KANSAS! Magazine | Issue No. 1 2024

2024 | vol 80 | issue 1 | kansasmag.com

Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum lands a top spot in our list of 24 essential statewide attractions to visit in 2024.

A L S O I N T H I S I S S U E // Historic Hotels // Crispin’s Drug Store Museum New Year’s Eve Celebrations // Holiday Lights at Botanical Gardens Small Town Christmas Celebrations // Pheasant Season ... and More!

Smith County Memorial Hospital is the home of the Kansas Hospital Association’s 2023 Health Care Worker of the Year and Charles S. Billings Award. We are a critical access hospital with attached family clinic built in 2018. Smith County, Kansas has high speed internet, recreation, friendly neighbors, and USD 237 received the Kansas State Department of Education Commissioner’s Highest Distinction in 2022.

We offer a wide variety of medical and non-medical careers with development scholarship opportunities. Apply at scmhks.org/careers.

Slow down and live your life.

K A N S A S !

W H A T ’ S

I N

T H E S E

P A G E S

Features 40

20+4 Kansas Places to See in 2024

51

Historic Hotels in Kansas

A list of must-see attractions to experience and enjoy in the coming year

PHOTOGRAPH Kenny Felt

Grand old lodgings in Kansas offer peek into the past

2

With its cozy interior and warm accents, the Courtland Hotel and Spa welcomes visitors from near and far.

EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS IN THE CAPITAL CITY Catch twinkling lights across the city including Topeka Zoo Lights, TARC’s Winter Wonderland at Lake Shawnee, and Miracle on Kansas Avenue Parade in Downtown Topeka.

Shop local stores, enjoy the magic of winter, and discover your #TopCity adventure.

VisitTopeka.com

W H A T ’ S

I N

T H E S E

P A G E S

K A N S A S !

PHOTOGRAPHS AND ILLUSTRATIONS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Michael Pearce, Nick Krug, Division of Communications and Marketing Kansas State University, Haines Eason

Departments KANSAS DETAILS

WIDE OPEN SPACES

10 Cuisine Fine Food and Good Eats

24 Poems and Banana Bread For Traci Brimhall, recipes can be rituals to summon memories of people we love

12 Culture Arts and Experiences 14 Kansas Air The Freshness of Outdoor Life 16 Heartland People and Places that Define Us 18 Behind the Illustrator A Conversation with KANSAS! Illustrators 20 Kansas Captured Authentic Life in the Sunflower State 22 Reasons We Love Kansas Celebrating Unique Attractions

30 The Lost City Artifacts from Ark City digs challenge what previously has been known about Plains Native Americans 36 Crispin’s Museum of the Wonder Drugs of Yesteryear An old-fashioned apothecary in Lincoln takes you back to the times when pills were covered in gold and pharmacists sold hope rather than solutions

IN EVERY ISSUE 7 It’s All in the Extra Details 8 A Hello from Our Publisher 58 KANSAS! Gallery 64 From the Poet Laureate

ON THE COVER Amelia Earhart sits in an airplane cockpit, circa 1936.

Photograph courtesy Library of Congress, Harris & Ewing Collection.

5

Maxwell Wildlife Refuge LOCATED IN THE HEART OF THE SMOKY HILLS

Old Fashioned Christmas On The Prairie Saturday, December 9th & Saturday, December 16th Experience a good old family Christmas Prairie tour.

Hot drinks and cookies with story telling by the tree.

Starts at 10:00

Kansas Tourism, a division of the Kansas Department of Commerce

Andrea Etzel PUBLISHER

Laura Kelly GOVERNOR

MENTION THIS AD FOR A FREE TRAM PASS! LIMIT 1 PER GROUP

David Toland

LT. GOVERNOR & SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Bridgette Jobe

TOURISM DIRECTOR

SUNFLOWERPUB.COM | LAWRENCE, KANSAS KSMAGAZINE@SUNFLOWERPUB.COM

DESIGN & PRODUCTION Make your reservations today for an up close personal experience of one of the last remaining Bison herds roaming our Kansas native prairie.

Bill Uhler

Bob Cucciniello

Shelly Bryant

Nathan Pettengill

PUBLISHER

DIRECTOR

Tram tours offered throughout the year.

DESIGNER/ART DIRECTOR

MANAGING EDITOR

MaxwellWildlifeRefuge@gmail.com MaxwellWildlifeRefuge.com

MARKETING JMORGAN@SUNFLOWERPUB.COM

Joanne Morgan Alex Tatro

Kalli Jo Smith

MANAGING EDITOR

Leslie Clugston Andres COPY EDITOR

ADVERTISING DESIGNER

WWW.SHERIDAN.COM

PRINTER

Susan Roberts

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Dan Lautner

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.

WHERE ART

MEETS AG

25 Murals in the County

Zoo • Museums • Rodeos • Festivals • Milford Lake • Water Parks Hunting • Kansas Landscape Arboretum

6

claycokansas.com

785.632.5674

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.

I T ’ S

A L L

I N

T H E

E X T R A

D E T A I L S

K A N S A S !

PHOTOGRAPHS AND ILLUSTRATIONS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) Lana Grove, Shutterstock, Kansas Tourism, courtesy Purdue University via Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum

BEHIND THE ILLUSTRATOR Regular readers of KANSAS! will remember the work of artist Lana Grove from earlier appearances over the past years, most recently in the 2022 Native issue. An enrolled member of the Oceti Ŝakowiŋ/ Oglala Lakota nation, Grove contributed an illustration for this issue that artistically represents the vast Indigenous settlement of Etzanoa. Because we are still learning much about this pre-Columbian city that ranged from what is now the Oklahoma border to as far north as Saline County and contained possibly 200,000 residents, Grove’s work was based on archaeological evidence and traditional descriptions of the homes and crops. You can see this illustration and read more about Etzanoa on page 30 of this issue.

TIGER BABIES?

GET ROAD-TRIP READY!

One of our featured attractions for 2024, the Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center has several events and special attractions planned for the coming year.

But it is an unplannable possibility that might hold the most excitement. As a spokesperson for the zoo explained, “The zoo has a male and female tiger together at this time. [They] have never been with the opposite gender before, so they are figuring things out, so to speak. The hope is that eventually there will be cubs!”

Our feature on 24 must-see locations across the state is designed to help you get a jump start on your plans for exciting 2024 Kansas road trips. Of course, these are not the state’s only great attractions.

Visit travelks.com for customized trip builders, suggestions by region, highlights of cities, and more. We’re here to help you discover and enjoy Kansas in 2024.

A R O U N D page 17 WaKeeney page 10 Marienthal page 45 Weskan page 36 Lincoln page 48 Dodge City

CALENDAR T H E

S T A T E page 25 Manhattan page 43 Atchison page 42 Galena page 23 Derby

Subscribers to KANSAS! magazine are receiving a complimentary 2024 calendar along with this issue. Highlighting the natural beauty from all areas of the state, the 2024 calendar also features the State Capitol dome on its cover. You can purchase one or multiple copies of the calendar by going online at travelks.com/ kansas-magazine and typing “calendar” in the search bar.

7

K A N S A S !

A

H E L L O

F R O M

O U R

P U B L I S H E R

How is another year coming to an end already?

facebook.com/KansasMagazine @KANSASMag KansasMagazine (get spotted; use #kansasmag to tag us)

8

ANDREA ETZEL

PUBLISHER, KANSAS! MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPH Andrea Etzel

Looking at my “things to get done in 2023” list, I’ve not checked many items off. I didn’t repaint my house like I had planned. My neighbors are still seeing the three sage green swatches I painted on the side last year. I’m blaming the many lost weekends researching Kansas’ obscure history and people. Like Eugene Dennis. Billed as the “Wonder Girl,” Dennis was an internationally known psychic from Atchison. One of her most famous readings was for Albert Einstein.

When I wasn’t falling down a virtual rabbit hole, I was on the road. Visits to the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum and the recently renovated Boot Hill Museum (both of which you’ll find in our 24 things to do in 2024) were top stops. Feeding a rhino, giraffe and lemur at Tanganyika was a bucket list item checked. The ultimate highlight though, was having the honor to meet the one-and-only Dolly Parton while she was in Overland Park celebrating the expansion of her Imagination Library program throughout the state. I’m also proud to share this year I added 65 Kansas related books to my collection, for a total of 149 books on our state.

I’m optimistic about 2024. Not necessarily about my house being painted, but for the opportunities and possibilities the year holds for us Kansans. Especially for those in tourism and community development. Travel is back. With the addition of the Lehigh Portland State Park in Iola, there are now 29 state parks to explore. Our Capital City has reasons to celebrate, next December it turns 170 and May marks the 70th year since Brown vs. the Board of Education ruling. Plus, the Kansas Museum of History will wrap up their renovation and the Rock Island Bridge project in KCK is slated to open next year.

As the year draws to a close, on behalf of the entire KANSAS! team, I wish you a joyous and prosperous New Year.

May 2024 be a year filled with unforgettable experiences, cherished memories, and an abundance of Kansas warmth and charm.

Give the gift of Give the gift of

Kansas Kansas

Promoting Kansas grown, raised, and produced since 1978.

Promoting Kansas grown, raised, and produced since 1978.

ORDER YOUR GIFT BOX TODAY! ORDER YOUR GIFT BOX TODAY! fromthelandofkansas.com 785-564-6755 fromthelandofkansas.com

785-564-6755

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

C U I S I N E

I Flour for Our Daily Bread Old-style grain mills continue producing flour

W H E R E

I N

Marienthal Hudson

S T O R Y

K A N S A S ?

Enterprise

B Y

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

Haines Eason

10

B Y

n 1922, Stafford County native Leila English Reid moved to West Virginia where she was so unsatisfied with the flour she found on the store shelves that she convinced her local grocer to accept one train-car shipment of Hudson Cream Flour produced by the Stafford County Flour Mills Company in Hudson, Kansas. Today a majority of the company’s flour still is sold in West Virginia, along with Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.

Established in 1909 and one of the last major independent flour mills in the country, Stafford County Flour Mills has endured a fire, a tornado, and decades of changes while staying true to its purpose of producing the best quality flour at a fair price. What makes it a popular staple in kitchens is a century-old milling process that includes extra grinding followed by multiple sifting in finer-meshed sieves.

“Hudson Cream Flour is short patent flour, which means that we basically take out the low-grade flour and sell it separately,” says Stafford County Flour Mills president Reuel Foote. “It makes it lighter and smoother, more silky, and that makes the [baked] products lighter. It’s refined where it’s going through a sifter process one more time than most other flours.”

Much of the company’s success also is due to its ability to rise to the needs of bakers through the years. When those valued consumers in the Appalachia region requested self-rising flour, the company added a leavening agent to its flour in 1952, and that product currently reigns as the best-selling Hudson Cream flour variety. When asked for a self-rising white corn meal mix, the company delivered the product to stores in 1990.

Two years later, the mill took advantage of the new hard white wheat varieties being grown locally and introduced Hudson Cream Whole Wheat flour, offering the nutritional benefits of whole wheat but with a naturally sweeter flavor than traditional red wheat varieties. The product line expanded again in 2000 with bread flour, which has added gluten to improve dough strength. In 2014, the fine whole wheat milling unit was completed and produces whole wheat flour that results in a less bitter taste in baked goods.

Today, Stafford County Flour Mills Company products include Hudson Cream Short Patent Premium Flour (bleached, unbleached and self-rising), white whole wheat, bread flour, white corn meal, biscuit mix and gravy mix. They are available in retail stores or may be ordered via the company’s Hudson Cream Flour website, where recipes also may be found.

For those interested in seeing the milling process, the company occasionally announces walking tours of the mills on its Facebook page. To reserve a place on a tour, call the home office. hudsoncream.com | Hudson Cream Flour on Facebook 800.530.5640 or 620.458.4121

Above and Opposite Joe Minick shows some of the Hoffman Grist Mill flour. The grinding stone inside of Maud came from a repurposed tombstone that bore the name “Maud.” The stone became available because the descendants wanted an upgrade for the tombstone and allowed use of the previous stone.

C U I S I N E

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

HOFFMAN GRIST MILL Enterprise

Hoffman Grist Mill in Enterprise prepares flour products as close as possible to the way its original mill did in the 1800s. The mill’s spouting, elevator legs, and storage bins are made of wood and 80- to 100-year-old primary cleaners and an original bolter (sifter) do the bulk of the work. The historic mill creates a whole wheat flour from turkey red heritage grain using the entire grain berry. Flour and corn meal may be purchased at the store, and tours of the facility are available. hoffmanmill.org 785.479.1091

HEARTLAND MILL Marienthal

Established nearly 40 years ago, the farmer-owned Heartland Mill produces an assortment of organic products for home and commercial bakers. Many of the products feature hard red winter wheat, but by growing and buying only certified organic wheat, Heartland assures its flour is the safest and most healthful possible. Unbleached roller-milled flours include allpurpose, the high-protein strong bread, and baker’s patent. Whole wheat, whole white wheat, Golden Buffalo, and whole wheat pastry flour are stone ground. The flours are available at retail outlets and at the onsite company store, The Country Oven Bakery, which also sells baked goods made with the Heartland Mill flours. Tours of the plant are available with advance arrangement.

Heartlandmill.com 800.232.8533 or 620.379.4472

11

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

C U L T U R E

Botanical Gardens Light Up for the Holidays S T O R Y

B Y

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

C O U R T E S Y

Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Garden 12

O F

C U L T U R E

I

magine strolling down candlelit paths through tranquil, snow-covered woods as the stresses of the holiday season melt away. Every November, the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens offers this opportunity with its Luminary Walk, a series of festively decorated trails leading to areas such as a colorful children’s garden, magical gnome and fairy villages, and gardens aglow with more than 365,000 colorful holiday lights.

The Luminary Walk began as a fundraiser 22 years ago. The first events featured simple candlelit paths through the gardens, according to Irene Parsons, the event’s chairperson. Her favorite section of the modern trail continues that simple approach.

“One loop is called the Quiet Woods Walk because it just is so serene,” she says of the tour’s candlelit portion. “We have a music tent in there with instrumental music, we have live musicians playing, and it’s a serene walk through the woods with the beautiful music drifting through the air.”

One of the most popular spots is the gnome and fairy villages featuring 30 houses tucked among the trees in clusters in the sculpture garden.

“We have a crew of four or five ladies, and that’s their passion. They love building those gnome houses and the fairy houses that are smaller,” Parsons says, adding the unique homes are one to three feet tall. “Some were professional artists in previous careers, and this is a way to continue to use their artistic skills, and they enjoy it so much. Every year we have new homes, and they’ll take the old ones and refurbish them and enhance them again. The little details are just amazing.”

It takes several crews of volunteers to prepare all sections.

“We have marbles; they are big balls that light up, and rings, and we just have a lot of different things to look at that we’ve made in one way or another,” Parsons says. “We have some people who are good with metalwork and woodwork and just patient with putting lights on things. We are kind of homegrown.”

The hand-crafted displays are both unique and economical. The money saved is then used to further enhance the arboretum the rest of the year.

Even the model trains in the train garden get into the holiday spirit as they speed along their three different routes.

“They are lit up with Christmas lights, and the passenger cars have lights inside, and you can see the people,” Parsons notes. “The kids love those.”

The event also will feature live musical entertainment in four locations, hot cider, four fire pits spread about the gardens, and, of course, Santa.

In addition to regular viewings, this year Electric Glow Nights on two weeknights are planned for those wishing to see only the holiday lights.

Two adults-only nights for people over 18 ensure a quiet stroll. All tickets must be purchased in advance. artsandrec-op.org 913.322.6467

Above Live musical entertainment is part of the holiday celebrations at the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.

Opposite The holiday event began as a simple candlelight display 22 years ago.

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

PRAIRIE LIGHTS Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, Hesston

Tens of thousands of twinkle lights will complement the quiet beauty of dormant native grasses at the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Hesston during Prairie Lights. The path, grounds, and trees will all be lit while the arboretum’s pavilion, with two all-glass sides, will become a “snow globe” featuring a diorama of prairie bird species. Each night, the arboretum will host musical performances and other programming. Tickets for the fundraiser are available online beginning November 1. dyckarboretum.org/prairie-lights/ 620.327.8127

ILLUMINATIONS Botanica, Wichita

A new art display of floating lotus flowers and ducks will be introduced during Botanica’s Illuminations in Wichita. Guests can follow a path to more than 30 uniquely decorated gardens with different themes. With more than two million lights, the nationally recognized light show also includes a 70-foot-tall Christmas tree, an interactive steppingstone area, a hand-crafted holiday village, a miniature carnival, a train display, and carousel rides. Hot cocoa and other holiday treats will be available. botanica.org/illuminations 316.264.0448

W H E R E

Hesston

I N

K A N S A S ?

Wichita Overland Park

13

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

A I R

After the Opening The first weekend of pheasant season is a big event for Kansas— but the best hunting comes shortly after the season opens S T O R Y

A N D

P H O T O G R A P H Y

B Y

Michael Pearce

O

pening weekend of pheasant season bursts across the Kansas countryside like a holiday celebration. That second weekend of November, jubilant hunters from numerous states gather in prairie towns of all sizes to pack pre-dawn cafes and stay in motel rooms they’ve reserved a year in advance.

In large groups, they will spread across fields, enjoying the fall weather and the return of the hunt. Many will have opened new seasons together for decades and for some, the season begins and ends with the festive opening weekend.

Hunting after opening weekend is more difficult. With each day into the season, birds become more attuned to the dangers of dogs, hunters and shotguns. Post-opener hunts can be exhausting, sometimes lonely, and may include brutal winter weather.

But there are plenty of rewards for those who hunt into the season, through to the January 31 closing date. Indeed, for many, the post-opener season is the best of the bird seasons, for several reasons.

Room to roam Unlike hunters on opening weekend, late season hunters needn’t worry about finding a quality place to hunt. Kansas’ legendary Walk-In Hunting Area program, with more than a million acres of private lands leased for public hunting, has fine upland bird habitat all over the state. Hundreds of thousands of other public hunting acres are scattered

14

amid dozens of state wildlife areas, state wetlands, national wildlife refuges, a large military base and other places open for exploration.

Whether found on official maps or satellite imagery, some public spots don’t get hunted for weeks at a time after opening weekend. Hunters can pick and choose the coverts they want to work, looking for the ideal combination of great cover and food sources that attract pheasants.

Strength, and success, in fewer numbers The social-side of opening weekend attracts many to hunt in large groups.

Afterwards, most late-season hunters avoid the noise and disorganization of more than three or four hunting together. Some hunt solo, quietly sliding into a field and simply following their dog until it finds birds.

The stealth of small groups makes it easier to sneak up on birds. Working in relative silence makes the important aspects of a hunt—watching the dog work, the peace and beauty of the land, and the grand appearance of the birds—much more vivid.

When bad weather is good Heaven to a late-season pheasant hunter is a broad landscape covered in fresh snow.

It’s true that walks through snow drifts are often more strenuous and that exposed skin stings from frigid winds that brought the snow. But seasoned hunters gladly burn the last of their vacations days to be afield in fresh snow. At no time during a season are the pheasants more concentrated in the best habitat.

These are the conditions most likely to yield a concentrated cluster-flush, when thousands of wingbeats lift dozens of pheasants simultaneously into the sky, allowing shots to echo across an otherwise quiet countryside and the dog to fetch a pheasant or two.

When the season closes, many hunters will start counting the weeks and months until the social happenings of Kansas’ next opening weekend. And others will look beyond that opening weekend, to the cold, snow-swept weeks when the best hunting begins.

Above A trained dog and hunter can hunt pheasant effectively without a large group.

Opposite A dog should be well trained and accustomed to gunshot before being taken out on a hunt.

A I R

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

15

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

H E A R T L A N D

Small Town Christmas Travel home for the holidays in Holton S T O R Y

B Y

Debbie Leckron Miller P H O T O G R A P H Y

B Y

Nick Krug

S

park your holiday spirit with an evening at Holton’s Small Town Christmas.

On December 9, visitors can expect to find the historic downtown decorated with an array of lights, a parade, Santa’s arrival and shops open late to ignite the community’s holiday season.

The hub of the town, the historic 1921 courthouse, is the three-story centerpiece of the annual celebration. Lights on the trees, the hum of local shoppers and the memorable architecture add to the glow surrounding the square.

“The ambiance of the lights on the courthouse and around the square give a cozy, warm feeling to the evening,” says Ashlee York, Holton’s chamber director. “It’s an easygoing, unhurried way to kick off Christmas.”

A performance outside the courthouse by a local dance studio leads up to the main event, the Parade of Lights at 5:30 p.m. Area clubs, churches, businesses, school groups, families, farm

W H E R E

I N

WaKeeney

Baldwin City Holton

16

K A N S A S ?

Leavenworth

machinery, horses, the high school band and emergency vehicles all shine bright in this procession around the square.

Santa and Mrs. Claus bring up the rear, and afterward, make their way to the Santa House on the square for visits and pictures (watch for Santa at his house every Thursday throughout December). Other fun includes cookie decorating and story time with elves. Also, earlier in the afternoon, the local Beck Bookman Library hosts its annual children’s Christmas with readings, a classic film, crafts and goodies.

Small Town Christmas wraps up with shopping, treats and complimentary drinks until 7 p.m. at Holton’s downtown stores.

Shoppers can enjoy holiday music as they stop by hometown classics such as More than Lemons for hand-blown glass ornaments, the Holton Mercantile for toys, old-fashioned candy and ice cream, and Third Eye Piper for jams, salsas and pickles made from homegrown peppers.

Make a night of it downtown with prime rib and chicken fried chicken at Boomers’ Steakhouse and Grill, Trails Café and other eateries, or try what’s on tap at Willcott Brewing Company.

“You’ll find something for everyone on your list at our selection of specialty shops,” York says. “The event [not only] reminds us that Christmas is near but also inspires us to shop locally in our unique and historic downtown.”

Opposite Santa makes his grand entrance at Holton’s Small Town Christmas parade.

Above Visitors shop local and gather for festivities in the downtown square.

H E A R T L A N D

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

More Small Town Christmas Events HOLIDAY LIGHT PARADE & MAYOR’S TREE LIGHTING Leavenworth

November 17 Food and gift vendors will be available starting at 4 p.m. The Holiday Light Parade will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m., and the official tree lighting will be held immediately following the parade. leavenworthks.org/parksrec/page/mayors-holiday-tree-lighting

TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY WaKeeney

November 25 Enjoy the 73rd annual tree lighting ceremony in downtown WaKeeney the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This popular tradition features a holiday bazaar, soup supper, horse-drawn wagon rides, live reindeer, children’s train rides and more. wakeeney.org/events/

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS Baldwin City

December 2 Get into the holiday spirit with the annual Christmas parade starting at 6 p.m., followed by the tree lighting ceremony downtown.

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

B E H I N D

T H E

I L L U S T R A T O R

Lana Grove A conversation with KANSAS! illustrators about their lives in art

B E H I N D

T H E

I L L U S T R A T O R

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

L

ana Grove is a classically trained fine artist, designer, and illustrator. Born in Las Vegas and raised in Central Valley, California, Grove found her way to Kansas after her husband was offered a job in the area. Though hesitant to leave the Bay Area, Grove quickly fell in love with Lawrence.

There, they raised both of their children and made Kansas their permanent home.

“Did I know that chiggers existed and had I experienced humidity? No. Discovering these things was truly unpleasant... But, there is beauty, amazing humans, and so much more than I thought I would find in a hometown, and I have come to love it here,” she notes.

What was the moment you wanted to become an illustrator? Illustration

has brought opportunities to me for political, cultural, historical and contemporary design that I would not have been able to visually share with so many audiences had I not been educated to pursue this work. I was in elementary school when I knew that I wanted to use visual images to communicate with others, and I was lucky enough to have the support that I needed throughout my schooling and in my home life to allow me to pursue a path that gave me the tools to realize art as a career. Lawrence Magazine, and affiliated publications, has given me such wonderful opportunities to visually connect with my community over the years, and it has been my sincere pleasure to contribute.

Can you describe your illustration process and how you approach new creative projects? When a new project

comes my way, the first thing I do is Google the subject, read articles and search images, and thoroughly research the focus of the assignment. When a subject is well researched, the artist has more to offer the viewer, and that is what makes an illustration a memorable connection to the written word.

What is one of your most standout pieces in your portfolio? Portraiture is my first love, and when I am able

to capture a face that reflects the personality and conveys an emotion to the viewer, that feels like success. I was given a column featuring portraits of a writer and the subject of his film reviews for Lawrence Magazine—I would have to say that it was my favorite project to date. The writer kept it interesting by mugging for the photos and giving good face, as well as encouraging his subjects to offer up some expressive material. It kept my job fun and rich with visual material.

Can you think of a particular time during a project that proved to be challenging? There have been some

challenging projects over the years, and sometimes I go through many drafts before hitting the image that I would like to convey to the viewer. When there is a story being told that has many nuances, I try to think about the best way to visually process that information and gather it together into one image that grabs the viewer’s attention, allowing for connection to different ages, genders and cultures. A couple of images that I executed for KANSAS! magazine’s Native Issue contained some cultural nuances that I wanted to portray in an accurate and relatable way. For those depictions, I drew upon my cultural background to bring forth images that felt respectful and accurate to the writing that they supported, as well as modern and connected to present as well as the honoring past. That is a lot to convey in one drawing, and it can be elusive to capture. After much drawing, discarding, and finally, keeping, I was happy with the images.

Who is a Kansan you have never illustrated, but would like to? Living and working in Kansas for the past 21

years, I have had the opportunity to illustrate some famous and influential Kansans, but one I have not yet had the opportunity to illustrate is Amelia Earhart. She is such a well-known entity with so much rich history and visual fodder. If there is a writer out there who has an article about Amelia that needs illustrations, I am your girl. Seriously.

19

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

C A P T U R E D

“I routinely collect scenes from this rural estate for an annual calendar for the owners. The tile silo has been meticulously renovated and preserved and has often been the subject of photographs. The stone wall was constructed by hand by the property owner. The textures and tones of the scene, along with the receding lines drawing the eye toward the silo, are what I found most interesting.”

—JEFFREY MCPHEETERS, PHOTOGRAPHER

Location: Douglas County

Social Media: @jeffmcpheeters

McPheeters captured this series of images using an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III with a 12-100mm lens at 20mm. As a freelance photographer based in Lawrence, McPheeters has rarely found himself without a camera since his teenage years.

20

C A P T U R E D

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

K A N S A S !

D E T A I L S

R E A S O N S

IN THIS ISSUE

Family-Friendly New Year’s Eve Events

R E A S O N S

We Love Kansas B Y

Cecilia Harris

22

K A N S A S !

R E A S O N S

FIELD STATION DINOSAURS Derby

Take a dinosaur-themed family field trip on December 31 as staff at Field Station Dinosaurs introduce you to dinosaurs around the world.

The daylong adventure begins at 2 p.m. with a presentation about the diplodocus.

A new dinosaur is presented each hour, ending with a celebration honoring the geographic location currently marking the midnight New Year’s celebration.

“We celebrate New Year’s every hour,” says park manager Garion Masterson.

“We start a new activity, like the featured craft, in that hour block, and then once we get close to the time, we get everybody around the middle of the field station, and then drop the ball in the middle of the field station with a countdown from 10.”

Games, hands-on activities, and music all relate to the dinosaur and the country in which it was discovered. Children receive noisemakers and party hats for the toast each of the eight times the clock strikes midnight throughout the event.

“This way kids can be a part of New Year’s without needing to stay up until midnight; that’s the goal,” Masterson says. “Everybody gets to count down the New Year with us and have a kid-friendly toast.” kansasdinos.com | 855.833.3466

NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH Parrot Cove Water Park, Garden City

Dive into 2024 and win a prize during the New Year’s Eve Bash on December 31 at the Parrot Cove Water Park in Garden City. Families may swim from noon until 9 p.m., and there will be games for the kids in the party room. A beach-ball drop from the slide tower will occur at 6 p.m.; children who catch numbered balls may win one of the prizes awarded every 30 minutes. Those over age 21 may swim from 9 p.m. to midnight, when a ball will be dropped for the adults to ring in the New Year. swimatparrotcove.com | 620.805.5303

GLOW PARTY Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan

PHOTOGRAPH Shutterstock/MISTER DIN

Come to Manhattan’s Flint Hills Discovery Center for a New Year’s Glow Party on December 31. The family-friendly event includes hands-on crafts and activities related to the theme, drinks and snacks, music, a photo booth, and access to all of the center’s exhibits, including the ongoing photo exhibition “Great Plains: America’s Lingering Wild.” Hundreds of balloons will drop from the ceiling of the dome at “kids’ midnight,” which is 8 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance. flinthillsdiscovery.org | 785.587.2726

D E T A I L S

The first known record of New Year’s celebrations began about 2000 B.C. in Mesopotamia.

This occurred at the time of the vernal equinox, which is toward the end of March.

Babylonians would have a religious festival named Akitu taken from the Sumerian term for barley.

W H E R E

I N

K A N S A S ?

“NOON” NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY Tony’s Pizza Event Center, Salina

Bring in the New Year with a milk and cookie toast to 2024 with your family during the free “Noon” New Year’s Eve Party in Heritage Hall at the Tony’s Pizza Event Center, which co-sponsors the party with the Salina Parks and Recreation Department. The event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on December 31 includes crafts with a New Year’s countdown theme, music, games, dancing, bounce houses, face painting and more. salina-ks.gov/parks-and-recreation | 785.309.5765

Garden City Salina

Manhattan Derby

23

K A N S A S !

W I D E

O P E N

S P A C E S

Kansas Poems & Pecans Banana Bread

With a combination of native and grafted varieties, Kansas orchards produce a full harvest of this favorite holiday nut

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY Division of Communications and Marketing Kansas State University

For Traci Brimhall, recipes can be rituals to summon memories of people we love

W I D E

O P E N

S P A C E S

K A N S A S !

“P

oetry brings me to community, keeps me connected,” says Manhattan poet and Kansas State University professor Traci Brimhall. “Poetry opens the door to new experiences.”

Those words took on an even broader meaning for Brimhall when she became Kansas’ poet laureate in 2023.

Her new position, sponsored by the Kansas Creative Art Industries Commission and the Kansas Department of Commerce, is charged with promoting the arts as a public resource for all Kansans. Job duties include public readings, workshops, lectures and poetry presentations in communities across the state.

Brimhall, whose tenure runs from 2023 to 2026, has had at least 30 public appearances as poet laureate over the past year.

“I go where the poetry wind blows,” Brimhall jokes.

When she appears for groups, Brimhall often brings poems and discussions that focus on raising awareness about food insecurity in Kansas and beyond.

“Food as Indulgence and as Insecurity” is the title of one of the programs. “Wonders” is the other.

“Food, like poetry, can summon people,” Brimhall explains. “Both can be a window and a mirror.”

And sometimes, poetry and food go together.

After reading “One Bite,” written by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Brimhall and her nine-year-old son, Elliot, embarked on a quest to discover anything and everything about the miracle fruit, the unfamiliar fruit mentioned in the poem. It led them on a path around the world, and they discovered that, in berry form, miracle fruit grows on an indigenous African plant and is unique because it can make sour and acidic foods taste sweeter. As they read “Arabic Coffee” by Naomi Shihab Nye, Elliot discovered that there’s more to coffee making than just dropping a pod into a machine. Delving into the intricate process involved in brewing Arabic coffee, he also discovered the hospitality associated with this universal beverage.

Like a well-written line of poetry, food can connect with memories as well.

“Smells and tastes, even appearances, can evoke food memories from the past,” Brimhall says.

For Brimhall, the food with the greatest power to do this is her mother’s meatloaf.

“I am someone who cooks my mother’s recipes on her birthday and other special occasions, allowing me to both celebrate her life and grieve her passing,” she says.

S T O R Y

B Y

Meta Newell West

Scott Bean Photography K A N S A S L A N D S CA P E A N D N AT U R E P H OTO G R A P H S

7 8 5 - 3 4 1 - 1 0 4 7 | S C OT T @ S C OT T B E A N P H OTO. C O M

www.scottbeanphoto.com

K A N S A S !

W I D E

O P E N

S P A C E S

Cooking is a tradition that Brimhall is passing on to her son. They’ve purchased subscription food boxes, ranging from one dubbed Bake, Eat, Love to those with an international flair. One memorable box resulted in a batch of yummy bananas foster cinnamon rolls. Netflix’s Nailed It is one of their favorite shows and inspires Elliot’s creativity.

Experimenting with seasoning, he often comes up with his own recipes. In turn, Brimhall has conversations with him about the importance of thanking hosts for their meals, even when he may not like every food served. “No need to tell them how they might improve the dish with this spice or that,” she reminds him.

Trips to the grocery store are also a chance for Brimhall to instill in Elliot what she terms “an ethos of care and giving.”

Provided with a shopping list of highest-need items, she lets him choose what to give to those with food insecurity.

Food also becomes a tool to inspire Brimhall’s students.

She uses Maya Angelou’s cookbook, Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes, as a text in one of her literature classes. Recipe exchanges allow students to explore their connections to culture, community, the past, and even to one another. Encouraging students to think creatively, she might ask, “Did you know Amelia Earhart carried condensed milk on her travels?” Beyond talking and reading, students sample foods from the past as they sink

Theatre Music Golf Murals Zoo Sculpture Museums Festivals Great Eats Art Cinema Unique Shops Hospitality Cool Spaces and... FRIENDLY FACES!

their teeth into confections Brimhall bakes for them, such as Sylvia Plath’s angel orange pie with meringue crust, Emily Dickinson’s coconut cake, or dead poet’s pie.

Brimhall also uses questions to motivate students and audiences because they prompt conversation and encourage critical thinking.

“Questions can help a person see their food, even their world, in different ways,” she says. Modeling the behaviors she expects of others, Brimhall answers some of her most frequently asked questions: •

•

•

What are new ways to look at food? “During the pandemic I began being very aware of the senses associated with food. I now try to focus on my senses as I make dinner.” The smell of a peach brings back memories of summer. The taste of a tomato might take her on a journey into the past.

What foods or food experiences are comforting?

“I look forward to rituals and simple pleasures such as sipping coffee with my partner and looking out the window on weekends. With no place to go, it’s a chance to relax and have a conversation.”

What are foods to eat alone? “I do hide my special chocolate.” [It’s a particular brand of chocolate peanut butter cups.] “But, I’m also willing to share. Sometimes.”

Smoky Hill Museum

The Garage

where the arts are unavoidable!

SculptureTour

Stiefel Theatre Theatre Salina

Downtown Murals

Downtown Lights!

Rolling Hills Zoo

Scan for Visitors' Guide!

W I D E

MOM’S BANANA BREAD

O P E N

S P A C E S

K A N S A S !

Yield: 3 mini (3¼ x 5¾ x 2-inch) bread loaf pans

Traci Brimhall says this reliable recipe transports her to her very first baking experience.

“One of the things I like about it is that it never fails. It’s always delicious,” she notes. “And I always freeze my bananas as they brown and then thaw those frozen ones for baking. It makes the banana bread very moist and makes mixing the ingredients go more easily as well.”

She advises baking the loaves in disposable pans so you can give them as holiday gifts.

INGREDIENTS • 1½ cups all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 cup mashed (over-ripe) bananas (3–4) • 1 cup granulated sugar • 1 egg • ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted and cooled • 1 small package (4 ounces or ¼ cup) walnuts or pecans, optional

Note: Using an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of quick breads is the best and most accurate way to ensure they are perfectly cooked through but not overdone.

PHOTOGRAPH Shutterstock/Alena_Kos

Quick breads, including this banana bread, should register an internal temperature of 200–205℉.

INSTRUCTIONS 1.

Stir together flour, salt, and soda.

2. In a separate bowl, combine bananas and sugar. Stir well. Add egg and butter.

3. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and mix with a fork until moistened.

4. Pour into 3 mini loaf pans that have been sprayed with pan release. Fill each pan about two-thirds full.

5. Bake in a preheated 325℉ oven for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. Let cool on a rack before slicing.

Alternative for steps 4 and 5: Pour the batter into a prepared standard (8½ x 4½ x 2⅝inch) loaf pan; increase baking time to 55–60 minutes.

• •

W I D E

O P E N

S P A C E S

What are foods you grow? “I grew peas for the first time, learning as I went. I had no idea they grew best on a trellis.”

What foods or food experiences have special meaning? One Christmas, her mother created cookbooks for Brimhall and her sister. The cookbooks included her mother’s favorite recipes, the recipes she cooked for her daughters during their childhood, and beloved additions from friends and past generations of cooks. Each recipe came with notes and descriptions.

Brimhall now adds her own recipes to this treasured book, adding another generation of recipes and memories to share with her children. “It’s a way for us to stay connected to past generations, revive memories of our childhood,” she explains. Using recipes from the book, Brimhall creates her mom’s traditional

•

Christmas Eve menu: Cornish hens with wild rice and orange-raisin sauce.

What are favorite foods to prepare? “Freshly made breads made from carefully tended sourdough starter, or piping hot yeast rolls, served fresh from the oven.”

Brimhall speculates about how both poetry and food are ways to nourish the mind. “We need bread and we need water and we need each other, and we need art,” she says.

And, in typical professor mode, she finishes with additional questions. “An invitation,” she says, to think about food and to stimulate conversation.

• • •

What foods open the world to you?

How often do we forget where our food comes from?

What foods help you remember those you lost?

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY Division of Communications and Marketing Kansas State University

K A N S A S !

Enjoy the Magic of

Lemon Park Lights

Pratt, Kansas

November 18 - January 1 Visit Pratt for the holidays and take a one-mile drive through Lemon Park, Pratt’s oldest & most scenic park, adorned with thousands of lights and animated displays.

A second holiday park has been added nearby featuring the Twelve Days of Christmas. Many enjoy the lights from the walking paths or on hay rack rides. Dusk till 11:00 PM nightly. Make Pratt one of your holiday destinations.

See the Smithsonian in Kansas!

HUMANITIES KANSAS PRESENTS Closing January 2024

See the Voices and Votes: Democracy in America Smithsonian traveling exhibition in Winfield and Belleville and learn about the history of American democracy.

Perfect for all ages. Visit humanitieskansas.org for details. #MovementOfIdeas

Special thanks to the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home.

Naturalization Ceremony at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, July 4, 2013. ©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello

K A N S A S !

W I D E

O P E N

S P A C E S

The Lost City Artifacts from Ark City digs challenge what previously has been known about Plains Native Americans

30

Vegetable gardens might have included pumpkins, corn, beans and squash. Women and young girls often tended to the crops while men hunted.

W I D E

O P E N

S P A C E S

K A N S A S !

A

fter recent archaeological digs in Kansas, our understanding, and our teaching, of nomadic Plains Native American history and culture is changing.

Because of the new information, the future of tourism faces a new challenge with how best to tell the stories of Native people and cultures in Kansas.

The digs, which began only eight years ago in Arkansas City, are uncovering evidence that massive populations of Native Americans lived for centuries in Kansas.

Their society was complex, their trade network immense. Their riches … well, even greater. That their definition of wealth was different from European standards of the day may explain why so little has been understood.

The Etzanoans had a wide-ranging trade network, creating and supplying goods for Native people throughout much of the Northern hemisphere. “These guys were specialists,” says Donald Blakeslee, the Wichita State University anthropologist and archaeologist who has been overseeing the digs and research. “And the thing is, they were feeding not just themselves. They were supplying products to people where there weren’t any bison herds.”

Blakeslee describes these Native Americans as bison-hunting professionals who were processing bison in industrial amounts. “What we have found in the remains of Etzanoa and related sites are bison-processing tools, highly specialized tools,” Blakeslee says. “Eighty percent of the tools found were for dealing with bison.” They produced pemmican—a calorie-rich, years-lasting food that was a mixture of tallow, dried meat and dried berries. They could survive in abundance and offered packages of pemmican—among other items—to other tribes as trade goods.

And, he adds, these people were known across the hemisphere. “When DeSoto went through eastern Arkansas, when he crossed the Mississippi, he got repeated accounts of people living out in this level country with sandy ground in huge towns.

So, they were supplying basic products, including food, robes, as well as weapons of war—bone and rawhide shields, helmets and body armor—to Native American tribes throughout much of North America, everywhere from the East to the West coasts and well down into Mexico.”

They lived in permanent lodges at least two seasons out of the year and were in teepees the rest of the time.

“They were often out hunting bison for different purposes in different seasons,” Blakeslee says. “In the summertime, that’s where you are going for the meat to dry—and you are killing mostly cows because their meat tastes better. And, their hides are better for leggings and teepee covers. In the wintertime, you hunt bison for the robes.”

This is where the old information begins to fall. It was commonly thought the Native Americans—before horses changed the culture—would drive bison over cliffs.

“That did not occur in Kansas or Nebraska or Oklahoma or Texas,” Blakeslee says. “People on foot hunted bison herds by surrounding them—that was the primary way. That takes a whole lot of people. It was people living in large communities that did that. It was a very organized kind of thing.” And, Blakeslee says, the city of Etzanoa is just the beginning in understanding the large populations of people on the Plains.

A complex of villages, which Etzanoa is linked to, stretched between Oklahoma north to Saline County and may have supported as many as 200,000 residents who lived in what is now Cowley, Sumner, Butler, Rice, McPherson and Marion counties.

“These towns extended for miles, originally,” Blakeslee says.

“Archaeologists have known for decades there were plenty of farmers on the Great Plains as well as nomads,” he says. “They just didn’t get the press.” Between the years

S T O R Y

B Y

Beccy Tanner

I L L U S T R A T I O N

Lana Grove

B Y

31

K A N S A S !

W I D E

O P E N

S P A C E S

1450 and 1700, at least 20,000 ancestors of today’s Wichita Nation thrived in and near what is now Arkansas City. This complex, though, is thought to have been one of the largest Native American communities in the United States, one that archaeologists couldn’t find and scholars doubted existed.

What Blakeslee has found in Arkansas City, he believes, may rewrite not only Kansas history but also American history. The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in western Illinois is currently considered the biggest Native American urban complex ever built.

Until now.

Etzanoa, Blakeslee contends, is as big if not bigger.

Onate’s battle For four centuries, many historians suspected that the Spanish conquistador searching for the fabled city of gold exaggerated accounts of a town that stretched for miles. But Juan de Onate, the founding governor of New Mexico, didn’t exaggerate or make it up.

The Etzanoans, who lived at the Arkansas City site, are ancestors of the Wichita tribe. They were farmers who slaughtered bison and cultivated beans, maize, pumpkin and squash.

In 1601, Onate led 70 soldiers from New Mexico to a place in southern Kansas—a huge town of Etzanoans. As Onate and the Spanish continued, they were overwhelmed by the size of the village. To make matters worse, enemies of the Etzanoans—the Excanxaques—had come to attack the village that same day but attacked the Spaniards instead.

Sixty of the 70 Spaniards were wounded.

The Spanish fought back with cannons and guns. At least three Spanish bullets and cannon balls have been found, along with a still-functional water shrine and other artifacts, including a Spanish horseshoe nail. Digs have uncovered burned pits where the Etzanoan houses once stood.

But there is more, Blakeslee says. At the time of the Onate battle, there were professional translators at Etzanoa who eventually translated between the Spanish and Etzanoans. When Spanish conquistador Francisco Vazquez de Coronado had led an expedition to Kansas in 1541, he also found professional interpreters; he is reported to have killed three people from Quivira settlements who spoke Nahuatl— the Aztec language.

“It was the language of trade all across the southwest and down into Mexico,” Blakeslee says. However, he says, the Spanish were caught off guard by the immense population of Etzanoa.

“These populations were huge, and they (the Etzanoans) were in contact with everybody. They were the economic engine of North America,” he says.

Why has it taken until now to put the pieces together? First, the Spanish were incredible note-takers.

The scribes kept detailed notes of what happened on

32

the Plains. Then, the notes were archived—for centuries.

Second, Blakeslee is a tenacious archaeologist. He specializes in archaeology of the Great Plains, and his interests range from the earliest settlements in the Americas to the historic period. He is especially interested in Native trails and sacred sites.

Third, the internet helped—as did scores of other specialists who helped interpret and translate the Spanish records into English. As more of these records are translated, more information is expected.

“Most of what history tells us doesn’t do justice to what really went on,” says Sandy Randal, museum director of the Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum in Arkansas City. “If you read the interrogatories—these were interviews they took with the soldiers. If you read the letters to the king at that time, the interviews with Onate and Coronado, you start to get a feel of how settled the Plains were. There were all types of things happening that you just don’t read about in the history books. Not everything was written down, but we are lucky because we have those interrogatories, which tell the firsthand accounts […,] their ways of life and how they were living—things we just haven’t known before.”

Catching a glimpse of the Lost City The Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum in Arkansas City has, in recent years, become the starting base for visitors wanting to know about the Etzanoan digs and research. It will take years for the preservation and development of Etzanoa to be made ready for year-round visitors, but in the meantime, Arkansas City historians and leaders are allowing the public to see some glimpses of what and where the mysterious city once was.

Tours of the remnants of Etzanoa, located on the bluffs near the confluence of the Walnut and Arkansas rivers, are available to the public on the first and third Saturdays from March through July for $10 per person.

Those tours take about 2½ hours, and visitors must provide their own transportation as guides take them to sites. People can arrange for the tours through the Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum, which also offers a documentary on the discovery. Randal says the bulk of visitors are from the Midwest, but visitors, wanting to know about this tiny Kansas town built upon a city, come from across the nation and even the world.

Advanced tours are being planned that will be six hours long and cost $100. According to etzanoa.net, those visitors will “learn how to fly a drone, employ thermal imaging cameras, wield metal detectors … Drones provide useful low-level aerial platforms for recording views of historic buildings, monuments, archaeological sites and landscapes that were previously too difficult to access …

This tour consists of a lot of standing and walking while using a metal detector.”

W I D E

O P E N

S P A C E S

K A N S A S !

K A N S A S !

Understanding Medicare Insurance Can Be Overwhelming, But It Doesn’t Have To Be! Let our professional advisers help you learn exactly what you need and then find the right products to fit your situation.

4375.indd 1

SERVING RURAL AMERICA SINCE 1932

We’re here to help. Call 800-678-7741. www.CappersInsurance.com

W I D E

O P E N

S P A C E S

Plans for the Etzanoa site include designating the site as a National Historic Landmark, a National Historic Battlefield and a World Heritage Site, a visitor center museum and regional archaeological center. The Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum hopes to promote projects that help “illuminate the 13,000-year history of Native Americans on the Great Plains.”

Some of the plans include the hope of acquiring land because much of the Etzanoan sites are on private residential property. Eventually, a river walk may be developed so that visitors can walk or kayak along the river to see some of the Etzanoans’ rock art. But that will all take time and money.

Randal estimates about 5,000 visitors a year currently come to the site, but that number is expected to increase as word of the new discoveries spreads.

Kansas had three major Spanish conquistador explorations into Kansas. Coronado was the first; in 1541 he led an expedition in quest of the seven cities of gold and traveled as far north as Salina. Another, in 1595, was led by two men, Humana and Bonilla, whom Blakeslee describes as “thugs.” They came as far as Rice and McPherson counties in search of gold and were all killed except for one when they began harming the Quiviran women. Then, there was the Onate expedition in 1601.

The location, size and significance of Etzanoa, “the Great Settlement,” as Spanish explorers labeled it after their 1601 expedition there, was lost through centuries of time.

For many decades, archaeologists debated these issues.

But now, Etzanoa is found.

Kansas history may get a new spin For centuries, this area—central and southeast portions of Kansas—claims some of the most prime farm and wildlife lands.

Because the land has long been sought after, it has spurred regional conflict—even more than the clashes with Spanish conquistadors. After Kansas was declared a territory in 1854 and, later, a state in 1861, the push for settlement began to dramatically change the look and feel of the Kansas prairie.

What happened next divided the state into an often violent, thundering clash of cultures and, in the end, forced American Indians from the state and spurred EuropeanAmerican settlement of the prairie. By the 1870s, most of the buffalo and Indigenous populations were gone from Kansas.

Now, centuries later, the land is revealing the stories of what once happened here. Randal is convinced there may be archaeological digs at Arkansas City for years, with people who want to know more coming from across the world.

In the meantime, Etzanoa is just the starting point. But Etzanoa is part of Quivira, and Kansas was filled with other Native American towns and villages that were equally large, Blakeslee says.

Think of the possibilities.

9/24/2021 8:32:33 AM

Celebrate the holidays in Manhattan, KS! Step into a world of enchantment and wonder as we illuminate the night sky with our mesmerizing Festival of Lights. Join us for an unforgettable celebration on Friday, November 24 that will leave you dazzled and delighted.

Manhattan is home to celebrations that stir the passions of the community and attract nationwide visitors. While here, take advantage of amazing dining options and exciting city-wide attractions.

Manhattan will light up your life this holiday season.

VISITMANHATTANKS.ORG

K A N S A S !

W I D E

O P E N

S P A C E S

Crispin’s Museum of the Wonder Drugs of Yesteryear An old-fashioned apothecary in Lincoln takes you back to the times when pills were covered in gold and pharmacists sold hope rather than solutions

W I D E

O P E N

S P A C E S

K A N S A S !

S

tep back in time as you enter Crispin’s Drug Store Museum in Lincoln, Kansas—a re-creation of an 1880–1920 drugstore full of apothecary bottles, patent medicines, and a vast collection of druggist tools.

It’s a museum that depicts a period when druggists were transitioning from medications made from seeds, barks, and roots to buying prepared ingredients and products, many of which were largely adulterated with alcohol and narcotics.

It was a time in history, says owner and historian Jack Crispin, when medicine was Years of experience and a library of greatly unregulated and people bought hope as resources help Jack Crispin identify much as a cure. the date that an apothecary bottle Crispin, a was manufactured. He shared a retired pharmacist few telltale signs that anyone can and graduate of the use to place an approximate date University of Kansas, on most historic American bottles. founded and runs the museum free of charge • The oldest bottles from this to visitors. A fount area are free blown, so they of pharmaceutical have no seams, plus they knowledge, he shares contain a pontil mark on the anecdotes and explains bottom, a scar indicating historical perspectives where the bottle was separated as he divides medicinal from the glassblower’s pontil powders or uses a rod. Early bottles often had cork press to custom a recessed area where labels shape a bottle stopper. could be adhered.

In another fascinating • By the 1870s, most glass was demonstration, he fills being blown into a mold, a doctor’s prescription resulting in a side seam that using vintage stops at the neck, which was equipment to roll, cut, attached separately. and even sugarcoat pills.

• By the 1920s, seams running In an era when up the side, though the neck druggists compounded and across the lip indicate about 80 to 90 percent the bottle was produced by of the medications they machines rather than by hand. sold, Crispin explains, customers could opt for questionable upgrades.

“If you were a person of means, I’d offer you gold- or silver-coated pills and charge you an extra 25 cents,” he says.

Jack Crispin’s Guide to Dating a Bottle

Kansas Magazine Ad Summer 2023 - craft beer - outlines.pdf 1 5/26/2023 4:33:25 PM

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

S T O R Y

B Y

Meta Newell West P H O T O G R A P H Y

Haines Eason

B Y

K A N S A S !

W I D E

O P E N

S P A C E S

While those precious metals masked the offensive taste of pills, later it was discovered that the ingestion of silver created a bluish skin discoloration known as “argyria.”

Crispin began accumulating apothecary bottles while he was still in high school; his collection now includes close to 13,000 items, 12,822 to be exact. He keeps a record of each item in the store and includes its origin, measurements, full description, and exact location in the museum.

His oldest bottle, a purple, hand-blown glass piece, circa 1840, holds sulfur.

He also has hand-thrown pottery, some made of milk glass. Most unusual is a fiveOpen by chance (often in the afternoons) gallon bottle that contains an alcoholor by appointment, this free museum is based ginger liquid, one to add to your travel list. so unwieldy that it would be almost Crispin’s Drug Store Museum impossible to 161 East Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln dispense without 785.524.5383 its wooden rocker crispinsdrugstoremuseum.com encasement. or on Facebook Because of his location, Crispin has accumulated many apothecary bottles embossed with Kansas drugstore names. But his historic collection also includes patent medicine bottles sold by independent producers and those sold by early pharmaceutical manufacturers such as Eli Lilly & Company.

Regardless of origin, many early apothecary bottles include labels in abbreviated Latin, a code usually understood by only the doctor and the druggist, Crispin explains.

But labels did not have to tell the truth. Without today’s regulations, drug manufacturers could put anything they wanted into bottles and were not required to provide proof of their claims. Laudanum, a tincture of opium dissolved in alcohol, was prescribed for pain, diarrhea, sleeplessness, and persistent cough. It was also touted as a cure for “ladies’ ailments.”

Other bottles contained “wonder drugs” of the time, meaning liquids and powders mixed with strychnine, arsenic, lead, mercury, morphine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol.

Demand for these types of treatments increased once Prohibition rolled around. With the legal sale of alcohol forbidden, those who wanted to imbibe had three choices: bootleggers, doctors, or drugstores. Wine, beer, and whiskey for “medicinal” purpose were available at many drugstores for those who had a doctor’s prescription; bitters, tonics and other patent medicine were available for those who didn’t. Even before Prohibition, those wanting to partake of spirits (yet

Visiting Crispin’s Drug Store Museum

38

retain their respectability) could stop by the local pharmacy.

One document in Crispin’s collection is an order dated May 6, 1890, from a Kansas druggist to the Pabst Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri, requesting a barrel of Blue Ribbon beer.

For medicinal purposes, presumably.

Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound, an herbal medicine for women, was 40% alcohol. Crispin explains that after the government deemed that level too high in proportion to the other ingredients, the company added more ingredients—so many that a chemical reaction slowly built up pressure and caused the bottles to explode on drugstore shelves. To solve the problem, the company cut both the herbal ingredients and the alcohol in half.

It was the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 that first allowed the government to regulate the sale and labeling of tonics such as Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound. Drug manufactures had to reveal and accurately label specified drugs, including alcohol. Labeled medicines were sent for government review to determine if the drug content and dosage were accurately listed. Once their drug was approved, many companies began adding what amounted to a government “seal of approval” to their labels. Crispin says this “misleading practice … caused customers to believe the product itself was government endorsed.”

But this law did not address the questionable healing properties of the products the government approved.

Crispin’s collection contains some of these devices, ranging from the plausibly salubrious to the downright deceptive.

The Vapo-Cresoline vaporizer, for example, heated liquid creosote and released fumes into the air that provided some degree of relief to those with chronic coughing disorder.

But other products, Crispin points out, “were quackery, pure poppycock.”

Take for instance a device called Professor Long’s Magnetic Comb, which claimed it could remove dandruff, stop thinning hair and cure headaches. Because they were made from aluminum, there was no way the professor’s combs could be magnetized.

Another machine, the “Spectachrome,” purports to irradiate any number of illnesses. Crispin points out the only thing inside the fancy-looking machine, with its colored glass panels, was a 450-watt lightbulb.

Crispin also shows off a small metal canister wrapped in copper wire with a dimple on top. Touted as a cure for eye disorders including cataracts, glaucoma, and blindness, it was promoted to unsuspecting customers who paid $10 for the device, which they would then place, dimple-end up, on a closed eyelid for 10 minutes each day. Customers were to mail it in once a month, along with a dollar, so it could be recharged. It was pure flimflam as there was nothing to recharge.

“Remember, there were no real solutions,” Crispin notes in regard to the treatment of cataracts, glaucoma, and blindness at the time. “These devices offered hope.”

Historic Location

Crispin’s Drug Store Museum is nestled in what is known as the Cummins Block, part of the commercial district in downtown Lincoln, Kansas. Officially listed in the National Register of Historical Places, Crispin’s building reflects the late Victorian, Revival and Commercial architectural styles.

The two-story building is made of native Greenhorn (post rock) limestone featuring arched windows and bracketed stone cornices. In September 2023, Jack and Kathie Crispin received the Post Rock Limestone Preservation Award. Presented by the Kansas Post Rock Limestone Collation, this annual award honors individuals/ groups involved in the design and/or rehabilitation of historic buildings and sites across Kansas.

Nearby Attractions

PHOTOGRAPH Andrea Etzel

While in Lincoln, you might also like to check out other treasures, such as the Post Rock Scout Museum located next door to the drugstore museum (and run by Kathie Crispin, Jack’s wife), the Lincoln Art Center, the Lincoln County Courthouse and other post rock limestone architecture around town. lincolnks.org/Attractions.html

40

PHOTOGRAPHS (FROM TOP LEFT) Kansas Tourism (3), Jessi Jacobs, Kansas Tourism, Haines Eason, Kansas Tourism (6), Kansas State Historical Society, Kansas Tourism (3), courtesy Purdue University via Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, Kansas Tourism (3), Shutterstock (4)

A list of must-see attractions

to experience and enjoy in the coming year

Make 2024 a year of Kansas discovery! There are amazing attractions, festivals, restaurants and events throughout the state, and here are 20 recommendations, plus 4 highlights for places to see in 2024.

Story by Nathan Pettengill, Mike King, Haines Eason, Michael Pearce and Christine Steinkuehler

Cimarron National Grassland

Icon

Elkhart

Key

Administered by the US Forest Service, the more than 108,000 acres of the Cimarron National Grassland is the state’s largest area of public land. It features native grasses, rock cliffs, cottonwood groves and brush amid a rocky landscape of sandstone, shale and limestone. Settlers crossed through this area on the Santa Fe Trail. Now the network of established trails through this land is popular for hiking, horse-riding, and bird-watching.

Morton County | TravelKS.com

All-Year

Culture

FamilyFriendly

Outdoors

Castle Rock Collyer

Some 85 million years ago, this region of Kansas was covered by an inland sea populated by fierce aquatic reptiles. Limestone formations in this area of the Kansas badlands, including the stunning spires of Castle Rock, are the chalky deposits left behind by the beds of these seas. Located on private land, but open to the public, the formations are accessed via dirt roads that are not always navigable after rains.

Collyer-Quinter region | TravelKS.com

Free

History

Northeast

Southeast

NorthCentral

SouthCentral

Northwest

Southwest

Cars on the Route Galena

A truck sitting at this location along the famous Route 66 inspired director John Lasseter and Joe Ranft of Pixar’s Cars to create the character Tow Mater. Now, several Cars lookalike vehicles are parked outside this restored historic Kan-O-Tex service station, making for a perfect family-photo stop. Other nearby picturesque stops on the Kansas portion of Route 66 include a scenic Marsh Arch Bridge and the Old Riverton Store with its historic deli and Route 66 memorabilia.

119 N Main Street | Galena 620.783.1366

Grand Central Hotel & Grill Cottonwood Falls

A gateway of history and hospitality to the Flint Hills region, the historic Grand Central Hotel has operated under different names—but always as a hotel—since 1884.

Its ranch-themed rooms allow guests to overnight in the heart of Cottonwood Falls’ charming downtown and right above the hotel’s celebrated grill. This is ranching country, so you will never go wrong with the steak, supplied fresh and in a variety of sizes and cuts from Creekstone Farms in Arkansas City.

215 Broadway | Cottonwood Falls 620.273.6763 grandcentralhotel.com

Bartlett Arboretum Belle Plaine

The forests and gardens of this private sanctuary of some 20 acres are open most weekends, spring to fall, with donations accepted at the gate. The best times to visit might be during one of the regularly scheduled concert or theme weekends. A season pass ($100) provides entrance to more than 15 concerts and events.

201 N. Line Street | Belle Plaine 620.488.3451 | bartlettarboretum.com

PHOTOGRAPHS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Kansas Tourism (2), Shutterstock, Kansas Tourism (2)

Food

PHOTOGRAPHS courtesy Purdue University via Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum

Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum Celebrating its first full year of operation in 2024, the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum continues to build the national attention it gained for its presentation of artifacts and historical context surrounding the life of famed pilot Amelia Earhart.

If you have not visited the hangar museum, then 2024 is the perfect time to catch up on the legacy and lore of Earhart, who spent much of her childhood in Atchison. If you have visited the museum, then a return trip in 2024 will allow you to experience new additions such as a special exhibition honoring woman aerospace manufacturing workers, from World War II to the present. “Holding it All Together: Women in Riveting” runs from February 3 to August 4, 2024, and was developed in partnership with Boeing St. Louis.

At the center of the museum is Muriel, the world’s last-remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E aircraft, the model that Earhart flew when she disappeared during her attempt at a historic around-the-world flight in 1937.

The museum also includes 14 interactive exhibits that describe Earhart’s life, from her childhood in Atchison to her fame as a pilot, designer, and celebrity. A virtual-reality headset and cockpit replica of a Lockheed Vega 5B allow visitors to attempt to navigate the route that Earhart took in her famous 1932 flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

Be sure to check out the Earhart socks, the Earhart Lego minifig, hoodies, the Aviatrix ’37 board game, and more Earhart-themed souvenirs in the gift shop.

16701 286th Road | Atchison | 913.372.0021 | ameliaearharthangarmuseum.org

43

Kansas’ newest state park promises to be one of the state’s most beautiful, varied and unique public places.

Lehigh Portland State Park’s 360 acres frame a stunning abandoned rock quarry lake.

With 40 feet of depth visibility, the 138-acre lake is Kansas’ clearest public water. The lake has excellent fish populations and is surrounded by steep, rocky bluffs.

Currently 14 miles of hiking/cycling trails weave around the lake, through the park’s Ozark-like hardwoods, past a clear stream, across native prairie and past a rare Kansas cave.

Linda Lanterman, the director of Kansas state parks, said plans call for building at least 60 full-utility campsites, primitive campsites, cabins, a visitors center, boat ramp and an amphitheater. No timeline has been set for completion, or when the entire park will be open.

Currently, only the trail is open. It offers direct access to the Prairie Spirit Trail State Park, then on to Flint Hills Trail State Park, for over 160 miles of continuous trails.

At the edge of Iola, the park is named after a huge cement company that left the site in 1971. Iola Industries, a group dedicated to promoting economic growth, gifted the area to Kansas state parks earlier this year.

Lehigh Portland State Park is Kansas’ 29th state park, many of which have drawn national and international awards and attention for their scenic beauty, trails and other features.

1600th Street and Nebraska Road | Iola | TravelKS.com

44

PHOTOGRAPHS Kansas Tourism

Lehigh Portland State Park, Iola

Mount Sunflower Weskan

True, Mount Sunflower—the highest elevated spot in Kansas—is not a terribly difficult climb. But that doesn’t mean the view is any less photo-worthy. Located on private land, but open to the public, the gentle-rising slope can be scaled by almost anyone without mobility limitations to discover a beautiful view of the Kansas prairie, particularly at sunrise or sunset. Located along the Land and Sky Scenic Byway and near the stunning Arikaree Breaks, Mount Sunflower is a Kansas bucket-list destination with several rewards along the way.

2415 Road 3 | Weskan | 785.891.3564 | TravelKS.com

Kansas African American Museum Wichita

PHOTOGRAPHS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Kansas Tourism (2), Shutterstock (2), Kansas Tourism

For more than a quarter-century, the Kansas African American Museum has told the history of the state’s Black community through documents, artifacts, exhibits, and art displays. Infused by a private-donation capital campaign and a $1 million grant from the State of Kansas, the museum is preparing to open a new, expanded facility by 2025. The museum is also one of eight locations along the Kansas African American History Trail, sites in Kansas selected for their historical and cultural importance to the legacy of the state’s Black citizens.

601 N. Water Street | Wichita | 316.262.7651 tkaamuseum.org

Kiowa County Historical Museum & Soda Fountain Greensburg

It’s an unexpected but wonderful combination of history and sweet treats at this Greensburg attraction.

Permanent exhibits illustrate episodes of local history, including the introduction of railroad lines and triumphs of champion sports teams while the generous space also allows for large, temporary displays such as Smithsonian traveling exhibitions. Be sure to grab a treat from the historic soda fountain. You might also want to grab a shirt or souvenir honoring Richard “Dick” Huckhriede, a beloved community figure who served for 50 years as the store’s general clerk and soda jerk.

320 Main Street | Greensburg 620.723.1125 | kchmsoda.org

Honeybee Bruncherie Humboldt

One of the anchors of Humboldt’s celebrated downtown revival, Honeybee is a bright, contemporary, and hip gathering spot featuring creative drinks and traditional dishes with a twist, such as the “600 Miles to Denver Omelette” or the “Saturday Morning Cartoons,” a glorious stack of Cap’n Crunch– infused pancakes sprinkled with broken Pop Tarts, blueberries, Cinnamon Toast Crunch pieces, condensed milk, and whipped cream.

822 Bridge St. | Humboldt honeybeebruncherie.com

Topeka Zoo Topeka

Opened in 1933, the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center has gone through several iterations. Accredited with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 2003, it now offers a variety of educational programs and habitats featuring animals such as elephants, giraffes, hippos, Bornean orangutans and more. The central, domed tropical rainforest offers a delightful retreat at any time of the year, especially the winter, with an opportunity for close-up encounters with tropical birds, giant Indian fruit bats, and Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths.

From April to September 2024, the Topeka Zoo will host Sean Kenny’s Animal Super Powers made with Lego bricks.

635 SW Gage Blvd. | Topeka 785.368.9180 | topekazoo.org

Sake2Me Sushi Hays

Ladybird Diner Lawrence

With its fun and sophisticated takes on traditional diner comfort food, Ladybird quickly landed on the maps of foodies across the state and nation after it opened in 2014. Country legend Lyle Lovett and his band made this their stop when playing concerts in town. The mysterious social media sensation Duchess Goldblatt raved about the diner’s meals and had a Ladybird pie named in her honor. Then came the pandemic—and Ladybird made national news as its owner and staff shut their doors but not their kitchen in order to create and coordinate free community meals to help those in need. Ladybird reopened its tables and booths as sassy and satisfying as ever with dishes such as the State Fair Pork T and a heap of goodness known as their carnitas breakfast tostada.

721 Massachusetts St. | Lawrence 785.856.5239 | ladybirddiner.com

St. Francis Motorcycle Museum St. Francis

Strataca: Kansas Underground Salt Museum Hutchinson

Visitors to Strataca descend 650 feet underground to travel on an excursion tram and visit permanent exhibits detailing the area’s geological history and salt-mining industry (which continues to this day).

Look for special events such as the underground murder mystery theater or the 5k Halloween race.

3650 East Ave. G | Hutchinson 620.662.1425 | underkansas.org

Opened in 2016 after the fewer than 1,500 residents of St. Francis raised over $350,000 to construct a building that would house an invaluable private motorcycle collection, the St. Francis Motorcycle Museum holds Harleys, Reading Standards, Excelsior, Indian, Ace, Flying Merkel, Yale and Jefferson bikes. The museum also boasts a Cushman from WWII, set up with its parachute, which the US deployed from planes during the war.

110 E. Washington St. St. Francis | 785.332.2400 stfrancismotorcyclemuseum.org

Red Rocks State Historic Site Emporia

Red Rocks, the home of famed newspaper man William Allen White (who died in 1944), is furnished with White’s possessions, including such gems as his traveling typewriter and a jaguar rug given to him

by Teddy Roosevelt. The home is open to visitors with tours led by the Kansas State Historical Society. Visitors can sit in William Allen White’s second-floor study and imagine what it would have been like to retire there after dinner for cigars and conversation with Herbert Hoover, Edna Farber or the neighbor down the street.

937 Exchange St. | Emporia | 620.342.2800 | kshs.org

46

PHOTOGRAPHS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Jessi Jacobs, Kansas Tourism, Kansas State Historical Society, Shutterstock, Kansas Tourism

There’s a common question about Sake2Me—how could a sushi place in the middle of Kansas be this good? And the answer—it simply is, as the taste proves. One of the customer favorites is the Shag Roll of tempura shrimp and cream cheese topped with shredded crab, crunchy, spicy may and eel sauce. Try some of the restaurant’s signature dishes such as the Kansas Roll, a standard Cali roll of crab, cucumber, and avocado topped with sesame seeds, which is then rolled in panko, deep fried, and drizzled with eel sauce. It’s 100% honest sushi and 100% ad astra!

803 Fort Street | Hays | 785.301.2999 | sake2mesushirolls.com

PHOTOGRAPHS Haines Eason

National Orphan Train Complex, Concordia In the second half of the 1800s, aid societies and religious group began shuttling young kids—most of them orphans—from America’s large, coastal cities into rural America, where they were adopted by families. In Kansas, Beloit, Belleville, Clyde, Clifton, Minneapolis, and several other Kansas communities received orphan trains.

The journey and fate of the approximately 250,000 children who rode these trains into an alien world and new life are commemorated at the National Orphan Train Complex in Concordia.

Museum curator Kaily Carson says the history includes both tragedy and success stories by the time it ended in 1929. Carson’s organization estimates that 75 to 80% of kids landed in good homes.

“Just looking at the stories that we have collected over the years, there really are a lot of positive experiences, even for those kids who came out of very tragic situations in New York,” Carson says. “A lot of these kids came from rough situations to begin with, and for some of them it was a huge improvement to find a family and grow up in Kansas or Nebraska or somewhere else instead of New York.”

The complex hosts an annual celebration of Orphan Train riders in June. This year’s event runs June 6-8.Originally rider reunions, the event has turned its focus to celebrations and explorations of riders’ lives. It is open to all, and, each year, many descendants travel to participate.

300 Washington Street | Concordia | 785.243.4471 | orphantraindepot.org

47

Dodge City’s Boot Hill Museum was established on the grounds of the original Boot Hill Cemetery in 1947. Since then, it has continued to embrace its connection to a city synonymous with the Wild West while also becoming a formidable research and education center holding more than 28,000 artifacts, 50,000 photos, and numerous documents.

If you visited Boot Hill Museum before 2020, you probably remember it as a reconstruction of historic Dodge City with historical reenactors, saloon dancing, blacksmith demonstrations and dramatically staged shoot-outs. That historical reenactment continues to this day, but was supplemented in 2020 with a 30,000-foot exhibit hall dedicated to telling the history of southwest Kansas, from the Santa Fe trail to the cattle drives of 1876.

Venturing through the complex, visitors encounter exhibitions such as the Time of Many Flags, which tells about the Santa Fe Trail; the Native American Plains Gallery, which details aspects of Indigenous culture; and the Whiskey, Women, Guns and Groceries gallery, which conveys the spirit of the frontier town in the mid- and late-1800s. Visitors will round off their journey with the spirit of Dodge City, featuring an interactive experience with four key historical figures: Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, Chalk Beeson, and Mayor Webster.

The Boot Hill Museum is a time capsule, preserving and presenting the rich history of Dodge City and the forces affecting Kansas as it approached the 20th century. It is a destination that merits repeat visits to catch the latest exhibitions as well as the newest songs and dances down at the saloon.

500 W. Wyatt Earp Blvd. | Dodge City | 620.227.8188 | boothill.org

48

PHOTOGRAPHS Kansas Tourism

Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City

Taco Truck Challenge Liberal

The Liberal Convention and Visitors Bureau curates an updated list of Mexican-cuisine food trucks and their regular locations for residents and visitors to sample a few varieties—or all of them over an extended stay. Tacos, of course, are one of the main dishes, but the trucks offer everything from side dishes of elote volcan (street corn in a cup with cheese sauce and chili) and specialty sandwiches. various locations | Liberal | 620.626.0170 | visitliberal.com/taco-truck-challenge

Rock City Minneapolis

A local nonprofit operates this five-acre park containing some 200 ball-shaped Dakota sandstone formations up to 27 feet in diameter.

Guests are allowed to walk among—and even climb—the rocks, which were formed as a result of the inland sea that covered this area millions of years ago. Visitors often pair this visit with an excursion to nearby Mushroom Rock State Park, where exposed formations take on a distinct and striking mushroom-capped shape.

1051 Ivy Road | Minneapolis 785.393.2092 | TravelKS.com

Renaissance Café

The Garage

Closed from 2019 because of a funding shortage and Covid, the Haskell Cultural Center reopened in 2023 and began installation of new exhibition walls in the late fall. The coming year will be a perfect opportunity to visit the resurgent center and explore the unique and inspiring story of Haskell Indian Nations University, told through rare artifacts, historical documents and art. Haskell opened in 1884 as the United States Indian Industrial Training School and was renamed Haskell Institute in 1887 and then Haskell Indian Junior College in 1970. It became Haskell Indian Nations University in 1993 and serves as the nation’s only four-year college specifically for students from federally recognized tribes. It boasts a student diversity of over 140 tribal nations and Alaska Native villages.

155 Indian Ave. | Lawrence | 785.832.6686 haskell.edu/cultural-center

The Garage in Salina is one of the state’s newest car museums with an expansive, rotating collection; interactive displays; and an on-site education center. The cars, as well as artifacts and memorabilia, are on loan to the museum from area collectors and other museums. Approximately $1.5 million was invested into interactive educational technology and exhibits. When you put on a pair of virtual reality goggles, a simulator at The Garage will teach you proper paint-booth car-spraying technique. Another simulator lets you suit up and practice welding on all sorts of objects. There’s also a theater where short films trace the automobile’s path through America, and throughout the facility there are “fuel stations,” video screens with interactive car-based education sequences.

134 S. 4th Street | Salina 785.833.6888| seama.org

Lawrence

PHOTOGRAPHS Shutterstock, Kansas Tourism (4)

Assaria

Haskell Indian Nations University Cultural Center and Museum

Salina

Renaissance embraces its unusual location inside what was once a high school with appropriate décor—framed photos, bookshelves, and seating extending on a mezzanine that overlooks the sunken gymnasium of the former school.

That atmosphere—never pretentions, never intimidating, and always genuine—reflects the restaurant’s dishes. The menu, focused and tantalizing, changes seasonally. Every meal is prepared when ordered, and the kitchen accommodates requests. They will adapt meals for special needs, vegetarian or vegan. They’ll switch out vegetables to suit preferences. It’s contemporary flavor with literal old-school hospitality.

210 N. Center Ave. | Assaria 785.667.5535 | renaissncecafeassaria.com

49

Historic Hotels I N

K A N S A S

Grand old lodgings in Kansas offer peek into the past

Story by

Cecilia Harris

Photos by Kenny Felt

51

52

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.

“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

Make the Holidays Memorable!

Shopping Dining Entertainment

Bonner Springs, Kan.

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.

Fishing Lake is located 12 miles NW of Washington.

Fishing and Public Hunting.

WASHINGTON

COUNTY TOURISM

785.325.2116 | washingtoncountyks.gov FISHING AND PUBLIC HUNTING

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

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

“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.” midlandrailroadhotel.com | 785.658.2284 courtlandhotel.com | 620.223.0098

Come Visit Eisenhower State Park Pomona State Park 785-528-3714 (Osage City Hall) www.OsageCity.com

MORE HISTORIC HOTELS around the State THE ELDRIDGE HOTEL Lawrence

In 1932, Bonnie and Clyde gang members stayed at the Eldridge Hotel in Lawrence to observe activity at the bank across the street in preparation for a heist. The building was the fourth and final hotel constructed on the site in what is now downtown Lawrence. In 1856, settlers sent by the New England Emigrant Aid Society to ensure Kansas enter the Union as a free state quickly built the Free State Hotel in this location to use as temporary housing while they built their permanent homes. That same year, the hotel was burned by proslavery forces; although quickly rebuilt, it then was destroyed in Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence in 1863. Again, it was rebuilt in 1866 as one of the finest hotels west of the Mississippi River. By 1925, the hotel had deteriorated and was rebuilt and renamed the Eldridge Hotel. A major renovation in 2005 returned it to its former grandeur. The Eldridge currently offers 48 suites, a full-service restaurant, lounge, and banquet space. eldridgehotel.com | 785.749.5011

GRAND CENTRAL HOTEL AND GRILL Cottonwood Falls

Each door to the 10 oversized rooms in The Grand Central Hotel is adorned with a cowboy-spur knocker and emblazoned with the cattle brand of a local historic ranch after which the room is named. Touting itself as small and elegant with a western flair, the Cottonwood Falls hotel was constructed in 1884 and provided lodging under several different names until it was renovated in 1995 and reopened as The Grand Central Hotel and Grill. Each bedroom window offers a unique view, and both the Turkey Track and the Crocker Ranch rooms include paver-bricked patios for private dining. While seated in the dining room, which retains original red brick walls and stockyard brick flooring, customers savor the restaurant’s specialty, premium steaks, with a cocktail or glass of wine. grandcentralhotel.com | 620.273.6763

56

WEAVER HOTEL Waterville

Bullets flying during a nearby bank robbery in December 1910 created holes that still can be seen in some of the windows in The Weaver Hotel. William E. Weaver built the trackside hotel in 1906 for his parents, and the guest rooms on the upper levels and restaurant on the ground floor became a hub for passengers waiting for their trains and for those attending performances at the Opera House across the street. The three-story building in Waterville always operated as a place of lodging until it closed; several years later, the Waterville Preservation Society reopened the important piece of the community’s history after giving the structure a facelift.

The hotel’s architecture features curved walls and windows popular during the early 1900s. Today there are 10 rooms available, two of which are large suites. theweaverhotel.com | 785.363.2515

HISTORIC ELGIN HOTEL Marion

Unable to secure outside investors for a hotel to stimulate the local economy and attract visitors to the community of Marion, the local real estate firm of Case and Billings persuaded the townspeople to buy stock to fund the construction of the Elgin Hotel, which opened in 1886. The limestone hotel has lived many lives; it closed in 1967 and avoided the wrecking ball by one week to become an apartment building. In 2009, it underwent a restoration to become a bed and breakfast, and it was renovated again in 2016 to become today’s boutique hotel.

Each of the 12 unique suites is named for a notable Kansas figure or location, such as the Eisenhower, the Amelia Earhart, and the Flint Hills. Guests have access to five living rooms, veranda, fitness center, game lounge, restaurant and bar. Live events include craft beer and wine tastings, murder mystery dinners, and special occasions such as weddings, elopements, and business retreats. historicelginhotel.com | 620.382.3200

THE HISTORIC WOLF HOTEL Ellinwood

Built in 1894 by John Wolf as an addition to the Delmonico Hotel, the structure included a new lobby, intricate tile work in the Bank of Ellinwood on the main level, and underground stores. Restored in 2013 as the Historic Wolf Hotel and Event Center, it features Victorian furnishings.

Its Underground Saloon becomes a speakeasy featuring Prohibition-era drinks on Friday and Saturday nights.

Tours of the underground tunnels are available by advance reservations. Events such as murder mysteries and comedy shows are announced on their website. historicwolfhotel.com | 620.639.6915

WaKeeney

CHRISTMAS CITY OF THE HIGH PLAINS 73nd Annual Tree Lighting

JOIN US NOVEMBER 25, 2023 • Christmas Bazaar @ Trego County Fairgrounds 9am - 4pm • Downtown activities for the whole family 4:30pm - 8:30pm

KNOWN AS THE CHRISTMAS CITY OF THE HIGH PLAINS The Largest Light Display Downtown Between Denver And Kansas City.

WHERE? WAKEENEY KANSAS, EXITS 127 & 128 ON I-70

DISPLAY REMAINS LIT UNTIL NEW YEAR’S

785.743.8325 - WaKeeney.org - GetWaKeeney@gmail.com facebook.com/GetWaKeeney - instagram @WaKeeney

VisitLeavenworthKS.com Carroll Mansion Museum & Gift Shop

Nov 11 Dec 10 Dec 16

Veterans Day Parade Vintage Homes Tour Wreaths Across America

Event dates subject to change, call ahead 913.758.2948

gallery

K A N S A S !

JEFF McPHEETERS DOUGLAS COUNTY

BRUCE HOGLE CHASE COUNTY

JAMIE ALBERS DONIPHAN COUNTY

JEFFREY LEE COLE OSAGE COUNTY

G A L L E R Y

K A N S A S !

61

SCOTT BEAN POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY

1. Publication Title

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (All Periodicals Publications Except Requester Publications) 2. Publication Number

KANSAS! Magazine 4. Issue Frequency

Quarterly

3. Filing Date

0 0 2 2 _ 8 4 3 5

10/12/2023

5. Number of Issues Published Annually

6. Annual Subscription Price

5 times a year

7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication (Not printer) (Street, city, county, state, and ZIP+4 ®)

1000 SW Jackson St., Ste 100 Topeka, KS 66612

$20

Andrea Etzel 785+213-0126

1000 SW Jackson St., Ste 100 Topeka, KS 66612

9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor (Do not leave blank) Publisher (Name and complete mailing address)

Andrea Etzel Andrea Etzel

1000 SW Jackson St., Ste 100 Topeka, KS 66612 1000 SW Jackson St., Ste 100 Topeka, KS 66612

Managing Editor (Name and complete mailing address)

10. Owner (Do not leave blank. If the publication is owned by a corporation, give the name and address of the corporation immediately followed by the names and addresses of all stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or more of the total amount of stock. If not owned by a corporation, give the names and addresses of the individual owners. If owned by a partnership or other unincorporated firm, give its name and address as well as those of each individual owner. If the publication is published by a nonprofit organization, give its name and address.)

Full Name Complete Mailing Address

State of Kansas, Dept of Commerce

a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run) (1) Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies)

Telephone (Include area code)

1000 SW Jackson St., Ste 100 Topeka, KS 66612

b. Paid Circulation (By Mail and Outside the Mail)

(2)

Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies)

(3)

Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS®

(4)

Nov 2023

16. Electronic Copy Circulation

d. Free or (1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies included on PS Form 3541 Nominal Rate Distribution (2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541 (By Mail and Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS Outside (3) (e.g., First-Class Mail) the Mail)

Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months

Average No. Copies No. Copies of Single Each Issue During Issue Published Preceding 12 Months Nearest to Filing Date

17,250

17,000

14,298

14,349

1537

1525

0 15835

0 15874

500

500

48

a. Paid Electronic Copies b. Total Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a) c. Total Print Distribution (Line 15f) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a) d. Percent Paid (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16b divided by 16c Í 100)

Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail®)

c. Total Paid Distribution [Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4)]

(4)

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (All Periodicals Publications Except Requester Publications)

14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below

KANSAS! Magazine 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation

Contact Person

8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher (Not printer)

Editor (Name and complete mailing address)

13. Publication Title

x

No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date

90

0 15883

15964 0

0 16383

16464 0

97%

97%

I certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic and print) are paid above a nominal price.

17. Publication of Statement of Ownership If the publication is a general publication, publication of this statement is required. Will be

Publication not required.

printed in the _Nov 2023______________________ issue of this publication.

18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner

Date

10/24/2023

Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means)

e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4))

5000

500 0

f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e)

16335

16374

0 16335

0 16374

96%

97%

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

g. Copies not Distributed (See Instructions to Publishers #4 (page #3))

h. Total (Sum of 15f and g) i. Percent Paid (15c divided by 15f times 100) 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or None Other Securities. If none, check box Full Name

* If you are claiming electronic copies, go to line 16 on page 3. If you are not claiming electronic copies, skip to line 17 on page 3.

Complete Mailing Address

12. Tax Status (For completion by nonprofit organizations authorized to mail at nonprofit rates) (Check one) The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months Has Changed During Preceding 12 Months (Publisher must submit explanation of change with this statement) PS Form 3526, July 2014 [Page 1 of 4 (see instructions page 4)] PSN: 7530-01-000-9931

PRIVACY NOTICE: See our privacy policy on www.usps.com.

PS Form 3526, July 2014 (Page 2 of 4)

PS Form 3526, July 2014 (Page 3 of 4)

PRIVACY NOTICE: See our privacy policy on www.usps.com.

V I S I T D O D G E C I T Y . O R G / L O C A L

EXPERIENCE THE HOLIDAYS WITH A WILD WEST FLAIR IN DODGE CITY Whether you're winning big at the casino or enjoying a live concert or show, Dodge City is a fantastic holiday destination to celebrate with your family Western style. Enjoy quality food from dozens of local restaurants and shop for that perfect holiday gift in one of our many shops and boutiques.

1- 8 0 0 - O L D -W E S T

K A N SAS !

FRO M T H E

P OE T

L AU R E AT E T R AC I

B RI MH AL L

Dear Kansas,

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY Janice Northerns

Catherine Strayhall grew up in Kansas and completed her bachelor’s degree at Kansas State University, where she was a two-time winner of the Sullivan Poetry Award. Her work has appeared in places such as the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center and the Kansas City Star. She has been featured several times in Poets Reading the News, where she went on to serve as an assistant editor. Catherine lives in Merriam and has been working in libraries and education while completing her first full-length poetry collection.

You are at the very heart of me. The Christmas tree farm where they know our family, watched me and my siblings grow older. Our hands in the air on Strawberry Hill, holding aloft the povitica we won in the Holy Family schoolyard as strings of lights flare on around us. My nephews running down the street to trick-or-treat like I ran after their father when we were young. The leaves sound the same, but the air feels colder. I-70 drives between two homes—the way white clouds smile against the blue prairie sky and the Flint Hills whisper goodbyes and hellos. I leave pieces of myself along that highway.

Sunsets weaving through sunflowers with my sisters as the golden petals brush our shoulders softly. Selflessly. Sweet Septembers. The dirt underneath my fingernails as I plant my irises.

My father waters them. His love is in the growing.

Wanderings through the wetlands and walking until my griefs are lighter. Until they are lifted into air with every beat of the night heron’s wings.

I think the echo of my voice will always be here.

I think it will be singing songs with the luminous people I love. I am rooted, I am held close, I am etched here as clearly as my grandpa’s name upon the strawberry hilltop. My mother and I drink steaming tea as the year dies. The chill light lengthens; we linger. Kansas frost descends like the forgotten hold of someone you love, now gone. Ones I’ve lost are buried in this frozen, familiar earth.

This very heart of me.

64

KansasADWinter.pdf

5

9/26/23

11:24 AM

t n e s e r P t c e f r e The P c i

t s i H n i s t i a w A ! s n o s r a P n w o t n Dow C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

For more information contact the Labette Co. CVB at 620.421.6500

Explore

GREAT BEND

AIRFEST IN SEPT 2024

ENTERTAINING FESTIVALS

A CHRISTMAS CITY

MURALS, ART & BRONZE STATUES

FAMILY FUN

BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN

GREAT BEND BRIT SPAUGH ZOO

CHEYENNE BOTTOMS & KANSAS WETLANDS EDUCATION CENTER

UNIQUE SHOPPING

FOR THE LATEST ON GREAT BEND EVENTS!

And So Much More!! www.exploregreatbend.com