Wichita-Meet The Legendary

“All things are bound together. All things connect.”

Chief Seattle, Duwamish

By Renee S. Gordon History & Travel Writer

Wichita’s iconic symbol, The Keeper of the Plains, sums up the overarching history, culture, significance and role of the city where the West truly begins. The 44-foot Keeper of the Plains is situated at the site where the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers, in downtown Wichita, is on Native American sacred ground. It faces the rising sun, weighs 5-tons and stands on a 30-foot pedestal and is depicted with arms lifted in entreaty to the Great Spirit. A “Ring of Fire” burns all year on a regular schedule. The sculpture’s design was created and gifted to the city by Kiowa-Comanche artist Blackbear Bosin in 1974.

Keeper Plaza features cultural information on the Plains Indians. Around the statue are multiple plaques describing the life, belief, and practices of pre-contact Plains Indian tribes. A sacred hoop symbolizes the directions, the seasons and the earth’s essential elements earth, wind, fire and water. The earliest inhabitants lived on the Great Plains for more than 14,000-years. These tribes included the Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Comanche, Crow and Sioux. Their lives were largely nomadic and revolved around the buffalo. Native Americans continue to gather at this sacred site.

In 1969 the Mid-America All-Indian Museum was established as a keeper and promulgator of American Indian culture and heritage. Seventy-three tribes are represented in the Wichita region. The museum has a 3,000-piece collection and presents rotating exhibits. An Outdoor Learning Center featuring a 20-ft tall tipi and a classroom enhance the complex. Galleries incorporate unique artifacts, video and immersive activities. Theindianmuseum.org

In 1865 Jesse Chisholm, Scottish-Cherokee trader, blazed a trade route that would evolve into the Chisholm Trail, from Texas to Wichita. The trail was used for cattle drives from the 1860s to the 1870s for cattle headed for northern railheads. Wichita thrived on the cattle trade and constructed hotels and two infamous saloons, the First and Last Chance, one at each end of the route. The railroad came to Wichita in 1872 ending an era.

Old Cowtown Museum, established in 1950, maintains the history and legacy of the more profane aspects of the town. The museum has 54 buildings in 45 exhibit spaces in five dedicated districts, Old Town, Business, Agricultural, industrial and Residential. Buildings date from the 1800s and many are original. Tours of the town allow visitors to immerse themselves in the 1870s through stagecoach rides, reenactments, gunfights and demonstrations. The DeVore Farm is particularly interesting in its depiction of life on a working farm post-Civil War. This is a Wichita must. oldcowtown.org

In the city center you will find Old Town. The ambiance of its brick streets is created by street lamps and converted brick warehouses. Stores and dining venues make this a great place for an evening stroll.

Known as The Great American Desert, Kansas’ Indian Territory, basically isolated from the people of European descent yet relatively near slave-holding states, it appeared to be an ideal place for African Americans to settle. Battles were fought until the 1850s to determine whether the land would be slave of free. The population of enslaved in 1860 was 2 and 625 free blacks. Post-Civil War black organizations formed groups to settle in Kansas. In 1879 the Exoduster Movement began and by the end of the movement more than 41,000 African Americans had resettled in the state.

The Kansas African American Museum is a repository for the history and contributions that make up the African American experience in the West. Calvary Baptist Church was erected in 1917 by the congregants during the hours after work. Calvary relocated in the 70s, was purchased by the First National Historical Society and became the Kansas African American Museum in 1998. Renowned artist Dr. Samella Lewis donated a portion of her personal art collection as a foundation for the museum’s permanent collection. The holdings include works by Barthé, Bearden, Catlett and Gordon Parks as well as African galleries. Tkaamuseum. org

A little further afield Kansas showcases its heritage in unique and interesting ways. The iconic sunflower is showcased at the Kansas Maze Sunflower Field. The field is more than 16-acres and provides endless photo opportunities. kansasmaze.com