBED WIRE FESTIVAL May 5-8 / La Crosse Paper Moon will be a theme of the annual Barbed Wire Festival on May 5–8, with a banquet, display of snapshots taken during the filming, and a tour of farm homes, cemeteries and other sites from the film. wireshow.rushcounty.org 785.222.2808

SUMMER ART WALK June 16 / Hays The Hays CVB and the Hays Arts Council will hold a showing of the film and display memorabilia and information about the film’s shooting and a subsequent television series during the city’s summer art walk event. haysartscouncil.org 785.625.7522 HOTEL HUMANITIES: UNDER A PAPER MOON July 22–23 / Wilson Inspired by the 50th anniversary of the movie Paper Moon, Humanities Kansas plans an immersive weekend experience at the Midland Railroad Hotel in Wilson where several of the movie’s scenes were filmed. The event begins with the Lucas Triangle, an arts adventure presented by the Grassroots Arts Center in nearby Lucas that includes the Florence Deeble Rock Garden, Mri-Pilar’s Garden of Isis, and Bowl Plaza. Later at the Wilson hotel, facilitators will explore the state’s art, history, literature, poetry and song to promote ideas and conversation. Reservations and pre-payments of fee required. humanitieskansas.org/get-involved/hotelhumanities-under-a-paper-moon 785.357.0359

Make the Holidays Memorable!

Shopping Dining Entertainment

K A N S A S

Grand old lodgings in Kansas offer peek into the past

Story by

Cecilia Harris

Photos by Kenny Felt

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Bonner Springs, Kan.

Historic hotels offer more than a good night’s sleep.

Constructed more than a century ago, grand old lodgings in Kansas have storied pasts that include movie appearances, private poker games, nearby bank robberies, and underground tunnels.

If only the three-story limestone walls of the Midland Railroad Hotel could talk. They would reveal how the fire started that gutted the hotel just three years after it opened, who had the idea of raising chickens on the third floor, and what led to the hotel’s role in the 1973 film Paper Moon.

Like many other historic lodgings, the Courtland Hotel in Fort Scott and the Midland Railroad Hotel in Wilson embrace their heritage, offering guests a peek into times past while catering to the needs of today’s travelers. And like all buildings more than a century old, these hotels have plenty of stories to tell.

Called the Power Hotel when it was built in 1899, the Midland Railroad Hotel was considered among the premier lodging establishments in the Midwest with 28 elegant rooms lit by acetylene gas, the newest method at the time.

Because of the depot’s location across the street, the rebuilt hotel arose from the ashes of the fire in 1902 to become a popular stop for those traveling between Kansas City and Denver on the Union Pacific Railroad. Traveling salesmen so often departed the train to display their wares in the hotel’s basement that it became known as the Sample Room.

Years later, chickens were raised on the third floor out of necessity, according to the hotel’s owner Melinda Merrill.

“They did it during the Depression because, number one, the chickens didn’t get stolen, and number two, there was also water stored up there,” Merrill says. The birds were served to guests for dinner as a way to make ends meet in the 1930s. Ironically, an 80-ounce steak brought in new customers during recessions in the early 1980s. “It was an advertising ploy; you got the steak free if you ate the whole thing, otherwise you had to pay for it.”

Featuring stained glass windows in the parlor and the original staircase and woodwork, the hotel was chosen as a filming location for the 1973 movie Paper Moon; photographs of the Hollywood stars that roamed its halls remain on display.

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785-528-3714 (Osage City Hall) www.OsageCity.com

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“The significance of these old historic buildings is that they are a piece of Americana you cannot get back if you destroy it. There are a lot of stories, a lot of history that could be lost by not maintaining and preserving buildings like this.”

–FRANK ADAMSON

The Washington County State Fishing Lake is located 12 miles NW of Washington.

Fishing and Public Hunting.

But the hotel isn’t stuck in the past; it simply blends the ambiance of a bygone era with all the amenities today’s travelers require. Merrill says a renovation in 2001 added a bathroom to every room and central air and heat. As technology evolved, Wi-Fi and satellite television were installed.

The hotel serves a continental breakfast of kolaches (a Czech pastry), quick breads and biscuits, all made from scratch and paired with sausage purchased locally.

The Sample Room Tavern restaurant is open six days a week for dinner and includes a top-shelf whiskey bar. The hand-cut steaks are popular, as is the chicken fried steak served with mashed potatoes and gravy.

“It really helps for the modern traveler to have some place in small towns to eat,” Merrill says. Despite a population of just 863 residents, Wilson is no sleepy town. Deemed the Czech Capital of Kansas, the popular tourist destination is home to the World’s Largest HandPainted Czech Egg, is in proximity to Wilson Lake, and is located along the Post Rock Scenic Byway.

The hotel recently added a 1907 barn to the premises as a social event center. The Barn Kansas Libations Club and Social Room, with its original stalls intact amidst farm-chic decor, is a place for groups to share stories and create history while feasting on barbeque and sampling beers and whiskeys.

In Fort Scott, the walls of the Courtland Hotel and Spa owned by Frank and Cheryl Adamson also could tell many stories, including one about poker games in the basement where a knock at the locked door only was answered if the man knocking was known to have enough cash on hand to play, according to Frank Adamson.

The Courtland opened in the early 1900s to meet the arrival of increased railroad traffic.

“The first 50 to 60 years of this business, the lodging was essentially for men only,” Frank says, adding the hotel mostly housed railroad engineers and brakemen who brought the trains into town, spent the night, and reported back to work to replace the crews coming in on returning trains the next day. “The guys staying in these hotels were the same guys all the time.”

The building was originally constructed with six storefronts on the first floor to accommodate retail and wholesale businesses; the upper level had lodging rooms and a tailor shop. When the number of trains declined, the hotel eventually was used as a dormitory for a flight school before slipping into darkness.

Seeing its potential, the Adamsons awakened the building from its sleep. Today, its exterior remains as it looked in 1906, and the lobby inside retains its 14-foot tin ceilings and other architectural features. Guests and local residents enjoy the main level’s 2,500-square-foot, fullservice day spa the couple added in a way that maintains the unique building’s historical significance.

An original open staircase leads to the 14 guest rooms, each uniquely decorated to reflect the hotel’s early years.

WASHINGTON

COUNTY TOURISM

anted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows, not over eighteen.

Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages $25 per week. Apply Pony Express Stables.

In one of the West’s most fascinating stories, young men who courageously answered this advertisement rode horses across the Kansas prairie and rolling hills, traveling through summer heat, spring thunderstorms and winter’s blowing snow to carry mail from Missouri to California and back.

This year, the Pony Express, which operated between April 1860 and October 1861, celebrates its brief but fabled history on its 160th anniversary.

The first westbound Pony Express mailbag filled with letters, telegrams and newspapers left St. Joseph on April 3, 1860, and arrived ten days later, on April 14, in Sacramento, California.

As the Kansas State Historical Society notes, this delivery speed was considerably faster than the overland stage system previously in use. The riders were able to deliver at this

kshs.org/hollenberg (785) 337-2635

pace because of the system created

by The Central Overland California and Pike’s Peak Express Company, who established the Pony Express.

Once mail from the eastern part of the country arrived by train in St. Joseph, it was carried west by a succession of riders traveling day and night on horseback. Every 10 to 15 miles along the route stood a relay station, often in the home of a local resident who readied food, water, and a saddled horse for the incoming rider, who was given just two minutes to switch to the fresh mount before heading off to the next stop with the mail pouch. Riders traveled 50 to 75 miles before being replaced at a home station, where they stayed until the mail returned from the west. Before the Express was outmoded by telegraph system, it relied on the work of approximately 500 horses, 80 riders, and nearly 200 relay and home stations staffed by around 400 employees.

To this day, Kansas offers several sites to visit along its 139 miles of the Pony Express National Historic Trail.

Two of unique significance are the Hollenberg Pony Express Station State

OPPOSITE Illustration of a Pony Express rider arriving at a station along the route. Courtesy Kansas State Historical Society.

SUMMER 2020 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

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wide open spaces

785.325.2116 | washingtoncountyks.gov FISHING AND PUBLIC HUNTING

Historic Site near Hanover and the Pony Express Barn in Marysville, both in their original locations.

The Hollenberg Pony Express Station, which also is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, tells the story of Gerat H. and Sophia Hollenberg, who agreed to open their home as a relay station that served as the last Pony Express stop in Kansas along the western route.

Site administrator Kristina Cook says the site’s surrounding acreage of native grasses and plants allows visitors to easily imagine a rider approaching on horseback with a pouch full of mail.

Inside the Visitors Information Center, exhibits discuss westward expansion, including information on both the Pony Express and the Oregon-California Trail, which also brought travelers to the Hollenberg home.

Cook provides personal, guided tours of the site where visitors can see artifacts including a mochila, the four-pocket mail pouch that flipped over the saddle and could not be removed until the rider dismounted. Period furnishings and clothing offer insight into daily life at the station.

Just south of Hanover, at the intersection of Kansas Highways 36 and 148, stands a large bas-relief brick sculpture featuring a rider on a galloping horse. A Kansas historical marker gives a brief history of the Pony Express and the nearby Hollenberg Station. In the distance stands a silhouette sculpture of a Pony Express Rider urging his horse, in full stride, up a hill.

The second intact historical site in Kansas is the Pony Express Barn in Marysville. Built by Joseph Cottrell in 1859 and leased to the Pony Express in 1860 as a livery stable, it also housed a blacksmith shop, according to Jan DeGroot, administrator of the Pony Express Museum located in the barn and an annex.

The Washington County State Fishing Lake is located 12 miles NW of Washington

Proud Past – Brilliant Future Come Visit Eisenhower State Park Pomona State Park

Frank Adamson, owner of Courtland Hotel and Spa, stands in the hotel’s lobby. Not pictured, Cheryl Adamson, co-owner and Frank’s wife.

785-528-3714 (Osage City Hall) www.OsageCity.com

“We try to keep it as historic as possible but yet modern,” Frank says. “We keep everything that hints of the early 1900s, but we have rooms in which we have a king-size bed—and in 1906 there was no such thing as a king-size bed.”

The hotel departs from past services by offering all the amenities travelers now require.

“You are looking at fiber optic, gigabyte download, gigabyte upload internet in this building now,” he says.

“When this hotel was built, the streets were dirt. It’s something to think about.”

The red brick hotel is located in the center of Fort Scott’s downtown historic district named to The National Register of Historic Places, and is within walking distance of the Fort Scott National Historic Site, seven restaurants, shopping, and entertainment venues.

“The significance of these old historic buildings is that they are a piece of Americana you cannot get back if you destroy it,” Frank says. “There are a lot of stories, a lot of history that could be lost by not maintaining and preserving buildings like this. In the last 19 years of having this building, I have truly, truly became wealthy within from learning the history around in the area and being able to share that with people. There’s something about a hotel that was built 150 years ago that you can’t recreate, and if it is torn down, it’s gone forever; the connection to our history and the connection to our past, that story dies.”

Pony Express Festival Over 25 period demonstrators such as wheelwrights, flintknappers, blacksmiths, and weavers will share their skills during the 35th Annual Pony Express Festival on Aug. 30 at the Hollenberg Pony Express Station State Historic Site.

“The people that come say we have one of the best festivals for demonstrations,” says Gary Minge, president of the Friends of the Hollenberg Pony Express Station, which hosts the annual event. “People seem to really appreciate it because they say they don’t get a chance to see these things elsewhere.”

The event also includes music, such as cowboy trail songs.

Inside, a movie explains why the Pony Express was needed.

Mail sent by ship around South America took six months to get to the West Coast; by stagecoach, it took several weeks, if it arrived at all, DeGroot says. By the time it reached its destination, the information in newspapers and personal letters was most likely out of date, particularly in regards to national matters such as the country’s growing division over slavery at the time.

Among the artifacts displayed are period household items, blacksmith tools, and a replica mochila.

Less than two blocks away, Pony Express Plaza features Kansas artist Dr. Richard Bergen’s bronze sculpture of a horse and rider en route to the next station. Nearby is a unique mural that, when observed from a stationary position, is a fixed image of a Pony Express rider galloping across the prairie; however, as the viewer moves from one side to the other, the mural becomes a moving picture of the rider’s long duster coat lifting in the wind to reveal the mail pouches.

The Pony Express Museum in Seneca sits across from what was the original location of the Smith Hotel, where riders and horses switched, according to Mary Jane Fleming, president of the Seneca Pony Express Preservation Society.

Inside the museum are recreations of a stable, blacksmith shop, saloon, school, and a Smith Hotel kitchen, which includes original artifacts.

Although successful in delivering the mail in just 10 days for 18 months, the Pony Express ended when the transcontinental telegraph line was completed in the fall of 1861.

Re-Riding Through Kansas Watch Pony Express riders gallop across Kansas June 12–13 as part of the National Pony Express Association’s Commemorative Re-Ride, a nearly 1,900-mile, eightstate event.

Over 750 volunteers will relayride horses 24 hours a day for 10 days to deliver mochila with around 1,000 commemorative letters, according to Lyle Ladner, Kansas president of the National Pony Express Association (NPEA).

The annual re-ride alternates directions each year; this year’s event follows the trail west-to-east from Sacramento to St. Joseph. A rider is expected to cross the NebraskaKansas border on June 12 near Hanover, and another will depart the state June 13 at the St. Joseph bridge. Among the notable stops along the way are the Hollenberg Station, Marysville, Guittard Station, the Seneca Pony Express Museum, and Horton.

“We just want the public to come to see history,” says Ladner. “If we are on time or ahead of time, we allow about 10 minutes so people can visit with the riders; if we’re behind time, the mail will go on, but there are people around to discuss the history.”

Some sites offer refreshments or other revelry, depending upon the arrival time of the rider. This year, Seneca will mark its 150th anniversary with a festival to coincide with the NPEA Re-ride stopping in the city, according to Mary Jane Fleming, president of the Seneca Pony Express Preservation Society.

nationalponyexpress.org/ annual-re-ride (785) 799-5538

kshs.org/hollenberg | (785) 337-2635 visitmarysvilleks.org | (785) 562-3825 Facebook: Seneca Pony Express Museum | (785) 336-1977

midlandrailroadhotel.com | 785.658.2284 courtlandhotel.com | 620.223.0098

34 KANSAS! MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2020

taste of Kansas

taste of Kansas

taste of Kansas

taste of Kansas

taste of Kansas

By Cecilia Harris

TOP TEN

TOPPING SUGGESTIONS

The Chorizo Rojo is a house specialty at Wiener Kitchen in Overland Park and features cheddar cheese, onion-jalapeño relish, and cilantro-lime aioli atop a chorizo link, all nestled inside a tortilla.

INSTRUCTIONS 1 Toss chilled meat, fat, salt, pepper and garlic in a bowl.

2 Grind mixture through a fine grinder die into an electric mixer bowl over an ice bath.

3 Fit the mixer with a paddle and mix for about 1 minute, gradually adding water, until fully incorporated.

4 Sauté a small test patty and adjust seasonings if desired.

5 At this point, the mixture may be stored in bulk form, pattied, or stuffed into casings.

6 Grill, roast or sauté the sausage to an internal temperature of 165º.

TOPEKA’S TOP DOG Top Dog in Topeka unleashes 10 different house-made sauces and 30 toppings from which to create a build-yourown hot dog. It also offers several specialty combinations. Located in a bright red

SEVEN.GRAVY

THREE.LETTUCE

EIGHT.PINEAPPLE

FOUR.BEANS

NINE.PICO DE GALLO

FIVE.COLESLAW

TEN.PULLED PORK

DO ...

Apply condiments in the following order: wet condiments like mustard and chili are applied first, followed by chunky condiments like relish, onions and sauerkraut, followed by shredded cheese, followed by spices like celery salt or pepper.

KANSAS! MAGAZINE

INGREDIENTS • 5 pounds pork shoulder (70% lean/30% fat), cubed and chilled • 1 2/3 ounces kosher salt • 1 tablespoon black pepper • 1½ ounces minced garlic • 1 cup ice water • 10 to 12 feet of hog casings

SIX.CREAM CHEESE

TWO.AVOCADO

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DON’T ...

Put hot dog toppings between the hot dog and the bun.

Always “dress the dog,” not the bun.

DO ...

Serve sesame seed, poppy seed and plain buns with hot dogs.

DON’T …

Serve with sun-dried tomato buns or basil buns; these are considered gauche with franks.

DO ...

Eat hot dogs on buns with your hands.

Among others usually offered are a Pizza Dog featuring marinara sauce, black olives, bell peppers, mozzarella, pepperoni and onions, and a Mexico Dog with lettuce, drunken beans, bacon, colby jack cheese, tomato, jalapeños, pico de gallo and avocado, with hot salsa on the side.

Seasonal items “keep things interesting” for loyal customers, Hunt says.

“Probably our most popular nontraditional dog is our Pig Pen, and it has pulled pork, onion, coleslaw and barbecue sauce on it. We also have a Pineapple Express that has cream cheese, bacon, and pineapple, and then we put a jalapeño raspberry sauce on top of it.”

Chicken, onion, tomato, Colby jack cheese and green chile sauce make up the Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Dog. Crushed tortilla chips, nacho cheese and jalapeños top the Nacho Dog. “A lot of people come in and say they would like to see this or that, so we give it a try,” Hunt says, adding the Barnyard Dog was created with hash browns, scrambled eggs, sausage and gravy after customers asked for a breakfast hot dog. “And, of course, we will 9645 W 87th St. make anything you want.”

Overland Park (913) 296-8023 WICHITA’S HOT-2-TROT wienerwagonkc.com Hot-2-Trot Gourmet Hotdogs offers hot dogs, spicier hot links, and homemade sauerkraut from three hot dog pushcarts on Wichita 4140 SW Huntoon streets during the lunch hour and Topeka at festivals across central Kansas.

(785) 286-6391 One of their most popular facebook.com/pg/ toppings is the signature Hot-2-Trot topdogtopcity Slaw, which owner Adam Bussey describes “a little to the sweet side, it’s not spicy at all.”

A dozen condiments and toppings, including sriracha, Buffalo sauce and a made-from-scratch stone brown mustard, round out the toppings.

(316) 299-3584 Bussey fetches unusual facebook.com/ topping combinations on hot dogs hot2trotgourmethotdogs throughout the year, such as a taco dog with homemade cream and homemade cabbage-based Mexican slaw. He also puts together a Hatch chile dog with homemade Hatch chile relish, Hatch chile beer mustard and Hatch chile cheese.

“We use a mild Hatch chile pepper, so it’s not overly spicy; it’s mostly for flavor and has a real earthy tone,” Bussey says.

No matter whether you call it a hot dog, frankfurter, wiener or bratwurst, or what you top it with, plan to order one on National Hot Dog Day, July 18, to celebrate this iconic American—and Kansan—food.

“A lot of people come in and say they would like to see this or that, so we give it a try.”

ETIQUETTE

KANSAS! MAGAZINE

From Wiener Kitchen’s Dave Derr and Jessica Rush

breed provides tender brisket that is chopped and sent through a meat grinder, then placed in a natural sheep casing.

Hungry customers favor it smothered with country-style sausage gravy, an egg, and hot sauce—a concoction called the bacon sausage.

“Our chili cheese dog has become a major player in the menu mix,” adds Derr.

“We take our Mexican style pork chorizo as the meat base of our chili, and we use black beans, onions, tomatoes and peppers, so it’s got a little heat to it, a little pop of spiciness.” The chili smothers the beef frankfurter, which is finished with cheddar cheese, onion and extra hot sauce.

The husband-and-wife team offers menus to accommodate diet preferences or restrictions, including a chicken sausage and pork wurst. Don’t want a bun? The chorizo rojo is a hot dog with an onionjalapeño relish and a cilantro-lime aioli served with hot sauce in a house-made tortilla. Prefer not to eat meat? The vegan consists of a cauliflower, walnut, wild rice and spice link topped with Brussels kraut, relish, and whole grain Dijon mustard.

SUMMER 2018

OVERLAND PARK’S WIENER KITCHEN At Wiener Kitchen in Overland Park, the husband-wife team of Dave Derr and Jessica Rush hand-crafts artisan sausages and serves them from their Wiener Wagon food truck.

“We’ve gone through 50 to 60 varieties of sausage, and we’re always coming up with something new,” Derr says. One unique combination is the turducken sausage, blending turkey, chicken and duck with onion, celery, sage and parsley.

Their signature hot dog is a brisket Wagyu frank; the Wagyu Japanese cattle

Kansas chefs are topping up an American tradition

GARLIC PORK SAUSAGE

ONE.BACON

HOT DOG

SUMMER 2018

W

hen it comes to a favored summertime food, wieners in a bun are always one of the top dogs.

We relish them at baseball games and summer festivals and order them from street carts, food trucks and diners at lunchtime. Collectively, Americans sink our teeth into over 7 billion hot dogs from Memorial Day through Labor Day, according to the American Meat Institute’s National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

But we don’t all eat them the same— and new, original approaches to garnishing a hot dog have kept the all-American dish relevant, fun and tasty for a new generation.

In Kansas, hot dog chefs craft pedigree gourmet dogs by dressing frankfurters with unique artisan toppings.

and yellow 1950s-era drive-in restaurant, Top Dog brings the Americana nostalgia effect with a cozy diner space and outdoor picnic-table settings. That summertime outdoor dining is particularly popular with customers and their pets.

“During the summertime, we have people who show up and bring their dogs with them,” says Keevin Hunt, who owns the restaurant with his father, Bill. “They sit outside and we give their dog a (hot) dog and they eat theirs.”

Despite being located in a former hamburger joint, Top Dog serves only hot dogs and sides.

“We decided we were going to do one thing and we’re going to be really good at the one thing we do,” Hunt says, adding the perfect hot dog begins with a quality 100-percent beef, six-inch, quarter-pound sausage—or for bigger appetites, a whopping 1/3-pound, foot-long sausage—that the fatherson team hand-selected.

The duo continually creates new hot dog topping combinations that are either rotated on (or eliminated from) the menu depending –KEEVIN HUNT on their popularity. The ongoing menu lists the more common Sloppy Dog, Kraut Dog, and the Chicago Dog, which has yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, chopped white onions, tomatoes, pickled sport peppers, a dill pickle spear and a dash of celery salt on the hot dog in a poppy seed bun.

“The one that gets the most talked about is definitely our Elvis Dog; it’s got peanut butter, bananas and crushed corn flakes on it, and if you want we will put chocolate syrup and whipped cream on it,” Hunt says.

Bacon, lettuce and tomato cover the Top Dog, which comes with a secret housemade sauce. “It’s a mayonnaise-based sauce that’s a little bit spicy,” describes Hunt.

DON’T …

Go for utensils. They should not touch hotdogs on buns.

DO …

Pour on the ketchup, if you are under age 18.

DON’T ...

Dare use ketchup as an adult.

Go for mustard, relish, onions, cheese and chili.

DO ... Compliment the grill master or cook.

DON’T ...

Send a thank you note following a hot dog cookout. It would not be in keeping with the unceremonial nature of hot dogs.

DO …

Bring beer, soda, lemonade, iced tea or water to a hot dog cookout.

DON’T ...

Pair a wine with a hot dog.

WIENER WAGON

TOP DOG

HOT-2-TROT GOURMET HOT DOGS

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Topeka’s Top Dog is a no-fuss hotdog shop serving up classic franks alongside unique toppings. Dogs, clockwise from top left, are the Pig Pen, the Elvis Dog, the foot-long Royal and the Pizza Dog. Bill Hunt poses with a few specialty dogs in front of the restaurant’s signature graffiti.

TOP Jessica Rush serves up homemade sausage to a few regular customers. BOTTOM (From left) Wiener Kitchen’s Brisket Wagyu Frank, Chorizo Rojo, Chili Cheese Dog, and The Vegan

TOPPING RECIPES From Adam Bussey, Hot-2-Trot Gourmet Hot Dogs

HATCH CHILE RELISH INGREDIENTS • 10 hot roasted Hatch chiles, chopped small • 1 large red onion, diced • 1 tomato, diced fine • 1 small jar of diced pimento, drained • 1 cup of vinegar (or as required) • 1/3 cup sugar • 1 tsp salt INSTRUCTIONS Place vegetables in a pot on medium heat and cover with vinegar. Once vinegar is almost reduced, add sugar and salt; heat until desired consistency. Put into canning jars and refrigerate.

KANSAS! MAGAZINE

KEEVIN HUNT’S

Overland Park’s Wiener Kitchen owners Jessica Rush and Dave Derr serve up unique topping combinations on mouthwatering sausage links.

HATCH CHILE BEER MUSTARD

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INGREDIENTS • ½ cup brown mustard seeds • 2/3 cup yellow mustard seeds • 1 ½ cup local beer • 3/4 cup vinegar • 5–10 medium roasted Hatch chiles

SUMMER 2018

Photography by Sarah Reeves and Bill Stephens

INSTRUCTIONS Soak seeds in beer and vinegar overnight. Blend all ingredients in high speed blender to desired texture. Add salt to taste. May also add more or less beer and/or vinegar to desired taste and consistency.

Courtesy the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council

reasons

By Cecilia Harris

Fort Scott

Nicodemus

Wichita Leavenworth

Osawatomie

Kansas

Wichita Exhibits relating to art, music, culture and history change every 90 days at the Kansas African American Museum, housed inside the former Calvary Baptist Church, which once was the center of Wichita’s black community.

The building itself tells the story of the painful racial segregation that was once African American life in Kansas, while contemporary art and displays reflect the creativity and culture of 18 different African countries. One of the permanent displays highlights African American Kansans whose leadership both inspired the country and played a role in the struggle for freedom and civil rights. tkaamuseum.org | (316) 262-7651

Where in Kansas?

Topeka

We

BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

NICODEMUS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

Topeka Inside one of four former segregated elementary schools for African Americans in Topeka, the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site on the United States Civil Rights Trail tells the story of the 1954 Supreme Court landmark decision that ended legal segregation in public schools. The case was brought by Topeka parents who sued after their daughter was denied entrance to an all-white school in her neighborhood.

Today, the site contains interactive exhibits, films and more to trace America’s history of race relations, segregation and integration. nps.gov/brvb | (785) 354-4273

Nicodemus Considered an icon of the Black experience in the West, the Nicodemus National Historic Site reflects the determination and achievements of African Americans after emancipation. Organized colonies of freed slaves known as Exodusters left Kentucky and other states for Kansas where they established the town of Nicodemus, one of the first black settlements—and the only one that remains—west of the Mississippi River. Five historic str

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K A N S A S !

THE KANSAS AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM

IN THIS ISSUE Black Heritage

GORDON PARKS MUSEUM

Fort Scott An internationally known photographer, filmmaker, writer and musician, Gordon Parks became the first African American photographer for Life magazine and the first African American filmmaker to direct a movie for a major Hollywood studio. The movie and his semi-autobiographical novel, The Learning Tree, reflect his life in his hometown of Fort Scott. The Gordon Parks Museum displays his famous photographs, awards and furnishings from his New York apartment.

Gordonparkscenter.org | (800) 874-3722 ext. 5850

KANSAS DETAILS /

Kansas REASONS WE LOVE

By Cecilia Harris IN THIS ISSUE

Cemetery Art Lasting works of art adorn final resting places across the state

JOHN DAVIS MEMORIAL Mount Hope Cemetery, Hiawatha Some say it was built out of spite; others say it was built from a great love. Either way, the John Davis Memorial in Hiawatha is an enduring, masterful work of art.

John and Sarah Davis’ frugality and hard work resulted in a prosperous farm and great wealth. After Sarah died in 1930, John put aside his thriftiness to replace her humble headstone in Hiawatha’s Mount Hope Cemetery with a massive memorial.

The first phase was a 52-ton Vermont granite canopy on six granite pillars surrounding her grave. Davis sent a photograph taken on the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary to artisans in Carrara, Italy, where two life-sized statues of the couple were carved of marble; Sarah’s likeness was praised for capturing her delicate facial features. Davis was so pleased with the results that he added seven more marble statues, all carved in Italy and reflecting their life together.

The last two installments were granite: an empty, overstuffed chair engraved with the words “The Vacant Chair” next to a second chair where an elderly Davis is seated.

“Not only are they beautiful statues, they are museum-quality marble statues in the middle of Kansas,” says Katie Miller, president of the Hiawatha Chamber and Visitors Bureau. “If you look at pictures, they look exactly like the Davises.”

An orphan, Kentucky-born John Davis settled in Brown County in 1887 as a young man and found a job working for a local farmer.

“He fell in love with the farmer’s

PHOTOS Nick Krug

Columbus Hiawatha Overbrook Victoria Wallace

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“My fervent desire is to share what I find through my writing to motivate readers to explore and appreciate my home state. Every community, no matter its size, has something to offer visitors seeking adventure.”

nlike the flying reindeer in Clement Clarke Moore’s cared for during the warmer seasons. famous holiday poem and Robert L. May’s book Often, younger visitors who encounter the reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the five registered outside of the holiday season will ask if the animals are on North American reindeer that live at Fulton Valley Farms are loan from Santa. real and ready to greet visitors.

“We say we are a training ground for Santa’s reindeer; The farm, operated as an event center by David and they come here and try to learn all the things Santa needs Betty Corbin, along with their son, Richard, became home to them to do. If they work really hard, they’ll make Santa’s ‘A’ the reindeer several years ago after a holiday wish. team and get a name like Dancer or Prancer, but if not, they “It all started because I wanted to do a live nativity still are Santa’s reindeer; they just aren’t the ones who make vignette, and that’s why we started our Country Christmas the round-the-world trip,” Corbin explains. event,” Betty says, explaining her desire to share her faith’s Another popular question from young visitors is, “Can celebration. “There really is a reason for the season; it’s a they fly?” birthday party and it’s fun, but we have to know why we’re “Our answer to that one is ‘I can’t tell you yes or no having this party.” because we’re not with them 24/7. They might fly when we’re After a successful first holiday event, the family decided not watching,’” Corbin will answer. to add reindeer the following year and, in the process, gained The reindeer are just part of the fun at the farm’s annual a wealth of knowledge about this Country Christmas. Each year, unique species of deer and the over a million lights synchronized specialized care required. to Christmas music adorn the “They are like big dogs with woods, silo, and other buildings. antlers,” Corbin says, adding The farm’s Boot Scootin Barn the reindeer are about the size features a decorated tree nearly of a donkey. “They really are reaching the 30-foot-high rafters.

—BETTY CORBIN fascinating creatures.”

The living nativity scene with Reindeer are completely covered in fur, including their music occurs nightly. Last-minute shopping is done at the noses, with hollow hairs that trap air to keep them wellJingle Bell Emporium. A sleigh pulled by draft horses can insulated in cold climates; in the spring, the reindeer start provide rides for up to 20 people at a time. shedding their thick winter coats for a shorter, cooler coat.

Throughout the rest of the year, appointments must be Reindeer are the only species of deer in which the female made to view the reindeer, Corbin says. Those who schedule has antlers identical to the male’s, though only the males lose weddings, conferences, family gatherings or other events at their horns during the winter. the farm have the option of a private showing.

Corbin says that tells you something about the The reindeer also may be rented for public and private legendary stories. events, such as parades, festivals, corporate parties, grand “How we know the reindeer that pull the little jolly man openings, and birthday celebrations. around are female is because the males lose their antlers in “Our traveling squad, Itsy Bitsy and Sparkle, have been to October or November, and the females don’t lose their antlers seven different states,” Corbin says, adding the twosome even until December or January,” she explains. starred in a movie filmed in Kansas City and have been in But, of course, the holidays are only a short time of the several commercials. “They are celebrities.” fultonvalleyfarms.com | 316.775.1894 year for the reindeer, which must be carefully monitored and

“They are like big dogs with antlers. They really are fascinating creatures.”

Everyone’s Favorite Flying Celebrities While their fictional counterparts are heroes in books and stories, real reindeer await visitors at a farm in Towanda S T O R Y

B Y

Cecilia Harris

P H O T O G R A P H Y

B Y

A CHASE COUNTY COUNTRY CHRISTMAS Cottonwood Falls

Justin Lister

Cowboy Santa and his reindeer will make an appearance at A Chase County Country Christmas on November 30 in Cottonwood Falls. The reindeer, from Fulton Valley Farms, may be seen from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on the Chase County Courthouse lawn; Cowboy Santa will arrive at 4 p.m. to hear wish lists until 5:30 p.m. “The unique thing is you can get a picture of the reindeer in front of our beautiful historic courthouse,” says Chase County Chamber of Commerce executive director Toni Schneider. heartoftheflinthills.com/countrychristmas | 620.273.8469

–CECILIA HARRIS

KANSAS! MAGAZINE

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Towanda

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Cottonwood Falls

Opposite Betty Corbin stands with one of her reindeer at Fulton Valley Farms.

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daughter,” Miller says. “They didn’t really want her marrying him.”

The couple married anyway, bought a farm, and then used any profit to buy more farmland, including some of the best in the county.

When Davis began building the memorial after Sarah’s death, local citizens suggested he instead channel his wealth to charities or build a hospital, park or swimming pool to benefit the community during the Great Depression. As Davis rejected those ideas and continued spending his wealth on Sarah’s memorial, criticism spread and resentment grew.

“People were hounding him all the time, asking, ‘Why are you doing this?’

And he was standoffish,” says Miller.

However, later stories revealed that Davis secretly helped needy families.

“He gave thousands of dollars away,” Miller explains. “But his stipulation was you didn’t say it was from him.”

Without knowing about Davis’ charity, the community spread rumors that he was spiteful, that he never forgave Sarah’s family for not supporting his marriage, and that he didn’t treat his wife well when she was alive, only to extravagantly memorialize her after her death, according to Miller.

“That’s not true; Sarah had rheumatoid arthritis, it was juvenile, so John took care of her physically quite a bit,” Miller says, adding research has revealed that John struggled with social interaction and had relied on Sarah to navigate such situations throughout their life together.

“When you put that in perspective,” Miller notes, “the love story shows up.”

Miller believes that Davis had been affected by his childhood as an orphan, and that the memorial was his way to show “he was loved, had a love, and a life together.”

For Miller, there is little question whether the memorial was built from spite or love.

“Love had to be more of the motivator,” she says. “It’s beautiful; it’s their courtship, it’s their marriage, their anniversary—it’s their life. If it was truly just spite, there’s so much that he could have done, even spending on a memorial, but he chose to focus

—KATIE MILLER on their life together, and to me, that speaks volumes.”

Ironically, the personal memorial might also have been John’s greatest gift to the community.

Miller says the Davis memorial draws up to 30,000 people to Hiawatha each year. Unfortunately, sections were vandalized decades ago, and although the broken statues were repaired, one still is missing John’s sculpted head.

“It was the most heartbreaking statue; it was John kneeling over his wife’s grave, and it screamed sorrow.

It was gut-wrenching, and it was beautiful,” Miller says, adding she still hopes the sculpted head will be recovered someday. hiawathaks.com / 785.742.7136

From small-town Kansas boy who loved fishing and football to five-star military general and president of the United States, Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower never forgot his humble roots.

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Story by Cecilia Harris | Photos Courtesy of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum

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eisenhower.archives.gov | 877 RING IKE/(877) 746-4453 eisenhowerfoundation.net | (785) 263-6771

He wasn’t alone in his remarkable journey; his wife, Mamie Eisenhower, supported him unconditionally, following him from one military base to another and eventually to the White House, where she gracefully welcomed international dignitaries.

The lives and legacy of Ike and Mamie Eisenhower unfold inside the newly renovated museum scheduled to reopen this summer at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene.

“We are telling the personal story of Ike and Mamie through their own words, using their quotes throughout the museum,” Eisenhower Library director Dawn Hammatt says of the museum’s complete redesign, which uses technology to bring the couple to life for all visitors—especially a 21st-century audience.

“The goal for these new updated exhibits is to bring this man, this time period, and this administration to a new generation, to people who haven’t had a personal experience with any of these topics.”

The artifacts, texts, visuals and videos were purposefully chosen to address the different learning styles and interests of visitors of all ages and to portray Eisenhower as a man whose Abilene roots served him well on the world stage.

“It’s this Kansas background, this upbringing, that was the foundation of who he became,” Hammatt says. “You can see it in his reaction to things, his attention to detail, his honesty, his humility, his faith.”

How Eisenhower further developed into a successful military leader and president is explained in the Becoming Ike and Mamie electronic exhibit organized both chronologically and by subject.

“His educational opportunities were about leadership, planning, international relationships, and logistics,” she says.

The exhibit also explores Mamie’s life as it paralleled her husband’s role in the world, Hammatt says, adding that Mamie saw her duty to her husband and the nation as paramount. More about Mamie’s years as a military wife and first lady, including her influence on 1950s culture with her unique hairstyle and pink gowns, is found in her gallery.

Coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings during WWII, the Eisenhower Museum in Abilene reopens with new exhibits

KANSAS! magazine

Ike’s childhood in Abilene is explored in the first gallery visitors enter, titled “I come from the very heart of America,” a statement Eisenhower made in a speech. The next gallery follows his military career and includes a table, for the first time extended with all the leaves in place, around which the D-Day invasion was planned. The expanded Presidential Gallery presents new scholarship regarding Eisenhower’s accomplishments, including ending the Korean War, signing the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and of 1960, and establishing the interstate highway system and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The renovation was made possible through private donations to the Eisenhower Foundation’s Dwight D. Eisenhower: A Legacy of Leadership multimillion dollar fundraising campaign, according to Meredith Sleichter, the foundation’s executive director. The foundation was established in 1945 to create a memorial to Eisenhower, who insisted the museum bearing his name honor all World War II veterans. It opened in 1954, and its current mission is to honor of the life and leadership of Eisenhower and champion its relevance today through compelling programs and events that celebrate his legacy.

“It is vital that we continue to educate current and future generations so our own Kansas children will continue to look to Ike as a role model,” Sleichter says. “If our children can see what a barefoot boy from Kansas can accomplish when he works hard, it will inspire them to become leaders and heroes in their own way.”

Eisenhower never forgot he came from the heart of America, choosing to establish a library for his presidential papers in his hometown and to be buried not far from the house in which he was reared with five brothers. In a homecoming speech on June 22, 1945, he stated, “The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.”

“It’s beautiful; it’s their courtship, it’s their marriage, their anniversary— it’s their life.”

M

SUMMER 2019

KANSAS! MAGAZINE

captured / K A N S A S D E T A I L S

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KANSAS DETAILS /

captured

“I captured this picture of my dad and his cattle coming home from our land-locked pasture in the Flint Hills. It can only be accessible by horseback and small ATV for loading cattle. I was visiting my parents with my family at the time. For the photo, I climbed on top of an oil rig with my baby strapped to the front of me and my daughter standing at my side. There’s a really large hill on one side that we weren’t able to climb because it was just too windy that day.”

­­–Erika Scott

Erika Scott / Photographer Chase County rockinsphotography.com @rockins_photo Rockin’ S Photography

Erika Scott captured this image using her Nikon D780. She grew up in central Kansas on a small farm and graduated from Kansas State University. She has been a photographer for eight years.

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Kansas REASONS WE LOVE

By Lisa Waterman Gray

IN THIS ISSUE

Historical Museums

Connect with meaningful stories from history across the state.

Olathe, Liberal, Hutchinson, Lindsborg, Lawrence

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PHOTOS PHOTOS Nick KevinKrug Anderson

KANSAS DETAILS /

reasons we love kansas

MUSEUM OF DEAF HISTORY, ARTS & CULTURE Olathe / By celebrating Deaf culture, the Museum of Deaf History, Arts & Culture (MDHAC) in Olathe is working to correct the misconception that deafness is a limitation. Concepts such as Deafhood (the journey a deaf person takes to understand their identity) and audism (the prejudice against deaf people) are introduced in a brief video alongside captivating interviews and stories from people with deep ties to the Deaf community.

This is your first stop on the museum’s fascinating free tour.

“Visitors will discover a vibrant Deaf community and gain a meaningful appreciation for deaf people and signed languages. They will learn how deaf individuals have thrived throughout history despite narratives that emphasize a perceived ‘lack of’ or ‘inability,’” says Chriz Dally, executive director of the MDHAC. “The MDHAC champions the Deaf community’s intellectual, creative and cultural benefits to society at large and makes the case that using sign language has been proven to enrich brain activations in cognitive processes and deepen human bonding for all humans— whether they are deaf or hearing.”

The museum’s Chuck Baird Art Gallery displays colorful art by nationally and internationally known deaf artists. The gallery was named in honor of the renowned deaf artist and features many of Baird’s works.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Baird attended Gallaudet University (the only university dedicated to deaf and hard-of-hearing students) and Rochester Institute of Technology’s Institute for the Deaf before mounting art exhibits and shows nationwide.

Baird later acted and designed sets for the National Theatre of the Deaf, painted murals and led art workshops

for deaf artists.

He also helped found the Deaf View/Image Art (De’VIA) movement. A term coined by Baird and eight other visual artists, De’VIA describes a unique type of art that focuses on the Deaf cultural point of view and experience. The museum’s art gallery includes a collection of De’VIA works.

Visitors also learn about the Kansas City, Kansas, native William J. Marra, who taught for 38 years at the Kansas State School for the Deaf.

Marra dedicated his life to collecting and preserving information and relics related to Deaf culture.

Additional museum exhibits describe the difference between “inclusion” and “mainstreaming” in standard classroom settings, the establishment of the first permanent school for deaf students in the United States in 1817, and the founding of Gallaudet. You’ll also learn how

Above The Chuck Baird Art Gallery showcases the work of nationally and internationally known deaf artists.

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“Visitors will discover a vibrant Deaf community and gain a meaningful appreciation for deaf people and signed languages.”

—CHRIZ DALLY deaf people embrace technology to connect, express themselves and thrive in daily life.

Now in its 20th year, the museum is fundraising to transform all exhibits with updated content based on a multidimensional historical time and to incorporate technology to share these stories.

Allow one and a half hours for a self-guided tour or two hours (when preregistered) for a private docent tour led by a deaf docent fluent in American Sign Language. For the Immersive Hands-On Workshop, plan for an hour-long visit. museumofdeaf.org / 913.324.5348

The Cosmosphere in Hutchinson draws space buffs from all over the world. This Smithsonian-affiliated science center and museum is home to the largest collection of Russian space artifacts, a hightech planetarium, two-story dome theater, fired-up rock lab and hands-on CosmoKids programs.

Its collection of U.S. space artifacts ranks second only to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.

WASHINGTON COUNTY T R AV E L & T O U R I S M

r Monument Horse Soldie ton, KS Washing

Featuring a piece of the World Trade Center Washington, KS

I.O.O.F Bandshell Barnes, KS

785.325.2116 | washingtoncountyks.gov

Proud Past – Brilliant Future Ride, Play, Eat, and Stay in Osage City!

Disc Golf, Pickle Ball, Swimming, Fishing Air BnBs, Downtown Shopping, and Smoke in the Spring

785-528-3714 (Osage City Hall) www.osagecity.com

DOROTHY’S HOUSE & THE LAND OF OZ Liberal / Where else can you visit scenes from the beloved film The Wizard of Oz? Follow the Yellow Brick Road to experience fun replicas of the movie, including Dorothy’s bedroom at Aunt Em’s house, the tornado that swept up Dorothy, the cornfield where Dorothy met the Scarecrow, Munchkinland, the haunted forest, and, of course, the Emerald City’s magical gates.

Inside Dorothy’s house, you will also discover a room that displays movie memorabilia. Visit the museum during Oz Fest, which is held every two years. On the intervening years, attend Haunted Oz when the Land of Oz becomes a witch’s paradise. dorothyshouse.com 620.624.7624

COSMOSPHERE Hutchinson / Following extensive grassroots efforts, the Cosmosphere opened in 1982. Today, the 35,000-square-foot Smithsonian-affiliated science center and museum houses the largest collection of American and Soviet/ Russian space exploration artifacts. There are about 100 items associated with the United States shuttle program, the Russian space station and the International Space Station, including a showcase restoration of Apollo 13’s command module, Odyssey. Watch spacerelated documentaries in the projection theater, or take kids of all ages to the Justice Planetarium or to see live science demonstrations in Dr. Goddard’s Lab. cosmo.org / 800.397.0330

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THE RED BARN STUDIO MUSEUM Lindsborg / Once the home of prolific artist Lester Raymer, this repurposed house showcases his painting, printmaking, ceramics and carving skills. Raymer is known for transforming mundane, discarded items into beautiful works of art. On display inside the museum are the toys, painted boxes, and decorative items he crafted for his wife, plus gorgeous stitchery, jewelry and furniture.

Intricately carved vertical posts punctuate a fireplace near the bright entryway. Elsewhere, a wooden angel guards a candlestick, a large bird anchors the bottom of a lamp, and a bowl of carved fruit looks good enough to eat. redbarnstudio.org 785.227.2217

HASKELL CULTURAL CENTER & MUSEUM Lawrence / If you’re curious about Native American history, visit this cultural center and museum for a look into the living heritage and culture of all Indigenous peoples. Exhibits feature photos and history of Haskell University dating to the university’s founding in 1884 as the United States Indian Industrial Training School. Famous alumni of the school include Olympians Jim Thorpe and Billy Mills, and World War II Army Code Talker (Comanche) Charles Chibitty.

Director Travis Campbell says the center and museum serve 574 federally recognized tribes.

Its archives feature thousands of photos, documents, artwork, artifacts and films. The Indian Leader, the school’s student newspaper, is the world’s oldest continuously published Native American student newspaper. haskellhistory.com 785.832.6686

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April 26, 2025 3 pm - 9 pm Riggs Park, Haysville, KS

The Haskell Cultural Center & Museum in Lawrence features permanent and rotating artifacts and informational pamphlets, including displays of modern paintings by Native artists and a selection of handmade Native jewelry, pottery and baskets.

27 KANSAS! magazine

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Wild, Wild West For a taste of frontier life, follow this road trip through four Kansas cities featured in the iconic TV show Gunsmoke Story by Cecilia Harris

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he camera pushes into a close-up of Matt Dillon, the gruff but honorable marshal of Dodge City. Dillon resigns from his position after being falsely accused of killing a man in cold blood.

Soon the camera cuts to a new man entering the scene: Wild Bill Hickok. He is the sheriff in the wild and woolly cattle town of Abilene, and he has arrived in Dodge City to clear his friend’s name once and for all.

Dillon’s name is eventually cleared in this notable Season 4 episode of Gunsmoke, an Emmy award-winning television series that aired weekly from 1955 to 1975. The popular drama featured marshal Matt Dillon as he kept the peace in Dodge City during the 1890s with the support of a dynamic cast of characters, including the feisty “Miss Kitty” Russell, the firm but kind Galen “Doc” Adams, and loyal sidekick Festus Haggen.

t

“There was a Gunsmoke group that popped up on my Facebook feed, and somebody had asked the question, ‘Are there still towns in Kansas you can visit that have a connection to Gunsmoke?’”

Roller Weeks says. “This group has over 140,000 members who have actively joined to talk about Gunsmoke, which is remarkable considering this show aired many years ago.”

Roller Weeks partnered with the tourism directors in Hays, Wichita and—of course—Dodge City to brand their cowboy-themed attractions as the Gunsmoke Trail. “It’s a fun way to retell a story about what we already have; it’s something people can get excited about and hang their hat on,” Roller Weeks says.

The project began with a blog post that spurred the development of

“There was a Gunsmoke group that popped up on my Facebook feed, and somebody had asked the question, ‘Are there still towns in Kansas you can visit that have a connection to Gunsmoke?’ This group has over 140,000 members who have actively joined to talk about Gunsmoke, which is remarkable considering this show aired many years ago.”

PHOTO COURTESY Dodge City CVB

Gunsmoke still airs on select networks and streaming services, maintaining a passionate fan base decades after it originally aired. Now, fans who wish to experience the cities that inspired this classic series can mosey down the new and exciting Gunsmoke Trail.

Above Reenactors in front of the Boot Hill Museum show Dodge City visitors how lawmen served justice in the Old West.

Right The cast of Gunsmoke includes (from left) Milburn Stone as Galen “Doc” Adams, Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen, Amanda Blake as “Miss Kitty” Russell and James Arness as Matt Dillon.

Fans Make History After seeing the huge following the television show still has on social media, Julie Roller Weeks, director of the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), came up with the idea for the Gunsmoke Trail—a road trip that connects four cities that played a role in the show’s storylines.

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—JULIE ROLLER WEEKS

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Abilene Next stop on the tour is Abilene, the home of Sheriff James Butler Hickok.

Stroll the boardwalk in Old Abilene Town during the summer travel season KansasGunsmokeTrail.com, a website that offers a “wealth of to watch mock gunfights or belly up to information” to Gunsmoke enthusiasts, says Megan Welsh, director the same bar from the original Alamo of the Dodge City CVB. Saloon to watch cancan dancers kick In addition to following the path of the Gunsmoke Trail, fans can up their heels. While in Old Abilene connect to related events and attractions using the Gunsmoke Trail Town, stop by the Great Western Cattle Pass, a mobile-exclusive passport that rewards visitors who round Company to see a 1:24 scale version up enough points on the website when touring sites of Abilene’s original on the route. “It’s a website widget, so you don’t Texas Street during In addition to following the height of its cattle have to download another app to your phone. It’s based on geography, so you can filter the stops days and visit the Trail the path of the based on what is near you at the time,” Welsh says.

Center to see the Bulls Gunsmoke Trail, fans Head Saloon Longhorn. can connect to related Bulls Head is a popular Dodge City A great place to start the Gunsmoke Trail is in events and attractions saloon from Old West the show’s primary setting: Dodge City. Boot Hill lore with ties to the using the Gunsmoke Museum is one of the most popular of the nearly real-life Hickok who 60 attractions and events available along the trail. inspired the TV show Trail Pass, a mobileThe museum complex includes replicas of the character. exclusive passport businesses that stood along Dodge City’s Front Nearby, visitors Street in the 1800s. can climb aboard the that rewards visitors “Every time I go to Boot Hill Museum, I find Abilene and Smoky who round up enough Valley Railroad. The something new,” Welsh says. “The bulk of that museum is artifacts from Dodge City’s early days Flint Hills Express, points on the website that belonged to the original residents. This would an excursion train when touring sites on have been from the same time period Gunsmoke featuring vintage the route. was portraying, so the things that you would have passenger cars, seen on the show are going to be very similar to the travels through the artifacts you will see in the museum.”

Smoky Hill River Valley while offering Welsh encourages fans to take the Historic Dodge City Walking passengers a chance to learn about Tour, which includes the Dodge City Trail of Fame, featuring the area’s rich history. “That’s how sidewalk medallions dedicated to local historical figures as well as people were traveling back then, and actors who starred in Gunsmoke (James Arness, Amanda Blake, you see the train in so many episodes Milburn Stone and Ken Curtis). of Gunsmoke,” Roller Weeks says.

“All of those very important figures from Gunsmoke have “That’s something people can go and medallions in honor of them, and some of them have included experience; it’s really unique.” their handprints,” Welsh says. “It also encompasses our The Cowboy Art Trail is another sculptures, such as the life-size sculpture of the late James must-see attraction in Abilene. It Arness, who played Matt Dillon.” includes the World’s Largest Belt Above The Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita includes replicas of business fronts from the 1800s.

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PHOTOS COURTESY (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Visit Wichita (2), Hays CVB, Dodge City CVB, Abilene CVB (2), Dodge City CVB, Visit Wichita, Hays CVB

If you don’t care to walk, the Historic Trolley Tour provides a narration of Dodge City history as visitors ride past historic locations in a climate-controlled vehicle. It journeys to nearby Fort Dodge and sites related to today’s cattle industry.

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Clockwise from top left Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, mural at the Fox Theater in Hays, Bat Masterson statue in Dodge City, stagecoach rides in Abilene, the Abilene Cowboy strikes a pose, historic photo of Front Street in Dodge City, MidAmerica All-Indian Museum in Wichita, bison family in Hays

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Buckle, one of the world’s largest spurs, and a dozen large handpainted cowboy boots that pay homage to T.C. McInerney’s Drovers Boot Store from the 1870s. Many historians believe McInerney invented the American-style cowboy boot in 1871. Before you leave, don’t forget to visit the Heritage Center, which displays a bronze statue of Hickok. The famed Abilene sheriff is also the subject of a downtown mural.

Hays & Wichita Gunsmoke characters also visited Hays and Wichita. In Hays, a herd of bison attract a large number of onlookers in Frontier Park, according to Melissa Dixon, director of the Hays CVB. The herd started in 1952 with a bull named Wild Bill and a cow named Calamity Jane. The City of Hays Parks Department staff takes care of the herd. “People love to drop by and see the bison, especially in the spring when we usually have a few baby calves born,” Dixon says.

Nearby, the Fort Hays State Historic Site offers a glimpse into the past. Established in 1865, the fort’s soldiers protected railroad workers and travelers on the Smoky Hill Trail. Among its residents at various times were William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, Hickok, and General George A. Custer. Custer’s dumbbell, forged by the fort’s blacksmith, is among the exhibits at the fort. Admission is free to the visitors center and Fort Hays’ four original structures: the stone blockhouse, the guardhouse and two officers’ quarters. The site holds numerous events throughout the year.

The self-guided Historical Hays City Walking Tour takes visitors past 25 historical markers that tell the fascinating stories of the people and places that earned Hays its place in Wild West lore.

“The Ellis County Historical Society just released an app to go along with it, so you can get even more information than is on the plaque.

There’s so much more story to tell,” Dixon says.

In Wichita, Shala Johnson, marketing coordinator for Visit Wichita (VisitWichita.com), steers visitors to the Old Cowtown Museum. “It has over 50 historic buildings, including a saloon, a blacksmith shop and a sheriff’s office,” Johnson says. From April through October, costumed interpreters are on site to discuss everyday life on the High Plains during the Wild West era.

Open year-round, the museum has more than 25,000 authentic objects from 1865 to 1880.

The Mid-America All-Indian Museum is another great stop along the Gunsmoke Trail. It is dedicated to Native American and Indigenous history, culture and stories through exhibits that change quarterly and yearly, Johnson says. The museum includes the art of Blackbear Bosin, a Kiowa-Comanche artist who created the Keeper of the Plains (a 44-foot-tall steel sculpture on the point where the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers join in downtown Wichita).

Johnson also suggests visiting the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. Housed in an 1890s-era building, this museum offers four floors of exhibits that include the history of the cattle industry, early settlers and transportation.

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enjoy.

Kansans Who Played a Role in Gunsmoke’s Success •

Milburn Stone, who portrayed Galen “Doc” Adams in the television show Gunsmoke, was born in 1904 in Harvey County and grew up in both Burrton and Frizell. During the early part of his career, he performed with a traveling show known as the Wallace Bruce Players at the Burrton Opera House, according to the Harvey County Historical Museum website. Stone won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama in 1968 for his work on Gunsmoke, and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

•

Gunsmoke writer Mary Kathleen Hite was born in Wichita in 1917. She attended high school in Hutchinson and graduated in 1938 from what was then called the University of Wichita with a degree in journalism and history before moving to Hollywood.

In an article published in a 1962 issue of the Emporia Gazette, Hite stated that both sets of her grandparents came to Kansas in the Old West days and she absorbed the colorful stories they told her when she was a child. She scripted a third of the Gunsmoke’s hour-long dramas in 1962 and wrote for other Westerns such as Wagon Train and Laramie.

more. kansasgunsmoketrail.com Abilene 785.263.2231 Dodge City 620.225.8186 Hays 785.628.8202 Wichita 316.265.2800

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FUN AND ADVENTURE AWAIT AROUND EVERY CORNER IN DODGE CITY Relive the wild west in the city nicknamed the “Wickedest Little City in the West”, sip a sarsaparilla in the world famous Long Branch Saloon, and discover more than 60,000 artifacts of western heritage and culture. Explore the art and history of Historic Downtown, catch a concert or show, or enjoy a delicious meal at any of our fabulous local restaurants.

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T I M E L E S S

RENOWNED LIFETIME HE’S

S T O R I E S

PHOTOJOURNALIST JIM RICHARDSON HAS SPENT A CAPTURING

BUSY

STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. NOW

ARCHIVING

STORY

AND

HIS WORK FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID MAYES

im Richardson sits at his A STORIED CAREER computer in his office on The logo on his office door contains a stylized thistle— Main Street in Lindsborg, the national flower of Scotland. This country has been cataloging pictures a significant focus of Richardson’s photography for from his storied career.

30 years, ever since his first assignment covering this He has generously vibrant country with a deep history. invited me to spend “I started out doing a traditional National a few hours chatting Geographic country story, which led by-and-by to with him about his life what has become a 30-year saga, yearly pilgrimages in Kansas, his career back to cover yet another aspect of life there. I started as a world-renowned out totally ignorant of the place but over time gained photojournalist (working an expertise that fed upon itself,” Richardson says. for such publications as “Eventually, I found my work gravitating to the outer National Geographic), his photography business and fringes, the wild places, the little islands where life what he’s up to next. is a challenge and a privilege. When I photographed Richardson and I are both former photographers farmer Lawrence MacEwan on the Isle of Muck, it was for the Kansas State University student newspaper, the like photographing a Kansas farmer, except that he Kansas State Collegian, though he predates me a bit. owned the island and was an actual feudal laird. But Having made my living with a camera for 30 years, I he and my folks knew cattle and would have had a lot have admired Richardson’s work since I first decided in common.” to pursue photography—this assignment was both an Richardson’s career as a photographer has spanned intimidating and exciting experience. more than half a century. After his time at KSU, he The large glass pane on the front door of his worked in newspapers from 1970 to 1986 before moving business bears its name: Spring Hill. This name to work regularly with the National Geographic Society honors where Richardson comes from, a small farm and other corporate clients. Over the years, he’s earned and a one-room school near Belleville that bore the many accolades for his work. He was named 2007 same name.

Kansan of the Year by the Native Sons and Daughters “Our farm was five miles north of town, so we of Kansas, received the Kansas Governor’s Artist were country people, a breed distinct from the of the Year designation in 2009, and was chosen by town people,” Richardson says. “We went to town his colleagues at National Geographic in 2015 as the on Saturday for shopping and early on “Photographer’s would have stayed late to park on the Photographer.” In square and talk to other country people 2017, he received an who were also hungry for news and a honorary doctorate good chat.” from his alma Richardson was born in 1947, early mater, KSU, for his in the baby-boom generation. His father work in cultural drove a truck to Texas hauling eggs for and environmental Richardson’s uncle Harold, who lived communications. just down the road.

His Spring Hill “It was on those trips that my dad office is an airy stopped at pawn shops looking for bargain space. Prints from cameras, which is how I got my start in various projects photography,” he says. hang on the walls, That start eventually led Richardson to and several printers, a long career telling stories from behind computers and hard a camera. He has traveled around the drives are scattered world, from volcanic peaks to Arctic around the room. wetlands, and has devoted much of Remembrances his career to stories about important of his time on scientific, agricultural and conservation assignment are also Lately, Jim Richardson has been archiving his issues. He is an expert in British Isle and visible: multicolored immense body of work.

Celtic culture. press passes, media

35 KANSAS! magazine

“For me, photography was always about the subjects—the story to be told and how to make photography work to do that job. I see the archive work as a simple extension of that, finding ways to put the pictures to work. Because if the pictures are doing good work, then others in times to come will find them worth saving … hopefully long after I’m gone.”

“I shot 40,000 pictures on that story, you know?

And it came down to what … 20 that we ran in the magazine,” he says. “One of the best things you can do, apparently, in an archive world is throw stuff away because you need to get it down to the place that you have a comprehensible collection that someone can afford to save.” By doing that work now, Richardson gets to make those decisions instead of putting that power in the hands of a curator who may not understand the collection’s nuances.

He tells me that after he decides which images to save, he’ll next decide the format in which they’ll be saved. “I trust prints to survive in a way that I don’t trust digital files to survive. Who knows if anybody’s going to be able to read a JPEG file or a TIFF file in 200 years?” Richardson says.

Then there’s adding contextual information about each picture on accompanying pages of text for transparencies and prints or embedding metadata in the digital files. It’s a huge task, and I asked him how he’ll know when he’s finished.

“I think I’m wrestling with that right now,” he says, “as I try to reconsider what’s valuable in contemporary context and in the future, as opposed to what was valuable when we were doing the project in the first place. And some of that requires some recalibrating or reconsideration; things that would not have been valuable then can take on value now.”

For now, Richardson is interested in doing what will get his pictures in front of people. “For me, photography was always about the subjects—the story to be told and how to make photography work to do that job. I see the archive work as a simple extension of that, finding ways to put the pictures to work. Because if the pictures are doing good work, then others in times to come will find them worth saving … hopefully long after I’m gone,” he says. “I spent over half a century creating all these images. It’s time for me to make sure they do the work for which they were created. They have to get out of the file cabinets and off the hard drives so they can be seen.

That’s how pictures stay alive: by being seen.”

When asked to name his favorite projects, he mentions Scotland and the Cuba, Kansas, project that covered 40 years in the town.

“I suppose I thought the Cuba project was documentary work, recording the death of a small town, but they set me straight: They had no intention of dying,” he says. “The story changed and became a tale of people building a community out of almost nothing. I got lucky when I went to Cuba. Not many photographers in this world can say the same.”

After 50 years behind the camera, Richardson’s future is in his archive.

–JIM RICHARDSON

badges, old cameras. Archival boxes labeled with the names of some of his projects line the shelves. The one tagged “High School” contains the photos from a study of adolescence he shot in Rossville over three years in the 1970s and published as High School, USA. (LIFE magazine later excerpted it.) Other boxes contain slides from his National Geographic stories about water and soil conservation and food production. Another nearby box is labeled “Jim and Kathy Wedding Others.”

Just up the street is Small World Gallery, which Richardson and his wife, Kathy, opened in 2002. It sells Richardson’s photographs and jewelry co-designed by his wife and her design partner Briana Zimmerling (IBISwoman). A sign on the gallery’s front window sums it up nicely: Working Jewelry Studio - Local Art Books - Stuff We Like.

PRESERVING THE PAST Now that he’s in his 70s, Richardson is working to archive his immense body of work. When most of us hear the word “archive,” we think of libraries or museums, of climate-controlled storage rooms lined with neatly organized containers, a static collection with perhaps a curated selection shown in the occasional museum or traveling exhibit.

There will certainly be some of that, but Richardson wants his images to live on, not age in storage boxes or hard drives. But culling the images to a manageable number and maintaining a project’s comprehensive storytelling ability can be challenging.

While I visit with Richardson, he pulls out a box of slides from his story on the Ogallala Aquifer, a body of groundwater that underlies the Great Plains in the United States. It is the main water source in an otherwise dry area of the world, and its declining levels will eventually endanger the region.

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Jim Richardson’s career as a photographer has spanned more than half a century.

“I worked in 80 countries.

I did a little over 30 stories for National Geographic, another 20 more for National Geographic Traveler. I’ve done that,” he says. “I want to see where the archive will take me, where the printing will take me, and the exploration of how to put the pictures to work.”

Soon, Richardson plans to learn more about publishing so he can create more books on his work and share his stories and expertise through presentations and workshops.

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK After our chat, Richardson expects a client to pick up prints

Jim Richardson’s office in Lindsborg is filled with mementos from his time on assignment for National Geographic.

37 KANSAS! magazine

at Spring Hill and doesn’t want to package them until the client has seen them. He holds up a large print of a Scottish landscape—rich greens and oranges and reds, crisscrossing hills receding into the distance, some in shadow and some in light, giving the photograph immense depth.

This man from a small farm north of Belleville— who has traveled all over the world telling stories with his camera—looks up from the picture of Scotland and draws a comparison to his native state.

“There’s a similarity to the Flint Hills, don’t you think?” jimrichardsonphotography.com

FROM JIM’S DESK Photojournalist Jim Richardson shares a few of his favorite photos from his career.

LAIRD OF MUCK “Lawrence MacEwan was the Laird of Muck, a genuine feudal laird who owned this Scottish island, kept it alive when the population dwindled to less than 40, and became a legend in Scottish island

38 KANSAS! magazine

lore. I recognized in him a farmer much like those I grew up with in Kansas. Up atop his island that day, a gale threatened to blow us off into the sea. When Lawrence hunkered into the hillside, his dog came alongside, and

CUBA FOLKS “Harvest Festival in Cuba, Kansas, was always a time of community building.

And this picture of the People Pull came to symbolize local folks working together—even if only on frivolous fun—to build a community out of

almost nothing except each other. Jeanine Kopsa once told me that Cuba was a town of 300 and a community of 700; people came from other places to be part of this community.

It was a choice. That wisdom has stuck with me ever since.”

as he reached up to pet it, Lawrence fixed me with that eagle eye of intense island determination. Sadly, he is gone, but when he died, newspapers around the world ran obituaries—and used my picture.”

39 KANSAS! magazine

ISLE OF LEWIS “Along with putting up monumental stone circles, the Neolithic people on the Isle of Lewis were also becoming farmers—something I could relate to. There I was alone with the Callanish stones overnight, racing around, lighting them with my little flashlight for our National Geographic story on the Hebrides Islands. In the quiet, still night, I could work intensely amongst these spirits of people who knew hard work and enjoyed it.

Whether they ever thought their monoliths would stand for 5,000 years I cannot reckon. By 4:00 a.m., the dawn was approaching, and with just the first slight puff of wind on my cheek, I heard the first bird. You don’t get many nights like this one.”

SABETHA WOMAN “Even after 45 years, I remember the day well. Driving the streets of Sabetha on a summer day, the streets lined with trees, every old house with a porch where much life had happened, but empty now, mostly. Except one, where an old lady sat in

her rocker, watching the world go by, a classic small-town scene. I wanted to photograph her, but this was early in my career, and it took three trips around the block to work up the courage. Finally, I was in front of her with my camera—Mrs. A.P. Shintaffer in

40 KANSAS! magazine

a print dress, the picture of timeless, smiling gentleness.

But, no, she couldn’t have her picture taken, she said, not with these old tennis shoes with holes in them. I was crestfallen. I tried to

invent just the right cajoling encouragement. She was not having it. But then her granddaughter showed up (she had been waiting for her) with her infant greatgranddaughter. That opened the door. She held the baby so that the baby could be

photographed, the perfect reason to cast modesty to the wind, to put on the face of rightful pride, to relish the longevity she cradled in her arms, to cherish this summer day and all the summer days that would follow in the child’s life.

41 KANSAS! magazine

Mrs. Shintaffer gave me a gift that day, of seeing into her life and into her heart where a great love made its home.

And because she did, I can share it with others, though she is now gone.”

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O F

H I S T O R Y

As the Kansas State Historical Society celebrates a major milestone, we reflect on how it got its start

43 KANSAS! magazine

Story by Christine Steinkuehler Photography by Nick Krug

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his year marks a monumental milestone for the Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS)—its 150th anniversary. Over the past century and a half, the KSHS has become an enduring pillar of Kansas’ heritage, carefully preserving the stories and events that have shaped our state. As we commemorate this milestone, it’s fitting to reflect on how a humble bookshelf in the statehouse evolved into one of the most comprehensive historical institutions in the nation.

The KSHS was first proposed in 1875 during the Kansas Editors’ and Publishers’ Association convention in Manhattan. At this gathering, state auditor Daniel Wilder proposed forming a committee to create a state historical society to save present and past records. The first meeting was held in December of that year, and the KSHS was born.

While Wilder stayed on as a director, F. P. Baker, editor of the Topeka Commonwealth, served the first couple of months as the organization’s secretary until Franklin Adams—a Free State advocate, teacher, attorney and publisher—was eventually elected secretary. When KSHS memberships were a tough sell, Adams solicited newspaper publishers to donate issues of their publications in exchange for a KSHS membership. (Those who weren’t in the publishing world paid an affordable annual membership fee of just $2.) This idea established an important tradition that would build one of the most comprehensive collections of state newspapers.

“Adams was a fascinating and tireless secretary who served until his death in 1899,” says KSHS director of communications Bobbie Athon, who is currently working on a book commemorating KSHS’ history. “His dedication to building relationships with influential individuals across the state and his commitment to preserving Kansas’ past laid the foundation for the society’s long-term success.”

At first, the historical society’s one bookcase in Wilder’s office was enough to store its small collection of newspapers and manuscripts. When the state enacted legislation in 1879 that recognized the KSHS as the “trustee of the state” to maintain its history, its collections quickly outgrew Wilder’s bookcase. A mere 10 years later, the society had amassed 16,000 books and pamphlets and more than 3,700 bound volumes of newspapers and periodicals.

The KSHS continued to grow in both scope and significance, thanks to a number of innovative Kansans committed to preserving history. In 1894, Adams launched an early form of oral history by capturing

Archaeology lab director Julie SebancButler (left), and archaeology collections assistant Katie McClure sort through archived material excavated from Fort Hays in Ellis County.

• A committee of the Kansas Editors’ and Publishers’ Association meets in Topeka and organizes the Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS)

Franklin Adams solicited newspaper publishers to donate issues of their publications in exchange for a KSHS membership.

Preserving the Past 1875 Track the Kansas State Historical Society through the years

44 KANSAS! magazine

• A single bookshelf in founder Daniel Wilder’s office holds the society’s first collections • Wilder publishes the first Annals of Kansas

• The society expands by taking over a small room

1876 1879 in the Kansas Capitol

“[Franklin] Adams was a fascinating and tireless secretary who served until his death in 1899. His dedication to building relationships with influential individuals across the state and his commitment to preserving Kansas’ past laid the foundation for the society’s long-term success.”

the voices of governors with the new Edison wax recorder.

Kirke Mechem, KSHS secretary from 1930 to 1951, implemented a microfilm program that preserved and stored documents, allowed public access and created an interlibrary loan service.

More recently, Pat Michaelis, state archivist and director of the state archives division at the KSHS, envisioned an online archive that became KansasMemory.org. This website has increased public access to digital artifacts and files.

Over the years, the KSHS has continued to expand its collections, create educational programs, acquire historical sites and build museums. “The KSHS is really

a one-stop shop for Kansas history,” says Patrick Zollner, KSHS executive director. “Many people think of us as the Kansas Museum of History, one of our public-facing services.

We administer 16 state historic sites in different parts of the state for visitors to explore important places in history. Our collections of newspapers, photographs, manuscripts, maps, and state and local records are popular with students, historic homeowners, authors, genealogists, and academic researchers conducting their work in person in the research room, online, or via email.”

As we celebrate 150 years of the KSHS, we reflect on the extraordinary contributions of all those who have been part of this journey—from the dedicated staff and volunteers to the passionate members and donors who have helped preserve Kansas’ rich history. We invite all Kansans, past and present, to engage with the KSHS, whether through visiting its museums, exploring its archives, or supporting its ongoing mission to protect and share Kansas’ history.

Senior archivist Dylan SweykoKuhlman walks through the cold storage facility at the Center for Historical Research.

• The first annual meeting of the KSHS is held

• The state enacts legislation that recognizes the KSHS as the “trustee of the state.” The society begins publishing

• Kansas Legislature offers the KSHS three rooms in the

• The KSHS adds historic sites to its collection with the purchase of Pawnee

• Legislature passes a bill establishing the KSHS as

• The KSHS moves its more than 440,000 objects and effects to the Memorial Hall

1877

1879

1893

1901

1905

1914

regular academic histories about Kansas with biennial and quarterly publications that continue today

Kansas Capitol as the building is being finished

Indian Village, the first of what would become 16 Kansas State Historic Sites

the repository of official government records

Building, which was built to honor Union veterans of the Civil War

45 KANSAS! magazine

The Kansas State Historical Society has acquired 16 State Historic Sites for visitors to explore.

1

12

14 3

10

4 6 8

5

16

2

11 9

15

7 13

The Kansas State Historical Society works tirelessly to preserve battle flags.

The Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS) plays an essential role in preserving and conserving the state’s rich history. One of the biggest challenges is finding the balance between protecting historic artifacts and making them accessible. After all, history can truly be understood only when people have the opportunity to engage with it. Yet, the battle against

time and degradation is ever-present, especially when it comes to delicate items such as Kansas’ Civil War battle flags.

KSHS is home to an extraordinary collection of more than 75 flags representing Kansas’ involvement in the Civil War and other wars. These flags tell a powerful story, not only about the state’s military history but also

about the diverse and often complex political landscape of the time. Most of the collection consists of battle flags, but there are also Confederate, Border Ruffian and political banners—each one holding a unique place in the historical narrative. Crafted from homemade textiles and hand-sewn by soldiers and civilians alike, these flags—some of which are one-of-a-kind—are not just

• Legislature approves the purchase of the Potawatomi

• The KSHS partners with the Kansas Anthropological Association to create the Kansas Archeology Training Program (KATP)

• Ground is broken for a new museum, and

• An 1880s-era locomotive, which happens to be the oldest of its kind from the Atchison, Topeka and

• The museum and education departments move to the new

1973

1975

1977

1981

1983

1983–1984

Mission and the surrounding 80 acres to build a museum

• The first KATP is held at the El Quartelejo site in Scott County

• The Register of Historic Kansas Places is established

construction begins the following year

Santa Fe Railway, is driven on its tracks to the new museum, which is now built around it

museum building, opening as the Kansas Museum of History

46 KANSAS! magazine

1 Pawnee Indian Museum Republic | 1899 Features the archeological remains of a preserved earth lodge

7 Marais des Cygnes Massacre Trading Post | 1941 Proslavery forces killed five free-state men, wounding five others, at this ravine

2 Pawnee Rock Pawnee Rock | 1912 This sandstone citadel marks the halfway point of the Santa Fe Trail

8 Kaw Mission Council Grove | 1951 Built to educate boys of the Kanza Tribe in 1851 but ceased operation in 1854

3 First Territorial Capital Fort Riley | 1927 Home to the territory’s first legislative session

9 Shawnee Indian Mission Fairway | 1927 Established as a manual training school for Native American children; also served as a territorial capital and an encampment for Civil War soldiers

4 Fort Hays Hays | 1963 Frontier fort that drew many famous figures, including General George A. Custer 5 John Brown Museum Osawatomie | 1928 Where a stone pavilion encases a log cabin that was briefly occupied by abolitionist John Brown

10 Goodnow House Manhattan | 1969 Farmhouse of free-staters who settled Manhattan and established the college that would become Kansas State University

6 Last Chance Store

11 Grinter Place Kansas City | 1969 A beautiful farmstead that overlooks the Kansas River; the ferry once operated as a trading post

symbols of war but also expressions of personal labor, pride and sacrifice.

While these flags hold immense historical value, they are incredibly brittle and fragile. Over time, exposure to sunlight and weather and even the simple act of handling can cause irreversible damage. Many of the flags in KSHS’s collection are so delicate that experts cannot unfurl them without risk.

“In earlier years, veterans displayed these flags in parades and public presentations, helping to educate the public about Kansas’ role in the Civil War,” says KSHS director of communications Bobbie Athon. “Some flags are now so fragile that they risk falling apart upon the slightest touch.”

To ensure the future of these flags, the KSHS has begun the Save

Council Grove | 2015 Trading post that served as the last retail stop for traders on the Santa Fe Trail

• KSHS launches a website, hosted by

• The library, archives, manuscripts, newspaper, archeology, historic preservation

• By an act of the legislature, the membership, retail and fundraising portion of the organization becomes the

1993

1995

2001

the Kansas Heritage Group

and administrative functions move adjacent to the museum

Kansas State Historical Society, also known as the Kansas Historical Foundation

Right This crown, worn by Hazel Gonzales Gomez when she was elected Fiesta Queen in 1943, is one of the thousands of artifacts kept in the KSHS’ collections.

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12 Hollenberg Pony Express Station Hanover | 1971 This station served riders on the Pony Express and wagon trains on the Oregon and California Trails 13 Mine Creek Civil War Battlefield Pleasanton | 1974 Where two Union brigades defeated Confederate General Sterling Price’s Army of Missouri in 1864 14 Cottonwood Ranch Studley | 1982 Inspired by the architecture of Yorkshire, England, this Merino sheep ranch once prospered on the High Plains 15 Constitution Hall Lecompton | 1986 A large antislavery delegation protested the proslavery constitutional convention that took place in this old wood-frame building 16 Red Rocks Emporia | 2001 Home of William Allen White, editor of the Emporia Gazette and Pulitzer Prize– winning journalist, and his family

the Flags Fund. The goal of this conservation effort is to preserve the flags while making them available for future research and public viewing.

This effort requires time, expertise and funding. To contribute to their preservation, contact KSHS at 785.272.8681, ext. 209, or donate directly online at Store.KSHS.org.

A Coal Mine on the Plains

Beneath Cloud County’s prairie landscape, a hidden coal reserve once supported a small community Story by Patricia Ackerman

PHOTO COURTESY Minersville: The Town, the Mines, the People and the Legacy, Cloud County Historical Society Museum

TRAVELERS ON KANSAS ROADWAYS may see abandoned limestone buildings and think of them as simply ruins of a bygone era. But their gaping windows and collapsed roofs harbor dynamic stories of brave settlers who carved their living out of barren prairie landscapes. One such story began in 1869 after a Kansan named Heim Nelson (or Nelsen, according to some historical accounts) discovered a coal vein running just beneath the surface of the prairie in northern Kansas.

A unique community, later known as Minersville, began to evolve in Cloud County where the coal was found. Although southeast Kansas produced a third of the nation’s coal more than a century ago, it was unusual to discover coal in the northern part of the state. By 1871, Minersville had established four total shaft and slope coal mines. Mine shafts were 6 to 8 feet in diameter and ranged from 20 to 80 feet deep. To enter the mines, men lay flat on boards suspended by ropes and pulleys.

These contraptions were raised and lowered by draft horses. Miners would use picks to extract veins of coal from between layers of stone.

Watch This.

The mining history of Cloud and Republic Counties is the subject of a new documentary, Minersville: The Town, the Mines, the People and the Legacy. Expected to premiere this spring, the project is funded by grants from the Cloud and Republic County Community Foundations, Humanities Kansas and individual donors.

Salina Media Connection formed Burning Prairie Production group in partnership with Wichita’s Method Productions to produce the documentary.

The production team includes Greg Stephens (project director), Debi Aaron (avocational archaeologist) and Tom Fleming (former Bethany College instructor). KU film professor Bob Hurst served as a consultant.

Above After the discovery of coal, the Minersville community experienced a boost in their labor economy that allowed the establishment of a new school. Here, a group of schoolchildren in 1913 pose for a photo.

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The coal discovered in Minersville was lignite coal, one of the lower grades of coal. Formed from compressed peat, it is soft and brown, and its low concentration of carbon (25–40%) and high water content make it less efficient than other types of coal. In comparison, anthracite is considered the highest grade of coal. It is hard and black, with a higher concentration of carbon (80–90%). To further compare, bituminous coal, typically found in southeastern Kansas, is a common middle-grade coal that is darker and shinier than lignite.

With limited wood and fuel resources available on the prairie, settlers in Cloud and Republic Counties cooked meals and heated their homes with lignite coal.

They could purchase coal directly from the mines for $4 per ton or from local businesses in smaller amounts. Mines would also deliver coal to homesteaders for $7 per ton.

Mine owners employed two to six men per mine and paid them an average of $2 per day. Coal was mined six months per year. Local homesteaders often provided lodging to transient miners. In 1885, mine inspectors reported that 102,948 bushels of coal were extracted from six local mines. The Minersville coal seam was reported to be 20 inches thick.

BOOMING BUSINESS The community of Minersville began to see a boost in their labor economy. Citizens came together to establish a general store, post office, school, cemetery, and even a baseball team. Faith played an important role in the Kansas prairie mines, too. A Methodist church was established, and a family belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints practiced those beliefs in the mining community.

As mining operations increased, mine inspectors traveled from Topeka to monitor safety, ventilation, escape shafts and humane conditions. A building was constructed to house the Knights of Labor, an American labor union active in the late 19th century.

Local historian Dr. Ed Glenn points out that, in addition to fuel for heating and cooling, lignite coal enabled local blacksmiths to produce goods necessary for business and agriculture. Surrounding towns such as Concordia also benefited from local access to fuel and the booming coal economy.

Above Simple ruins can tell a greater story about our history.

Camp Concordia

During World War II, German prisoners of war were interred at a camp just south of Minersville.

Camp Concordia, built at a cost of $1.8 million and operated from May 1, 1943, to November 8, 1945. There was talk about having German prisoners mine lignite coal at Minersville, and local farmers employed German prisoners housed at the camp. In two years of operation, the camp saw only two reported escapes and eight POW deaths.

When fully operational, the compound held 4,000 prisoners and consisted of 300 buildings, including a hospital, fire department, restaurant and barracks.

What remains of the camp is located two miles north and one mile east of Concordia at 1557 Union Road. Tours and a gift shop are available. powcampconcordia.org 785.243.4303

50 KANSAS! magazine

As with any economic development, the citizens of Minersville also experienced some adverse effects of a booming economy. Newspaper accounts document crimes such as horse theft and a counterfeit money ring. Stolen merchandise was found hidden inside the mines, and gangs of men in white hoods reportedly rode through the area. Although accidents surely occurred in the mines, records show only one confirmed fatality: a 10-by-20-foot slab of unstable stone crushed a miner in 1891.

A SUDDEN BUST As the rail lines stretched further west, shipments of higher-quality anthracite coal began arriving from Pennsylvania.

This coal burned hotter and more efficiently. When the demand for lignite coal declined, the local economy suffered. Lignite coal continued to be mined in Cloud County until the last mine shafts were sealed in the 1940s.

“The people of Cloud and Republic Counties owe a debt of gratitude to the brave, hardworking homesteaders who took advantage of an opportunity, built a community, and established an economic base for the area,” Dr. Glenn says.

Minersville is one of many early communities with rich stories of the brave men and women who left their homes and traveled west to build new lives on the Kansas prairie.

PHOTOS COURTESY Minersville: The Town, the Mines, the People and the Legacy

“The miners woke up six days a week and crawled down into a 6- to 8-foot-wide hole to dig out coal for $1.50 to $2 per ton,” says avocational archaeologist Debi Aaron, describing the fortitude of mineworkers.

Lost in Time:

The Stories Behind the Ruins Westward expansion brought immigrants from diverse cultures together along the plains of Kansas.

According to local historian Tom Fleming, the Homestead Act of 1862 allowed laborers to live off the land— about 160 acres of public land was given to anyone willing to pay a small fee and work to improve their new land. And to survive the prairie elements, a successful homesteader needed to be a “jack of all trades.” Only about 30% of those Kansas homesteaders succeeded, Fleming estimates. “The rest returned to the East Coast, traveled on to the West, or did not survive harsh conditions,” he says.

Homesteaders who helped establish the Minersville community included the Henderson, Murray and Williams families, among others. Each immigrant family used proceeds from mining operations to construct native limestone homes designed in the unique architectural styles of their particular heritage such as Scottish, French and English.

FRENCH CHATEAU: The son of Irish immigrants, Charles Murray was a Civil War veteran born in New York. His wife, Jane Provost, was born in Canada.

They hired James and John Pourie, French stone masons who lived in Jamestown, Kansas, to build their Minersville home in the style of a French chateau. A stone lintel above their northern door documents the date of the home’s construction in 1882. Above the lintel, at the peak of the doorway, are five symbols of coal mining: a traditional Christian cross, a heart, blacksmith’s tongs, a coal pick and, in the center, the Templar’s cross. The Murrays’ “chateau” remains intact on privately owned property and can be seen from U.S. Highway 81.

Minersville was home to two stone castles, including this French chateau owned by Charles Murray.

SCOTTISH CASTLE: Alexander and Jessie Henderson emigrated from Scotland to New York City. In 1870, the family traveled by train to Waterville and then by wagon to Cloud County, where they lived in a dugout home on 160 acres of land. A stone mason by trade, Alexander capitalized on the growing coal economy of Minersville.

“Their dugout is one of the best-preserved dugouts in the Minersville community,” says avocational archaeologist Debi Aaron.

In 1878, the Hendersons constructed a native stone home reminiscent of a Scottish castle. It was large enough for their family and visitors who came to work in the mines. They hosted dances in their stone barn and donated land for the Minersville store and post office. Only part of the Hendersons’ original stone home is still standing.

51 KANSAS! magazine

ENGLISH COTTAGE: Billy Williams and his family built a stone home reminiscent of an English cottage in Minersville. According to The Rock Houses of Minersville by Agnes Tolbert, a book about this small mining community in Kansas, Granny Williams was known for her culinary skills. The Williamses built a boarding house for miners behind their cottage. A coal cart recovered from the homestead is currently on display in the Cloud County Historical Society Museum, along with a collection of mining tools and photographs.

Brooke Buck / Sheridan County

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kansasgallery

53 KANSAS! magazine

Beth Hostetler / Harvey County

54 KANSAS! magazine

Beau Artzer / Sheridan County

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Tom Arnhold / Johnson County

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Dinner Trains Embrace Kansas History The Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad transports passengers to the golden age of rail travel with classic dining experiences Story by Meta Newell West

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taste

a

fricassee, Kentucky-style potatoes and ll aboard the Abilene & Smoky stewed corn, coleslaw, dinner rolls and Valley Railroad for a taste of butter, with chocolate cake for dessert.

Kansas history, a sampling of Smethers welcomes guests aboard the adventure, and a serving of train with fun facts about their excursion. nostalgia. With more than 30 Smethers and Kohman try to adhere dinner trains scheduled for 2025, the Abilene to original recipes, but sometimes & Smoky Valley dinner train (A&SV) offers adjustments are necessary. Although passengers a chance to feast on authentic the dining cars are still equipped with dishes inspired by the golden age of rail kitchens, they are no longer serviceable. travel. Other themed dinners aboard the “We prepare all foods in advance and A&SV include menus reminiscent of Kansas’ transport them in hot boxes, so dishes cow-town heyday, international cuisine, and must be able to maintain temperature a taste of high society. and quality,” Kohman says. Kohman According to A&SV historian Kevin also notes that tastes Bailey, a desire to serve and even ingredients historically accurate can change over time, cuisine resulted in the as indicated in one of train’s unique Dining Car A&SV’s popular recipes, Heritage Series. The focus “Katy Kornettes.” These was on those trains that pancake-style corn once traveled through cakes appear on the Kansas, including the historical MKT dining Union Pacific, which car menu, but because made stops in Abilene; they are bland by today’s the Missouri Pacific, standards, corn muffins which included stops in Excursion rides aboard the Abilene have replaced them.

Council Grove, Herington, & Smoky Valley Railroad run from Besides their Dining and Lindsborg; the Rock May through September, with dinner Car Heritage Series, Island trains that ran trains tentatively scheduled to run Kohman has crafted through major cities such at least once a month. “The Great other A&SV menus as Topeka and Wichita as Pumpkin Patch Express,” featuring featuring melt-in-yourwell as through Belleville, Charlie Brown and Snoopy, runs mouth roast beef and Colby, Herington, and in October. The “Cowtown Santa chicken with dressing, Goodland; the Santa Express” and an elegant New Year’s both served with Fe, which stopped in Eve dinner train run late November mashed potatoes and Topeka, Emporia, Newton, through December. Private chartered gravy, and green beans Wichita, Arkansas City, trains or cars are also available. Make simmered with onions Hutchinson, and Dodge reservations at their website asvrr.org and ham. Desserts like City; and the Missourior by calling 785.263.1077. Trains apple pie, strawberry Kansas-Texas (MKT), leave promptly at the scheduled time shortcake and peach affectionately known from the railway station depot at 200 cobbler transcend the as “The Katy.” Because SE 5th Street, Abilene, KS 67410. test of time and are today’s train includes a a welcome addition “Chicago” car, menus from to any of her menus, the Chicago and North historical or otherwise. While plating Western Railway have also been included. food in a small service area presents Historic menus went from paper to plate some challenges, Kohman and her staff as train volunteer Steve Smethers worked strive to serve attractive meals with table with Abilene caterer Lucinda Kohman of settings that rival the golden-age elegance Lucinda’s Katering. Their 1940s Rock Island of bygone days.

Rocket dining car menu includes chicken

PHOTO COURTESY Abilene CVB

abilene & smoky valley railroad.

Opposite Scott Hedrick welcomes passengers aboard Abilene’s historic dinner train.

59 KANSAS! magazine

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Opposite Passengers aboard the Abilene & Smoky Valley dinner train are treated to a moveable feast along with a panoramic view of the Dickinson County countryside.

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recipe.

Katy Peach Cobbler This popular cobbler was served aboard the historic Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, nicknamed “The Katy.” The original recipe, found in Dinner on the Diner by Will C. Hollister, calls for “½ cube butter” and “both thick and thin cooked tapioca.” Abilene caterer Lucinda Kohman’s recipe below includes simple, modern adjustments. YIELD 4 servings INGREDIENTS PEACHES

• • • •

2 cups sliced peaches, fresh, frozen, or canned (if using canned, drain juice and reserve ½ cup) ⅓ cup granulated sugar (adjust according to sweetness of the fruit) 1 tablespoon instant tapioca (also referred to as quick or minute tapioca) ⅛ teaspoon almond extract

BATTER

• • • • •

½ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup whole milk 1¼ teaspoons baking powder 4 tablespoons butter (½ stick)

INSTRUCTIONS

one. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

PEACHES

two. Place peaches in a bowl. Add sugar, tapioca, almond extract and reserved peach juice (if using canned peaches). Set aside while preparing batter.

BATTER

three. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, milk and baking powder.

ASSEMBLY

four. Melt butter in an 8x8-inch baking pan, then pour batter over the top of the butter. five. Spoon peach mixture over the batter and bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the baked crust comes out clean. Cover lightly with foil if edges begin to brown before the center. During baking, the batter will rise to the top.

PHOTOS (FROM TOP LEFT) Adobe Stock/baibaz, Dwan Miller, David Mayes, Dwan Miller (3)

Ross Boelling took over as A&SV president and general manager in 2022. Working with experts at the heritage tourism company Heritage Rail Management, A&SV sought to expand the number of excursions, including their dinner trains. After the addition of a second dining car in 2023, seating capacity grew in 2024 from 56 to 104, and the number of dinner train excursions increased from 17 to 31; nearly 2,500 diners climbed aboard for the dining experience. “Essentially A&SV has gone from a small nonprofit organization into a medium-sized nonprofit business,” Boelling explains.

Looking to expand the dinner train’s catering options as well, Boelling reached out to local caterers, including the owners and operators of the Broadway Station in Herington. With an emphasis on Kansas-produced beef, they created a three-course “Date Night” dinner for A&SV that featured a choice of prime rib or smothered chicken.

Brookville Hotel in Abilene, one of the first restaurants that catered train meals when A&SV restored their first dining car in 1996, also provides catering. Under new management, the hotel now known as Legacy Kansas: Munson’s Prime & Brookville Hotel offers passengers their world-famous fried chicken dinners, similar to those the restaurant served when it opened in the 1870s.

Amanda Collins of Amanda’s Bakery & Bistro, Abilene, collaborated with Smethers and Terry Tietjens, owner of the historic Seelye Mansion, to create a memorable Mother’s Day tea that features vintage recipes once served to Abilene’s socialites. “Jennie Seelye’s Tea Party” includes finger sandwiches, a selection of sweets, plus engaging stories about the dinners, receptions and parties hosted by the Seelye family.

Chef Manfred LaGrange-Aulich, a caterer in Riley, offers authentic German cuisine, such as schnitzel (breaded pork chop) or German beef goulash accompanied by homemade spaetzle (noodles) and rotkraut (red cabbage), with Black Forest cake for dessert. He also provides German beer from his restaurant, Schatzi’s Schnitzel Haus, for an extra charge. LaGrange-Aulich’s menus are not only a celebration of carefully prepared food but also a nod to the culture of the German immigrants who helped settle many parts of Kansas.

Keeping with the tradition of the Old West, Chef Scott Sieben of Kite’s Bar & Grill in Manhattan offers a “BBQ Bonanza” menu fit for modern cowpokes—barbeque chicken, brisket and pulled pork, with coleslaw, baked beans, and cornbread with honey. Sieben’s tapestry of tastes also extends to sophisticated fare. Another of his menus featured smoked peppercorn chicken breast and succulent roasted pork loin.

taste

the train caterers.

Amanda’s Bakery & Bistro

302 N Broadway / Abilene / 785.200.6622

This downtown eatery offers pastries, specialty coffees and teas, plus a breakfast and lunch menu.

Broadway Station

1 N Broadway / Herington / 785.258.6106

This full-service downtown restaurant, owned

by Andy and Leann Urbanek and Derek and Janie Berry, is open for lunch and dinner.

Kite’s Bar and Grill

615 N 12th Street / Manhattan / 785.262.5106

Located in Aggieville, this historic establishment offers catering and a variety of bar-and-grill food and drinks.

Lucinda’s Katering Abilene / 785.479.0346

Operating out of rural Abilene, Lucinda’s offers a wide range of menus, complete with eye-catching setups that can be viewed on their Facebook page.

Schatzi’s Schnitzel Haus

121 S Broadway / Riley / 785.473.3355

In addition to offering catering, Schatzi’s opens to the public once a month. Dates and menu are posted in advance on their Facebook page.

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Opposite About an hour into the two-hour trip, the Abilene & Smoky Valley dinner train pulls into the 1880s-era Hoffman Grist Mill.

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recipe.

Chicken Stuffing Bake In addition to historic menus, Lucinda’s Katering also serves a range of “dining in the diner” offerings.

This dish receives rave reviews from food critics and passengers. Easy to assemble, the recipe relies on convenience foods, but purists could use chickenflavored cream sauce and toasted, seasoned bread cubes. YIELD 4 servings INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • • • •

4 large chicken breasts (2½ to 3 pounds) 1 tablespoon dried minced onions 1 teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 (6-ounce) box Stove Top stuffing mix 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 (10-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup ½ cup sour cream 4 tablespoons butter, cubed

INSTRUCTIONS

one. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. two. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with butter or nonstick spray. three. Place chicken breasts in baking dish. four. Season with dried onions, garlic powder and black pepper. five. In a medium bowl, use a fork to combine stuffing mix with chicken broth. Set aside. six. In a small bowl, mix cream of chicken soup and sour cream until smooth. Spread mixture evenly on top of chicken. seven. Spoon prepared stuffing on top of soup layer and around chicken. Top with cubes of butter. eight. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until internal temperature reads 165 degrees. Cover lightly with aluminum foil if stuffing starts to get too brown. nine. To serve, Lucinda tops the chicken with brown gravy, and plates with mashed potatoes and seasoned green beans.

PHOTOS (FROM TOP LEFT) Adobe Stock/Malik, Dwan Miller, Haines Eason, David Mayes, courtesy Abilene CVB, David Mayes, Dwan Miller

Dinner car dining is a novel foray into food service.

Like patrons of the past, today’s diners are treated to a moveable feast that allows them to enjoy a panoramic view of the Dickinson County countryside. Depending on the season, they could view fields of wheat, corn or milo swaying in the breeze, a soybean harvest, and perhaps a few wild Kansas sunflowers blooming along the fencerows. As the train leisurely travels to Enterprise, there’s also time for conversation and a chance to learn how railroads helped build Kansas’ agricultural economy and establish Kansas communities.

About an hour into the two-hour trip, the train pulls into a replica of Enterprise’s 1880s-era Hoffman Grist Mill, where passengers see how Kansas grains are processed. They can purchase flour, mixes, baked goods and an array of other Kansas-inspired items in the adjoining General Store.

With dinner trains operating at 75 to 90% capacity, Boelling believes riders are making memories one train at a time. “We often have return riders for dinner trains, and they often return with friends. Word of mouth helps sell our dinner trains,” he says.

Looking ahead, A&SV is expanding its repertoire of vintage In 2024, 20,000 dining experiences. passengers aboard Newly arrived in Abilene are six cars both dinner and from the former excursion trains Kansas Belle Dinner Train, which operated rode the rails in Baldwin City from from Abilene to 2012 to 2020. Although Enterprise. owned by Heritage Rail Management, these cars have found temporary housing at A&SV and will allow even more dinner train excursions. In December 2024, the A&SV also added the “Eveland Creek” car to their regular dining fleet. Excited about this third dinner car, Boelling says, “This new car seats 56 and is divided into two sections of 32 and 24. While boosting our dining capacity to 160 from our current 104 limit, it will also give us the ability to serve two private seatings of up to 32 diners.”

In 2024, 20,000 passengers aboard both dinner and excursion trains rode the rails from Abilene to Enterprise. According to Boelling, “Out of 627 cities in Kansas, people from 434 of those rode the train in that period. We had travelers from all over the United States and passengers from Canada, Great Britain and the Netherlands—from all over the world.”

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hoffman general store.

Attached to the Hoffman Grist Mill is the General Store, where passengers and visitors can purchase 100% stone-ground whole-wheat flour milled from Turkey Red heritage grain. There’s also bolted (sifted) flour, farina cereal (similar to Cream of Wheat), and two varieties of seasoned flour, including a spicy blend. Ground corn is available as cornmeal, polenta or grits, or ready-to-make cornbread mix. Jams, jellies, locally produced honey and beef, plus a wide variety of other Kansas-inspired products are also for sale.

The store not only offers uniquely Kansas products but also transports them back to Abilene on the same rails that began shipping flour out of Enterprise in the late 1880s.

105 N Factory Street, Enterprise 785.479.0974

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poems W R I T T E N B Y K A N S A N S A N D C U R A T E D B Y P O E T L A U R E A T E T R A C I B R I M H A L L

Southbound on Old 81

Sunset driving through it on an autumn evening with light clouds, pink and purple. Grand, tall, hugely ranged on high with horizon as its pedestal. The sight should grip me like a claw. But it pours out here regardless of my notice or anyone else’s, spilling across the landscape in careless heedless profusion: waste or generosity or what?

If sunset dyed the sky’s vault with an indelible ink, we wouldn’t know of it at first. That night, the paint would dry like watercolor on an eggshell, in the dark.

Next morning, we’d all see it standing, still, those colors blunt and rigid: an angled assaultive unnatural double dawn.

At a wonder so unusual, I’d have to stop and look. For that, I’d pull over. As it is I just keep sliding south along the crease between hard firm rows of seedling winter wheat. Good night to uncollected sights in unlimited edition.

SAM JACK is a poet, journalist, classical tenor and the adult services librarian at Newton Public Library. He holds a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from the University of Montana.

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