KANSAS! Magazine | Fall 2014

Reliving the past at Kansas Forts

Over 20 Old West Attractions

Legends of

airmail

fall 2014 | vol 70 | issue 3

Is Kansas the

$4.99

birthplace of the

Civil War?

kansasmag.com

fall 2014

“My dad didn’t look like a cowboy but rode a horse like one. I don’t remember not being able to ride and spent most of my childhood flying over the surrounding countryside. I am more comfortable in the saddle than on foot, and truly enjoy working with cattle.”

fall fall contents

-Jim Gray, cowboy and owner of Dovers Mercantile

features

| The Old West 24 Experience Modern attractions share the heritage of our ancestors

36 | The Forts

Military forts in Kansas are more than just relics

42 | Civil War

With battles dating back to 1856, can Kansas stake a claim to being the birthplace of the Civil War?

| Vanishing 56 Points

Photograph by Luke Townsend

In search of Kansas’ navigational airmail arrows on the cover A young reenactor at Fort Larned.

Photograph by Harland J. Schuster

01 Kansas!

Magazine fall 2014

McPherson the old west experience The Old Muffin Factory

butterfield overland dispatch tour kansas Marker near Castle Rock Bandlands

herington reasons we love kansas Potawatomi Indian Reservation the old west experience Annual Powwow

70 dodge city the old west experience Boothill Museum

larned forts of kansas Fort Larned

35

135

Overland park In Season SPIN! Pizza baldwin city Civil war The Battle of Black Jack

wichita in season Historic Delano Iola milestone Bowlus Fine Arts Center

find us on facebook: facebook.com/kansasMagazine follow us on twitter: @kansasMag

02 Kansas!

Magazine fall 2014

04 | Field Guide 06 | Editor’s Letter 09 | In Season

10 | Eat

13 | Shop

14| Don’t Miss

17 | Culture

18 | Reasons We Love Kansas 22 | Fall 2014 Events 46 | Tour Kansas:

In the Ruts of History

From Lewis and Clark to the Pony Express, the tracks of Kansas’ frontier heritage remain etched across the state

50 | Kansas Gallery 61 | Taste of Kansas:

From Wild Boar to Squirrel Stew

A guide to cooking the day’s catch

64 | Milestone of Kansas

Photograph by Jason Dailey

Graham county Kansas! Gallery

departments

hays the forts of kansas Fort Hays

fieldguide

Welcome to the Frontier!

Kansas is a unique destination for history.

Our central location has played a major role in United States history, and this season we celebrate that with our Frontier Issue. We hope you enjoy this window to the past, as we look back on the journeys we’ve endured to arrive at the present.

tweet tweet

fall 2014

Kansas

cowboy

To the Frontier Stars!

Heritage

@Printed Perceptions May 27: @KANSASMag hey Kansas Mag! Looking forward to keeping up with the happenings in the Sunflower State!! Eager for a return visit :)

When asked what inspires Lisa Mooney to portray her cowboy heritage, she says: “It’s knowing that I was taught to be an honest person; to give a day’s work for a day’s pay.

It’s riding for your brand, it’s standing up for what I believe.

It’s knowing that the values I have learned, I have passed down to my children and them to theirs. It’s knowing that I should be there when others are down and could sure use a hand—and knowing its OK to be on the other side of that fence.”

@kshumanities June 9: No. 7 on @KANSASMag’s list of Reasons We Love Kansas? KHC’s Short Films.

Watch them here: http://bit.ly/TAYS7d

A New Old

Be sure to look for our next edition, the Ad Astra Issue. This 70th Anniversary edition celebrates all the things we love about Kansas, large and small—from sunsets to cinnamon rolls served with chili. To say the least, it’s inspiring.

T e a m

Jump to page 56 for our story on navigational airmail arrows.

Constructed in the 1930s to direct airmail planes on various routes, a handful of these concrete arrows remain in Kansas today. Writer and photographer Bill Stephens takes us on a journey this season to find these relics.

o f

Bra vo!

Bandits This fall, our team of contributors includes:

04 Kansas!

1110& And the assistance of the Kansas State P h o t o g r a p h e r s Historical Society

Magazine W r i t e r s fall 2014

See what readers are saying online.

Gavin Snider via Facebook I grew up drawing landscapes from KANSAS! Magazine, so I’m truly honored to be featured alongside the amazing artists, writers and musicians in this summer’s Creators of Culture issue. A big thank you to Deb Warne for the recommendation and commission that got me here!

KANSAS!

fall 2014 Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Jennifer T. Haugh editor

Sam Brownback governor

Robin Jennison

KDWPT Secretary

www.sunflowerpub.com lawrence, kansas

design & production

Katy Ibsen

managing editor

RK

WINFIELD ART IN THE PA

October 4, 2014 Island Park, Winfield, KS

Shelly Bryant

Designer/art director

Jason Dailey photographer

Joanne Morgan

marketing, (785) 832-7264

Bert Hull

general manager

KANSAS! (ISSN 0022-8435) is published quarterly by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, 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 $4.99 per issue; subscription price $18 per year; international subscription price $22 per year. All prices include all applicable sales tax.

Please address subscription inquiries to: Toll-free: (800) 678-6424 KANSAS!, P.O. Box 146, Topeka, KS 66601-0146 e-mail: ksmagazine@sunflowerpub.com Website: www.KansasMag.com POSTMASTER: Send address change to: KANSAS! P.O. Box 146, Topeka, KS 66601-0146.

Please mail all editorial inquiries to: KANSAS!, 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612 e-mail: ksmagazine@sunflowerpub.com

eld Convention & Tourism Sponsored in part by Winfi

• Outdoor art festival • Entertainment • Children’s art activities • Food vendors • Juried Show 12 x 12 booth for $40

For more information, gmail.com us e-mail at winfieldarts@ call (620) 221-2161, send www.winfieldarts.com

MUSIC MINI FEST Baden Square 700 Gary Winfield, KS

September 16, 2014 Performers from the Walnut Festival come to provide music to schoolkids, the community, veterans, and festival goers from 9 am to 3 pm.

Reservations for large groups are required.

For more information, call

620-221-2161, winfieldarts@gmail.com www.winfieldarts.com Sponsored in part by Winfield Convention & Tourism

The articles and photographs that appear in KANSAS! magazine may not be broadcast, published or otherwise reproduced without the express written consent of Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism or the appropriate copyright owner. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Additional restrictions may apply.

05 Kansas!

Magazine fall 2014

extras from the editor Dear Readers, This fall we’re looking to the past and exploring Kansas’ frontier.

Frontier Women – Photo Statement Growing up around farms around the state, searching for arrowheads on the prairies, I found hints of life as it used to be all around. For me, this portfolio was a way to gain a deeper insight into our history from the people who live it day to day.

It’s a way to remind the outside world of the importance of Kansas, its cultures and its people.

Modernization and the interconnectedness of our world today have provided a struggle for most cultures, many of which are being lost and forgotten. There’s a simplicity to life in Kansas that I believe cultivates compassion, humor, trustworthiness and pride for one’s culture. Those qualities are exactly what I found while traveling throughout the state for this assignment.

We’ve opened up the archives to look at our unique history— and all the ways you can experience that history today.

In “Tour Kansas,” you can follow one of the many iconic trails that passed through our Great Plains state—from the Oregon Trail to the Pony Express.

Enjoy the Old West experience at one of our many museums, events or attractions honoring the cowboy and Native American heritage. Don’t forget the treasured tastes of the frontier—from popcorn to johnnycakes—flavors that are still popular today.

And meet four women of the modern frontier who share their legacy in our inspiring photo essay.

Of course, we can’t skip over the stories of our military forts. Did you know Fort Leavenworth is the oldest military fort west of the Mississippi River that is still in operation? Or that Kansas saw some of the earliest battles in the lead-up to the Civil War?” There’s a great deal to learn and treasure in this issue.

For me, though, this issue has become a milestone, as it is my last. With new opportunities on the horizon, I am closing this chapter of my work with the state of Kansas.

I have truly enjoyed all the wonderful places and people I have discovered, and I have acquired an even greater appreciation for my home state.

I want to thank all the editors who have come before me, as well as the photographers and writers, for helping make this publication into what it is today.

See Luke Townsend’s portraits of frontier women on page 31. Luke also shot regional cowboy legend Jim Gray, found on page 1.

Most of all, I want to thank the readers. KANSAS! readers are loyal, gracious, feisty and kind, and I’ve enjoyed your passion for your passion for the place we all call home.

Luke Townsend, photographer

A fond farewell, and thank you for reading.

-Jennifer Haugh, Editor

send your thoughts to: Editor, KANSAS!, 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612 or e-mail ksmagazine@sunflowerpub.com

06 Kansas!

Magazine fall 2014

Photograph courtesy of doug stremel

I based this portfolio around the portraits of Native Americans by photographer Edward Curtis.

I felt that the simplicity and innocence in his photographs match the qualities of the people I met and the life they lead. With the help of painter Jake Duerfeldt, co-owner of Duerf’s Inc., I handpainted several canvas backdrops to mimic the limitations faced by portrait photographers from the late 1800s and early 1900s. What we developed are simple portraits of Kansans who are proud of who they are and where they come from, and are dedicated to preserving a historical Kansas life.

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fall 2014

fall 2014

in season

Photograph by Jason Dailey

10 eat / 13 shop / 14 don’t miss / 17 culture

Welcome to KANSAS! magazine’s “In Season.” Here we explore what’s new and buzzing throughout the state—from restaurants and shopping to cultural happenings and don’t-miss events and attractions. And this season, we are grabbing a slice from SPIN! Neapolitan Pizza.

09 Kansas!

Magazine fall 2014

in season

eat

New Lancaster Days Festival Featuring local wines, period food and music from the era served up at the New Lancaster General Store, built in 1874.

when | where | how October 18, 10 a.m.

New Lancaster General Store & Winery 36688 New Lancaster Road New Lancaster 66040 facebook.com/ newlancastergeneralstorewinery

written by Gloria Gale

bagel baby

Keeps on Spinning

Oktoberfest

Come and indulge in authentic German food: brats, bierocks, cabbage rolls, sauerkraut, beef stroganoff, turkey legs and more.Tickets are $5 per person.

September 27, 11 a.m.

Dodge City Knights of Columbus 800 W. Frontview (620) 225-1421

Share the Harvest

7th Annual Pioneer Bluffs Fall Festival is a celebration of community and local food.An arts and crafts fair, car show, petting zoo,old-timey games and local bands will entertain the whole family. Indulge in the hog roast and sample locally-grown food such as sweet potatoes and rhubarb pies,as well as the bounty from area volunteers bringing produce from their own gardens.

when | where | how October 4, 2 p.m.

Pioneer Bluffs, Matfield Green 695 Kansas Highway 177 pioneerbluffs.org

10 Kansas!

Magazine fall 2014

Gail Lozoff may be diminutive in stature, but her entrepreneurial spirit is anything but.

Venturing into one of her wildly popular SPIN! Neapolitan Pizza destinations throughout Kansas City’s metropolitan area, it’s easy to see that Lozoff’s eatery is a study in success. She makes it look easy, but the dough that seems to follow her has taken years to rise—so to speak.

She’d be the first to admit that building a business is nothing if not labor-intensive, but Lozoff—who at the tender age of 5 was folding boxes at her second-generation, family-owned bakery, the Cake Box—has never been afraid of hard work.

More fits and starts followed her along the path until 1988 when, melding a strong entrepreneurial streak with considerable creativity, she opened her first Bagel & Bagel store in Brookside.“We sold 700 bagels the first day,” she recalls.“It was clear we were in the right place at the right time.”

With the success of Bagel & Bagel came investor interest, and eventually the business was purchased and formed into a nationwide bagel chain—Einstein Bros.

Bagels.

In time, Lozoff left Einstein’s to rebrand/rebuild the K.C.-based Houlihan’s chain of restaurants.“This experience had a huge impact on me becoming a restaurateur,” she says. And in 2005, she took her hospitality knowledge and with her husband, Richard Lozoff, joined forces with former associate Edwin Brownell to begin serving pizza.

Another former associate, Michael Kramer, joined the team in 2013.

SPIN! launched in Johnson County, offering a variety of hand-spun, traditional thincrust, rustic whole wheat, and gluten-free stone-fired pizzas; as well as appetizers, soups, salads, paninis, Italian deli sandwiches and gelato ice cream. Since then they’ve added more stores, including franchises in Orange County, California and Missouri, with more on the way, all drawing accolades in national food magazines.

Hard work, a well-nurtured staff and deep involvement in the community are the ingredients for a successful brand—values Lozoff knows only too well.

Photograph by Jason Dailey

when | where | how

fall 2014

shop

written by Kimberly Winter Stern

Photographs clockwise from left: Shutterstock, Courtesy of Historic Delano

fever

in season

Wichita’s historic local flavor:

delano

What’s big, blue and very fashionable? The new 359,000-square-foot IKEA store in Merriam, on the east side of Interstate 35 at Johnson Drive.

Founded in Sweden in 1943, IKEA is known for designmeets-function accessories and furniture, and for inspiring homeowners worldwide to spruce their space.

The behemoth store, situated on 18.4 acres and boasting 1,200 parking spaces, officially opens this fall.

Shoppers seeking affordable and contemporary decor for their abode can wander through 50 imaginative displays of sofas, beds, children’s rooms, kitchen appliances, textiles, rugs and much, much more.

ikea.com

Anyone traveling to Wichita this fall should block out a day (or two) at the quaint Historic Delano enclave. Once a dusty cowtown at the end of the famous Chisholm Trail, the area today is home sweet home to a charming and eclectic collection of locally owned restaurants, pubs, boutiques, entertainment and nightlife.

Young families, community advocates and passionate entrepreneurs have pumped new life and personality into this diverse district that puts out the welcome mat year-round.

Check out Wichita Pottery for artistic treasures, or pick up the latest kitchen gadget at Apron Strings. Rent a bike at Bicycle X-change and relax with a massage at Bohemia Therapeutic Spa. Grab a slice of New York-style pizza at Picasso’s Pizzeria and treat yourself to an old-fashioned ice cream cone from Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy.

Delano’s don’t miss:

Whether you eat breakfast, shop for flowers and chocolate, wash down a juicy burger with a beer, catch a Wichita Wingnuts baseball game at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium or visit Exploration Place, anyone can enjoy a unique day in Historic Delano.

October 2

Final Friday Art Crawl Every last Friday of the month

Ghost Stories of Delano historicdelano.com

13 Kansas!

Magazine fall 2014

in season

don’t miss

why written by Marci Penner

not?!

In Marion, walk along the wooded Luta Creek path until you come to the 1860 historic spring where pioneers once stopped for a watering break.

Take a selfie as you stick your toes in the clear running water.

HORN ABOUT!

14 Kansas!

Magazine fall 2014

unusual

wpa band shells The smallest band shell in the state is located in Barnes (Washington County) and was built in 1940.

A 1937 green rock gazebo stage is found in Hill City (Graham County).

The 1939 band shell in Morganville (Clay County) is a sunken amphitheater.

Photograph courtesy of the Kansas Sampler Foundation

something TO TOOT YOUR

Slide, swing, scoot and imagine your way through the Tootleville Playground in Miltonvale. In April 2002, after raising $93,000, a group of 300 volunteers put together the low-riding tractor, the rainbow castle (complete with an escape slide), a wooden treehouse and a three-car train. And don’t forget the ship that takes you through pirate territory— the S.S.Tootle.This is a kid’s paradise!

To get to the Tootleville Playground, take K-189 from U.S. 24 south into Miltonvale. Around the curve, the dirt of the ball diamond will be your clue that the historic WPA (Works Progress Administration) structures are just ahead. First you’ll see the 1936 whitewashed pillars of the triple-arch pedestrian stone bridge, then the band shell with white concrete benches hidden on the slope of the hill. Band concerts, weddings, birthday parties and class reunions are held among the picturesque setting.

So what’s all the “tootle” about? The landowner who designated the space for the town site was Milton Tootle. It was decided that Miltonvale probably sounded more prestigious than Tootleville. But now, 132 years later, they’ve got their Tootleville—and the 529 people in this Cloud County town are plenty happy about that.

The

bed & breakfasT inn

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KANSAS!

Wamego Manhattan Abilene El Dorado Topeka Lecompton

Historical Lecompton Civil War Birthplace Where slavery began to die

Visit Constitution Hall & Territorial Capital Museum 10-5 pm Wed-Sat • 1-5 pm Sun Tours (785) 887-6148 www.lecomptonkansas.com

advertise

in KANSAS! Magazine

fall 2014

For details contact Sunflower Publishing (888) 497-8668 sunpubads@sunflowerpub.com

There is plenty to see and do in Kansas.

Be sure to call ahead for complete details.

culture

written by Nathan Pettengill

in season

KANSAS! Do you receive complaints because you write about 19th-century England but live in Kansas?

Grecian I don’t think there should be a stigma regarding where you’re from. Nobody writing about Victorian England, whether they are in England, America or India or South America, is a native of Victorian England, because it’s in the past. It’s an alien place for us all.

2014 Kansas novelist taps Here are three cultural excursions to enjoy this fall.

The Wichita Art Museum opens a new exhibition, American Moderns, 1910–1960: From O’Keeffe to Rockwell. This is

England and Russia for historical thrillers

a European-influenced but distinctly American take on landscapes, florals and portraits. Wichita, September 27, 2014-January 4, 2015.

wichitaartmuseum.org

PolkaFest, featuring two days of polka music, traditional German food and—you guessed it—a beer garden on the Ellis County Fairgrounds. The music is free, the food is cooked in the heart of the Kansas German community and proceeds benefit the Harold Dorzweiler Cancer Memorial Fund.

Hays, September 20-21. germancapitalofkansas.com

Photograph by Jason Dailey

The McPherson Scottish Festival and Highland Games, with piping, drumming, dancing and the state’s biggest KpK (Kilts per Kansan) ratio, culminates in a distinctly New World tradition: Kirking of the Tartan. McPherson, September 27-28.

macfestival.org

He writes about brutal murders in the shadows of London in the 1890s.

So, of course, critics and readers are quick to describe Alex Grecian’s work in terms of the Arthur Conan Doyle literary tradition. But the Topeka native features no allknowing, pipe-smoking hero in his mysteries. Instead, he writes about self-doubting detectives who stumble through their home lives and their duties, surviving— just barely—in each.

Grecian’s plots race through wickedly inventive murders,

but also detail the police force’s daily struggles to keep their uniforms mended. His latest work— The Devil’s Workshop, released this summer—is somewhat Sherlock Holmes, but more of a riveting mashup between Call the Midwife and Game of Thrones, with babies and bliss plus a fair dose of blood and betrayal.

KANSAS! But would your characters exist in the past? The hero, Inspector Day, is a very modern husband who wants to attend his wife’s childbirth.

Grecian In that time, Day wouldn’t be present, and wouldn’t want to be present, for his wife’s pregnancy and childbirth. They wouldn’t even talk about that; they would gloss over that. But I can’t have my hero doing that. Day is a modern guy in Victorian England.

But I’m living in 2014 and you are reading it in 2014; I’m writing it for you, not for someone who died 100 years ago. So to try to create an artifact as if it had been written in 1890, then that’s foolish. I’m writing a modern thriller set in Victorian England.

KANSAS! You write mysteries and you’re from Kansas. Do you get tired of being asked about the classic Kansas mystery writer Rex Stout?

Grecian I love Rex Stout. Right

This fall, Grecian returns to his roots as a novelist, releasing Rasputin, a mystical thriller based on the Russian royal family’s shadowy adviser in the years preceding the Russian Revolution.

now I’m reading Black Orchids, and I go back and reread his stuff all the time. I’m a big fan.

His stuff is timeless.

17

Kansas!

Magazine fall 2014

reasons

2

we love kansas written by Fally Afani

We search Kansas far and wide to find even more reasons to love our Sunflower State. Share your Reasons to Love Kansas (see page 20).

1

Kansas byways guide

Look for the new Kansas Byways Guide (psst ... subscribers already have it!) this season. Highlighting all the unique experiences found on Kansas’ 11 Byways, scenic and historic, this guide will be your go-to source for long drives all year long. Learn more at ksbyways.org.

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18 Kansas!

Magazine fall 2014

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kitchen 4 hire

Foodies looking to start their own business need to look no further than Salina, where the Masonic Center hosts “Kitchen 4 Hire,” in which chefs can test out their most delicious ideas before cooking up larger endeavors. http://salinadowntown.com/index.php/resources-links/kitchen-4-hire/

3

In style above Lindsborg

Once you lay eyes on the delightful and artistic community of Lindsborg, you may find yourself compelled to spend the weekend there … in style. Vetehuset, Swedish for “the wheat house,” boasts charming, industrial farmhouse-style accommodations right in the heart of downtown, close to all the action and festivities the area has to offer. vete-hus.com

Photographs: (Clockwise from top left) Shutterstock (2), Mike Yoder, Courtesy of the Kansas state Historical Society, Jim Turner, KANSAS! magazine

4

reasons

we love kansas

Cider Season!

6

We hope you’ve left room for more than just pie! It’s cider season in Kansas, and farms across the state, including the Louisburg Cider Mill and Rees Fruit Farm, are celebrating with fall festivals. Rees’ cider donuts are especially popular with the locals. louisburgcidermill.com, reesfruitfarm.com

5

Lawrence Arts Center Tuesday Concert Series

Music lovers, keep your Tuesdays open. While the series is 10 years old, the Lawrence Arts Center has welcomed this easygoing weekly concert event that’s free to the community for the past three years. Some of the best folk musicians in Kansas, such as Alfred Packer Memorial String Band, as seen below, have fiddled and picked their way through this series. Sponsored by Mass Street Music, the fall series runs September through December (feel free to tip your musicians!). tuesdayconcert.com

Red Rocks—Sundays on the Porch

What started with one family’s hospitality has blossomed into a popular event in Emporia. Sundays on the Porch of Red Rocks is a speaker series that welcomes guests to the historic home of legendary Kansas newspaper editor William Allen White for historical and family legacy-related presentations and musical performances. http://kshs.org/events

19 Kansas!

Magazine fall 2014

reasons

Prairie Chic Kansas

If you’ve got an eye for art or an appetite for antiques, head to Herington for the just-opened Prairie Chic Kansas. Connoisseurs looking to unload quality furniture or consignment art can rent space to sell these collections. http://prairiechickansas. blogspot.com

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Family History Month

Celebrate the fifth annual Kansas Ancestor Fair. Genealogy experts offer classes on how to research Mexican-American and Irish ancestors, how to recruit younger generations interested in family history, and how to use DNA to trace your roots.

Organizations with family history, genealogical and historical interests will host informational displays, and food vendors will be on site. The free event is on October 18, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Kansas Museum of History. ksancestorfair.org

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take aim!

Reasons

We Love Kansas

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Fall is such a treasured time for hunting in Kansas. Many season openers kick off, the season is ripe for certain game and it’s a time when old friends gather again.

Plan your hunt today at ksoutdoors.com.

Garden of Isis house

Located deep within Lucas, the Garden of Isis, created by Mri-Pilar, is home to some of the wildest folk art in Kansas. The home boasts seven rooms of art created from computer parts, old doll bodies, broken toys, utensils and so on. Admission is included in the tour of the Grassroots Art Center. grassrootsart.net

Send your “Reasons We Love Kansas” to ksreasons@sunflowerpub.com or to Reasons, KANSAS!, 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612.

Photographs: (Clockwise from top left) Courtesy of Prairie Chic, Steven Schultz, Courtesy of the Kansas Ancestor Fair

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events kansas fall

Civil War on the Western Frontier

Lindsborg Street Dance

Old Settlers Day

Lawrence

Lindsborg

Russell Springs

August 15-23

August 23

August 31

Step back in time to 1854-1865, when local events set the stage for what would become known as Bleeding Kansas. Events include lectures, performances, workshops and more. visitlawrence.com

Enjoy the boogie-down routine with King Midas and the Muflers at this community block party and dance.

Begins at 8 p.m. visitlindsborg.com

This annual Labor Day Weekend event celebrates the local heritage with a parade, cow-chip throwing and a dinner to recognize the settlers. Events begin at 10 a.m. butterfieldtrailmuseum.org

Buffalo Bill Days

3D Archery Tournament

Leavenworth August 15-16 The “Wild West” relived in historic downtown Leavenworth. Enjoy continuous music, historical entertainers, vendors, food and more. buffalobillfestival.com

The Mary Schafer Collection: A Legacy of Quilt History

Webber

Sporting KC vs. D.C. United Kansas City August 23 Catch one of Kansas City’s most popular sports teams take on D.C. United at Sporting Park. Begins at 7:30 p.m. sportingkc.com

September 7 Test your archery prowess at this fun 3D tournament hosted by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Begins at 8 a.m. ksoutdoors.com

UNCORK, the Music Concert Series Winfield

Montezuma

Richard Petty Driving Experience September 13

August 17-October 12

Kansas City

This unique exhibit shares the work of influential quilt-maker Mary Schafer.

Also on display will be quilts from local Kansas quilters. Admission is free. stauthmemorialmuseum.org

August 29-31

When Pigs Fly BBQ Contest and Fly In McPherson

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Get behind the wheel of a 600HP NASCAR race car or take a ride and feel the excitement as you hear the engine roar and thunder down the track. drivepetty.com

Fall Wildflower Tours

August 22-23

Canton

Hosted by the McPherson Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee, When Pigs Fly BBQ & Fly In raises awareness for the ag community and a special scholarship. mcphersonchamber.org/calendar/ when-pigs-fly/

August 30 and September 6 Board the tram for a tour of the prairie with wildflowers and buffalo or enjoy a self-guided walking tour of flowers at Maxwell Wildlife Refuge. Tickets $5-8.

Begins at 10 a.m. (620) 628-4455

Enjoy the Byron Berline Band at the “Wander to Winfield” Bluegrass Primer and free concert. $10 per car load. Begins at 8 p.m. www. wheatstatewineco.com

events kansas fall

Pome on the Range Fall Festival Williamsburg

Big Bend Shootout and Bike Rally October 11 Great Bend September 20-21

Artist Alley Festival Second annual Hahn Brothers Supercross Shootout taking place in conjunction with the Big Bend Bike Rally. Motocross riders from all over the country will converge in Great Bend to compete for huge cash prizes. Begins at 7 a.m. visitgreatbend.com

Kansas Maze 2014 Buhler

Chanute September 27 Enjoy arts and crafts, artists’ demonstration, music, dance, parade, train and helicopter rides, games for kids and more at the 45th Annual Artist Alley Festival in downtown Chanute from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with music till 10 p.m. at the Main Street Pavilion. chanutemainstreet.com

September 26-October 26

Illustrations: Shutterstock

Wellsville Days Beautifully designed 5-acre 10-foot tall corn maze. Open weekends and on weekdays by reservation.

The festive atmosphere includes a pumpkin patch, play area and concessions. kansasmaze.com

find more events at travelks.com

Wellsville September 27 This two-day event is jam-packed with family activities, including a parade, craft fair, exotic petting zoo, live music and more. Begins at 9 a.m. wellsvilledays.com

Fun for the whole family! Ride the horse-drawn wagon to pick apples off the trees or pumpkins from the patch.

Don’t miss fresh-cooked kettle corn and great BBQ with homemade pies.

Begins at 10 a.m. pomeontherange.com

Haunted Boot Hill Hays October 31 This special program, sponsored by the Ellis County Historical Society Museum, welcomes visitors to the location of the first Hays City graveyard on Halloween night. Learn about the violence and misfortune that claimed its inhabitants. Begins at dusk. elliscountyhistoricalmuseum.org

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Old West 24 Kansas!

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Photograph courtesy of kansasmemory.org, Kansas State Historical Society

Experience The Cowboy and the American Indian Frontier Fare Wild Women of the Frontier: A Photo Essay 25 Kansas!

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the Old West Experience

The Cowboy American Indian and the

Modern attractions share the heritage of our ancestors Like much of the West, Kansas has a storied past that boasts an American Indian and cowboy heritage.Today, that history is still celebrated and honored in Kansas, through our cattle industry, living museums and annual powwows.

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Story by Cecilia Harris • Photograph courtesy of kansasmemory.org, Kansas State Historical Society

the Old West Experience The Cowboy

Marshal Wild Bill Hickok marches a cantankerous cowboy off to jail at gunpoint after a poker game erupts into a gunfight in the dusty street outside the Alamo Saloon. Inside, can-can girls kick up their heels as patrons sip sarsaparilla. Once the rascal is locked behind bars, Hickok saunters over to the depot to greet passengers arriving on the train pulled by a steam engine.The Old West springs to life in Old Abilene Town, as visitors relive the days when Abilene was the first railhead where cowboys drove Texas cattle up the Chisholm Trail.

Gunfire still erupts in the streets of other historic Kansas cattle towns, immersing visitors in the era that produced the likes of Wyatt Earp and Buffalo Bill Cody. Made famous in television’s long-running western Gunsmoke, Dodge City hosts the Boot Hill Museum, where Miss Kitty sings in the saloon’s Long Branch Variety Show. And at the Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita, cowboys share tales at the drover’s camp as an anvil rings in the blacksmith shop.

Early cowboys tested their roping and riding skills in competitions that evolved into today’s rodeos, where wild horses kick up plenty of dust—and buck off plenty of cowboys.

Abilene (where the rodeo arena is home to the World’s Largest Spur), Phillipsburg and Dodge City are among the communities sponsoring professional rodeos with world-class competition.

Dodge City Days, lasting more than a week, includes the rodeo, a Western Art Show, gunfights and a chuck-wagon breakfast.

Working Ranch Rodeos, where participating ranches bring a team of cowboys to compete in daily chores such as calf branding and cattle doctoring, also can be found across Kansas, with the state championship in Medicine Lodge.

Round up a cowboy hat and boots at C&R Old West Trading Post in Ellsworth, Rittel’s Western Wear in Abilene, or Crazy House in Garden City, then saddle up and help drive longhorn cattle at Moore Ranch near Bucklin or the Flying W Ranch near Cedar Point.

The American Indian

Drums beat a steady rhythm, bells jingle and voices sing in unison as American Indians dressed in colorful native regalia dance under the warm June sun during the Prairie Band Potawatomi’s annual powwow near Mayetta. Powwows bring tribes together to preserve their rich heritage.

One of those tribes is the Pawnee, whose lodges were of timber framework covered with earth. Bone hoes, burned corn and tools used by the Kitkehahki (Republican) band of Pawnee remain where they were left on the floor by the 40 family members who lived together in the excavated lodge—dating to the 1700s—that is the Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site near Republic.

An earthwork medicine wheel at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence is on sacred ground where students once sought respite at the former Indian boarding school founded in 1884.The Haskell Cultural Center and Museum explains the history of the school that has evolved into an American Indian and Alaska Native university and a national center for Indian education, research and cultural preservation.The museum also features a collection of American Indian portraits taken from 1898 to 1900.

Keeper of the Plains, an Indian warrior steel sculpture designed by American Indian artist Blackbear Bosin, also stands on sacred ground in Wichita. On land where the Big and Little Arkansas rivers meet, the sculpture’s plaza and adjacent MidAmerica All-Indian Center describe the way of life of the Plains Indians, and the Center exhibits contemporary art depicting American Indian culture.

At Abilene’s American Indian Art Center, a Kansas gallery focusing solely on American Indian art, the work of 75 artists from nearly 40 tribes includes, among other things, powwow drums, basketry, jewelry, pottery, books and other works of art.

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the Old West Experience

frontier fare Everything old is new again for these Kansas food artisans

Consider that bag of popcorn you munched on while wandering the Kansas State Fair or a summer festival. Maybe it was sprinkled with cheese, glazed with caramel or spiced up with cinnamon. Perhaps it was unadorned, drizzled with a bit of butter and sprinkled with salt.

However you enjoyed the snack that Americans can’t get enough of—some 17 billion quarts are consumed in this country each year—the very foundation of it is very old-fashioned.

History records that the most basic of foods, including maize—or corn—helped sustain pioneers as they settled the Sunflower State.Wheat and beef were diet staples, and pickling was a popular technique used to preserve the bounty of harvests.

So it only makes sense that modern-day Kansas food artisans are capturing the culinary tastes that fortified their ancestors—with some updating, of course.

Schlaegel’s Homegrown Popcorn Whiting | popcorngifts.net

Kansas is one of the nation’s top 10 popcorn-producing states, and Gary and Marian Schlaegel of Whiting contribute to that ranking.

The kernel of an idea helped put the Schlaegel name on the snack map: Schlaegel’s Homegrown Popcorn.

The Schlaegels, member of From the Land of Kansas, harvest 30 acres of corn for their booming business and ship packages of unpopped white and yellow corn, in addition to 22 varieties of flavored popcorn in cellophane bags, pails, tins and gift boxes, across the country.

Kansas settlers didn’t have the benefits of enjoying exotic, palate-pleasing popcorn flavors such as cotton candy, cherry limeade and cinnamon roll—or the cherry cheesecake developed by the Schlaegels’ college-age grandson, Jacob.

The company’s most popular flavor is caramel, a recipe handed down from Gary’s grandmother, and cheddar is a close second. At home, Gary still enjoys popcorn the traditional way, using canola oil in a popper. And when he and Marian go to the movies, they always get a tub, in the name of research.

The Old Muffin Factory McPherson | 800-697-0385 Pioneer moms would have appreciated Les and Kala Mason’s McPherson-produced designer baking mixes, which require little more than eggs and water. Produced in the heart of wheat country, The Old Muffin Factory’s mixes include more than 100 varieties of muffins, pancakes, breads and cookies, all sold in specialty shops and shipped nationwide—giving eager customers a high-quality shortcut to home-baked goods.

Included in The Old Muffin Factory’s lineup of gourmet baking mixes is Johnnycake, inspired by a group of McPherson-based Civil War reenactors—and by painstaking research, including Mason family taste-testing sessions. Also known as hoecake, Johnnycake was popular in the 19th century and was typically cooked on the blade of a hoe in the field.The Johnnycake mix is especially popular with the company’s customers in the South and East.

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Story by Kimberly Winter Stern • Photography by Jason Dailey

the Old West Experience

M M KANSAS!

The Woodward Inns on Fillmore

M

Midland Railway Historical Association

1515 W. High Street Baldwin KS 66006-0005 The Old Muffin FactoryCity, is housed in one of McPherson’s oldest buildings, right next to the historic Phone (913) 721-1211 Opera House. Once home to a dairy and ice cream 594-6982 parlor and Depot a ticket office(785) for open-air movies, the Masons’ business combines nostalgic foods with 21st-century www.midlandrailway.org ingenuity.

Great Gran’s Pickle Company

Railway operates excursion Olathe | greatgranspicklecompany.com Pioneers usedin pickling, a method of preserving e originally constructed vegetables in brine or vinegar, to can a summer des feature an over 20garden’s bounty.

Pickled foods have made a resurgence, appearing in grocery p from Baldwin City via and specialty stores and on restaurantJunction, menus in Kansas, and Great Gran’s Pickle nsas” to Ottawa Company pays homage to that time-honored tradition of ng through scenic Eastern food preservation.

Based a recipe that founder Jack Williams’ greatnd and woods viaonvintage grandmother, Angeline Buzzetti, toted to the Midwest ment. The when Midland Railway she emigrated from Italy in the late 1890s, Great y volunteer-staffed, non-profi 501c3, carrier Gran’s Home Style Pickles tare a line ofcommon crunchy-crispy dill pickles made in small batches. ated to preserve and display transportation history as an Williams located emonstration railroad.

Join us for a train ride – bring the the original handwritten recipe in his aunt’s We are in easy reach ofkitchen Kansas City, Overland Park, collection, received wa and Lawrence, Topeka, and nearby communities. permission to use it and rmal excurions June-October every year. startedtrains the business in 2004, designing a distinctive label for the line of pickles which bears a tintype-style portrait of his beloved great-grandma.

Sold in specialty stores throughout Kansas and Missouri, Great Gran’s flavors include old-school bread-and-butter; hot dill; and a spicy bread-andbutter with habaneros.

Operations Beginning Late 2012!

one GoThIc mansIon + Three sTaTely execuTIve Inns + Three FamIly Inns =

Topeka’s Luxury Lodging/ Party Destination Block

The WoodWard Inns on FIllmore Chosen ‘Best of the Midwest’ by Midwest Living Magazine 1272 SW Fillmore Street, Topeka, KS 66604 • (785) 354-7111 • www.TheWoodward.com

Special Events Include; Easter Bunny Train Thomas the Tank Engine Haunted Halloween Train Santa Express

Midland Railway Historical Association Join us for a train ride — bring the whole family!

Normal excursioN

traiNs specialRailway events Historical Association Midland JuNe–october 1515 W. include: High Street

maple leaf trainKSrobberies/ Baldwin City, 66006-0005 1515 High St. Baldwin City, KS Phone (913) 721-1211 steam special, Haunted Phone (913) 721-1211 Depot (785) 594-6982 Halloween trains, santa claus Depot (785) 594-6982 www.midlandrailway.org express, easter egg Hunt trains www.midlandrailway.org and thomas the tank engine

The Midland Railway operates excursion trains on a line originally constructed in 1867. Train rides feature an over 20mile round trip from Baldwin City via “Norwood, Kansas” to Ottawa Junction, Kansas, traveling through scenic Eastern Kansas farmland and woods via vintage railway equipment. The Midland Railway is a completely volunteer-staffed, non-profit 501c3, common carrier railroad operated to preserve and display transportation history as an educational demonstration railroad. Join us for a train ride – bring the whole family! We are in easy reach of Kansas City, Overland Park, Olathe, Ottawa and Lawrence, Topeka, and nearby communities.

Normal excurions trains June-October every year.

A long running tradition of 24 yeras is coming to Baldwin City, KS

/midlandrailway

Special Events Include; Easter Bunny Train Thomas the Tank Engine Haunted Halloween Train Santa Express

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Operations Kansas!

Magazine  5-course evening Dinner Meals & casual Sunday 3-course meal Beginning 2012!  Reminisce as you travel in our 1940’s Era decoratedLatecars A long running tradition of 24 yeras is fall 2014

coming to Baldwin City, KS

the Old West Experience

Wild Women Frontier of the

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Photography by Luke Townsend

the Old West Experience

Lisa Mooney

(aka Belle Starr) Wild Women of the Frontier The cowboy spirit and the heritage of the cowboy has always been part of who I am and has made me the person, the mom, the wife, the friend that I am today. It started early.

I was the little girl who lived in town but yet insisted that I wear cowboy boots; I still do to this day. …

I’m inspired to continue the cowboy heritage when I see a newborn calf for the first time, or when I stop by a bubbling creek for a cool drink of water on a hot day.

It’s sitting on my porch to watch the sun go down, seeing my horses in a pasture of green grass—and I realize how lucky I am to have this wonderful cowboy life. To look across the prairie and wonder what it was like to cross it in a wagon, to know the people that did—their blood still runs thru my veins.

These are all things I have learned from riding and ropin,’ fencing and feeding. You can sure learn a lot from the back of a horse. It’s knowing that this cowboy life, this cowboy heritage, inspires me to have strength, courage and passion.

This cowboy heritage—this life that I so dearly love—it gives me peace.

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the Old West Experience

Dawn LeClere Prairie Band Potawatomi resident

I am very proud of who I am and where I come from. I was raised in a small home on the Prairie Band Potawatomi Reservation. My parents worked hard every single day to make sure my sister and I were given everything we needed to be successful and productive. Not only did my parents teach my sister and I the value of hard work, they taught us a way of life, and about the kind of people we wanted to be. I don’t see myself as being different than any other person. I am Native American every single day; it does not have to be a special occasion for me to celebrate who I am. Every day I will continue to teach my children to be proud of who they are and where they come from, the same way my parents taught me.

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Susan Alexander

Wild Women of the Frontier We celebrate the women of the frontier who dared to follow their own paths instead of what was expected of women of their time. Each and every one was a survivor who faced challenges almost unimaginable to us today. Some chose to homestead on their own, others took advantage of opportunities in the gold fields, while some fell in with bad-boy outlaws or developed the skills to outride, out-rope, and outshoot the cowboys.

Many of them became the object of “yellow� journalists who sensationalized their lives and even made up outright lies.

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Cindy LeClere Prairie Band Potawatomi resident

I have always tried to show my children and grandchildren how to respect life and to be humble and thankful for everything. I try to pass on what was shown to me by my elders. I am a firm believer that your children will do what you do. When I was a little girl, my grandmother would dress us up and we would dance when my grandfather sang. I have always known who I was and where I come from. ‌ I live on the Prairie Band Potawatomi reservation and work as a language apprentice with the Prairie Band Potawatomi Language Department. My main objective here is to understand and speak the Potawatomi language. I also teach language classes at the department and at the Boys and Girls club here on the reservation. Keeping our language is important because without it we lose our cultural identity.

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Military forts in Kansas are more than just relics

Even before Kansas was admitted to the union, the United States military had recognized the importance of our central location. Soldiers protected the trails, fought in wars spreading west, north and south, and battled the sometimes-harsh conditions of our four seasons.

What remains today are remnants of the past as well as active military posts that continue to aid in the defense of our freedom. Our Kansas-based military forts are more than just relics; they continue to give us a sense of pride in our state heritage.

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fort

As the prospect of civil war swept across the land in 1859, crews near modern-day Larned were busily constructing a fort in an effort to protect mail and trading caravans that were crossing the nation from east to west.

The installation’s first structures were made from sod, but more permanent sandstone buildings were erected in the mid-1860s following a raid on the fort.

The history of Fort Larned was fleeting, barely 25 years in duration.

By 1884, the War Department in Washington, D.C. had deactivated the fort and sold the site to the Pawnee County Stockbreeders, who 18 years later sold the property to the Frizell family. They converted the site into a ranch.

In the nearly six decades to follow, the Frizell family kept the buildings on the property intact with minimal modifications.

In 1955, after a bill was presented in Congress to investigate the fort’s viability as a national monument under the National Park Service, it received favorable ratings. However, funds would be needed to purchase the large site, which instead resulted in the creation of the Fort Larned Historical Society in 1957.

All structures are original, excluding the blockhouse, which was razed in the 1880s, but along the way someone saw fit to preserve the building’s foundation, upon which an exact duplicate was rebuilt. So perhaps Fort Larned could be dubbed the nation’s most authentic historic fort.

Those who were stationed here more than a century and a half ago would easily recognize Fort Larned if they could see it today.

– Richard Shank

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fort

What started as a post to protect settlers on the Santa Fe Trail has now become one of the busiest communities in Kansas.

Fort Riley, an active military base, has grown so large that the Public Affairs Office produces several guides and maps for visitors every year. The installation not only supports soldiers and their families, but welcomes visitors with an array of colorful affairs and outdoor recreational activities.

Fort Riley boasts an alwaysfull community calendar, with extravagant events celebrating military heroes past and present. One of the strongest links to the post’s

past is the Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard. Both troopers and horses don historic uniforms and equipment used during the Civil War to treat audiences to a colorful spectacle. You can find these impressive displays at one of the many community events, parades and ceremonies in the fort.

While you’re at one of these celebrations, you may also find yourself enjoying a performance from the 1st Infantry Division Band. These musicians have gained attention not only throughout the state, but across the nation.

– Fally Afani

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Photographs by Harland J. Schuster

fort

Deep in the heart of southeast Kansas, nestled between rolling hills and prairie, lays an exciting opportunity to connect with history and nature at the same time.

Founded in 1842, Fort Scott grew rapidly thanks to soldiers planting their roots in the area during the Civil War. The base was intended to connect the gap between northern and southern military communities. Likewise, the soldiers also helped keep the peace between American Indians and relocating tribes, furthering the region’s expansion.

Ever since it was established as a historic site in 1978, Fort Scott has offered a plethora of

activities. Visitors have been known to indulge in virtual reenactments, partake in thought-provoking discussions, enjoy colorful art exhibits and even wander off on a free, selfguided cell-phone tour.

Even if history is of no interest to you, the sheer natural beauty of Fort Scott should be enough to attract any nature buff. The region is home to the Osage Cuestas, a cluster of hills with a steep face on one side and a gentle slope on the other. As a Kansan (or a visitor), you may find the urge to meander through the five acres of restored Tallgrass Prairie to take it all in.

– Fally Afani

Gone but not forgotten Fort Zarah was established in 1864 in Barton County near the territory that would eventually be named Great Bend. It was active for only five years.

Fort Harker was originally built as Fort Ellsworth in 1864, but was later relocated to the area now known as Kanopolis. It opened in 1866, named after Civil War general Charles Garrison Harker. Gen. Philip Henry Sheridan took over as commander two years later as he planned his campaign against the Plains

Indians. After the end of the wars with the Plains Indians, the fort was abandoned in 1872.

Fort Dodge was named for Brig. Gen. Grenville M. Dodge and established in 1865. Situated along the Santa Fe Trail, the fort was developed to protect passing wagons. Gen. Philip Henry Sheridan and Gen. Alfred Sully served as commanders before the fort was abandoned in 1882.

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Nearly 200 years ago, the U.S. Army established Fort Leavenworth on the banks of the Missouri River, in part to protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail.

“It’s one of the oldest, if not the oldest continually operated post west of Washington D.C.,” says George Moore, curator of the Frontier Army Museum, located at the fort.

From its earliest days up till today, the fort and its soldiers have been at the center of key events that shaped the country. Historic buildings, Buffalo Soldier Memorial Park and Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery on the installation grounds tell part of the story and welcome visitors.

The collections of the museum tell more,

beginning with the Army’s role in the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804 (almost 25 years before the Fort’s founding in 1827) through the pursuit of Pancho Villa in 1916. The museum also preserves the history of the fort, from its earliest days to its present role as home to the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

“Everything’s compelling,” says Moore, but he lists two must-see items for all museum visitors: Gen. Henry Leavenworth’s 1832 officer coat, and a portrait of Gen. Leavenworth painted by George Catlin.

The museum is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.

Visitors must show a valid picture ID to enter the post.

– Julie Tollefson

Since its founding in 1827, Fort Leavenworth has never been closed, though for a time during the Civil War it housed Kansas militia volunteers instead of soldiers.

Situated along a popular trail that ran from Kansas to Colorado, Fort Wallace earned a reputation as the “Fightin’est Fort in the West” for its role in the early American Indian wars.

The fort’s history is marked by confrontations with surrounding tribes angered by pioneers’ negative effect on buffalo populations.

Exemplifying the fort’s contentious existence is an account of Lt. Col. George Custer’s discovery of the disfigured bodies of Lt. Lyman Kidder and 10 men from Fort Wallace’s Seventh Calvary, who had set out to relay messages to Custer as he pursued American Indians through Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado.

fort

fort

Fort Hays had a specific purpose from its inception: to provide goods and materials to other forts in the area. A tragic flood in 1867 greatly increased the fort’s importance as a supplier. The flood, which wiped out nine soldiers and civilians, forced the fort to move 15 miles east—to its existing location— and near a railroad right-of-way, springing forth a large supply depot that eventually made the fort a major supplier for several

Later, Custer was courtmartialed and received a one-year suspension after he deserted his post at Fort Wallace in order to find his wife, Libby, from whom he’d been separated, according to Jayne Humphrey Pearce, president of the Fort Wallace Museum.

“My heart goes toward the stories,” Pearce says, adding that Custer’s story is just one of many the museum brings to life through artifact exhibits and illustrations by renowned Kansas painter Jerry Thomas. “They are compelling, and we help create that experience for you.”

– Edie Ross

other U.S. Army posts, primarily in western Kansas. Fort Hays became the home base for troops defending the Union Pacific Railway.

Famous figures such as Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody and Lt. Col. George Custer often visited Fort Hays, where almost 600 troops were stationed in its early years. Several Indian war regiments also lived on the fort, including the Seventh U.S. Cavalry, the Fifth U.S. Infantry, and the 10th U.S. Cavalry. The 10th included several black troopers, known as Buffalo Soldiers.

Troops left the fort for good in November 1889.

Now the fort operates as the Fort Hays State Historic Site, complete with a Visitor Center, four original buildings, and photographs and foundations of other buildings. The Visitor Center includes rare and fun artifacts, such as Custer’s dumbbell, which he used to stay fit while visiting.

– Amy Conkling

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Magazine fall 2014

Civil War

Fort Sumter vs. the Battle of Black Jack

With battles dating back to 1856—almost five years prior to Fort Sumter—can Kansas stake a claim to being the birthplace of the Civil War? fall 2014

Story by Seth Jone s

|

Photography by Michael C. Snell

“There is so much history here. It’s amazing to think of the things that happened on the second floor of this building. We just had to come lay our eyes on it, because this set a path not only for Kansas, but all of the country.”

- Elizabeth Phelps, visiting Constitution Hall

While many history books might argue, the Civil War started right here in Kansas.

“Most people have heard of Fort Sumter: April 12th, 1861, when a Confederate attack took place on a Union post in Charleston, South Carolina,” says Tim Rues of the Kansas State Historical Society. “So April 12, 1861 is always considered the start of the Civil War. But what we like to teach out here in Kansas is that something led up to that. Seven years prior to that, when the territory of Kansas opens up, you’ve got advocates for a Free State and advocates for a slave state … and they clashed.”

Enter Bleeding Kansas (1854-1861), when these forces battled, violently, on numerous occasions. One of these clashes took place nearly five years before Fort Sumter—the Battle of Black Jack, which some historians call the first true battle of the Civil War. On June 2, 1856, about 100 men engaged in a three-hour battle. The site, designated a National Historic Landmark only two years ago, is located just

four miles east of Baldwin City in northeast Kansas.

The battle pitted abolitionist John Brown against Henry C. Pate, who would go on to become a lieutenant colonel for the Confederate Army. Pate had earlier taken two of Brown’s sons prisoner in retaliation for the slaughter of a handful of pro-slavery Missouri men.

Eventually Pate and his militia surrendered, and Brown exchanged his prisoners for the release of his sons.

Sue Wilcox of Wellington, Colorado, was recently visiting family in Baldwin City when she and her husband decided to visit the battleground. For a site so steeped in history, they didn’t find much—a nature trail, some picnic tables and a few wooden signs guiding visitors (a nearby homestead is currently being renovated as part of the site). That didn’t mean she wasn’t impressed.

“We’re just learning about the battles between the Free Staters and the pro-slavery forces,” Wilcox says.

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“To find something this far west that was part of the Civil War … and to find out it was one of the first battles is amazing.”

Kansas’ first capital How did Kansas, located about as centrally on the map of the continental United States as it gets, become the site of the first battle in a war that was mostly fought east of the Mississippi?

Simply put, it was the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which gave new territories the right to choose for themselves on the issue of slavery.

J. Howard Duncan of Lecompton, a retired environmental engineer and the founder of the Lecompton Reenactors, has studied the subject for years, and has even written and performed hundreds of plays about it (see sidebar).

“The legislature said, ‘We can’t deal with it; let the people of the territories decide.’ It was one of the convoluted maneuvers they did that simply did not work,” Duncan says of the KansasNebraska Act. “It’s what brought Kansas in as the precursor to the Civil War, as opposed to something out east.”

The Kansas-Nebraska Act set off a firestorm of arguments in the territory on slavery. As the territorial capital of Kansas, Lecompton became the center for these debates. Specifically, the second floor of Constitution Hall was where many of the debates raged, and the Lecompton Constitution—which would have admitted Kansas as a slave state—was drafted there.

“It’s hard to believe now, but back then slavery was a way of life, and it was controversial,”

says Duncan. “It’s like abortion today. You have some people who are severely pro-, and some people who are severely against … and a great majority who didn’t want to be involved at all.”

When the anti-slavery party won control of the territory, and with Lecompton considered the center of the pro-slavery movement, the decision was made to relocate the capital to Topeka.

Lecompton to this day boasts three historically significant Civil War sites: the Territorial Capital Museum, Constitution Hall and the Democratic Headquarters of Kansas—all dating from the 1850s. Tours are regularly available of all three.

“There is so much history here. It’s amazing to think of the things that happened on the second floor of this building,” says Elizabeth Phelps, visiting Constitution Hall with her two children. “We just had to come lay our eyes on it, because this set a path not only for Kansas, but all of the country.”

Rues, who specializes in the history of territorial Kansas, lives in Topeka and works as a tour guide at Constitution Hall. He won’t go so far as saying the Civil War started in Kansas, but he definitely believes its roots are here.

“The pre-Civil War erupted here. The issue of slavery would be decided here,” Rues says.

“Would slavery be planted in Kansas, and spread west? Or would it be stopped in Kansas?

Kansas is admitted as a Free State … Abraham Lincoln is elected president … the South would secede and the Civil War would happen.”

Visit blackjackbattlefield.org to learn more about upcoming events at Black Jack Battlefield & Nature Park.

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bringing back

Bleeding

Kansas

In Lecompton, a group of volunteer actors get in character to re-create the town’s rich history

Sure, Tim Rues is passionate about history.

But is he so passionate he’s willing to issue death threats?

Absolutely.

As a regular member of the Lecompton Reenactors, mildmannered historian Tim Rues transforms himself into radical James Lane, which calls for, well … anger.

“One of his speeches was recorded by a newspaper. It was a violent, bloodthirsty speech. I give an excerpt of the very words he spoke,” Rues says. “We bring these characters to life. ‘Kill them all!’ It’s pretty dramatic.”

The troupe’s founder, J. Howard Duncan, says the reenactments of town hall meetings that took place in Lecompton appeal to both the young and old. Many of the performances are his own original plays.

“The kids, some of them as young as fourth grade—their interest is in the guns and the swords. They want to know if they’re real,” he says. Older audiences, he adds, “will question you on the interpretation you’ve given of the actual feelings of your character.”

The acting troupe regularly performs in Lecompton.

A schedule of performances can be found at kshs.org/ constitution_hall.

“There’s an amazing amount of talent there, and it’s all volunteers; they don’t get paid. The costumes are authentic … prices range from $200 to $2,000,” Duncan says. “These actors clearly have to have a strong love for the subject to give their time, money and talents for only audience appreciation.”

S.J.

It’s All Here for YOU in Lawrence Arts & Culture • Shopping • Dining • History Museums • KU • Sports • Activities • Entertainment

Convention & Visitors Bureau

Tour Kansas

In the Ruts

of history

From Lewis and Clark to the Pony Express, the tracks of Kansas’ frontier heritage remain etched across the state

T

he fabric of American history involves many storied trails. These routes gave hope in westward expansion, inspired new means for connecting the coasts and now document historic military posts— and Kansas has been at the center of it all.

Today, many sites and attractions, some more accessible than others, honor and celebrate these historic stomping grounds forged across Kansas.

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Photography by Doug Stremel

ksbyways.org/frontier/military The Frontier Military Historic Byway is a symbolic remnant of a military road that was commissioned in 1837 and surveyed by Nathan Boone, youngest son of frontiersman Daniel Boone. It served as an important supply route between Fort Leavenworth and Fort Coffey, Arkansas, whose purpose was to provide protection along the “permanent Indian territory,” keeping the peace between white settlers and native and displaced Eastern American Indian tribes. Fort Scott was established as its midpoint, and the road later became a key strategic route following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and through the Civil War, when the issue of slavery tore the country apart.

Today the Byway stretches 168 miles from Baxter Springs to Fort Leavenworth, featuring historical and natural attractions. History buffs can explore the Frontier Army Museum in Fort Leavenworth, Fort Scott National Historic Site, and the 1860s Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Historic Site in Olathe. One of only a few surviving stagecoach stops on the Santa Fe Trail, Mahaffie holds living-history events on many weekends from spring to fall. The former strip-mining pits of Mined Land Wildlife Area, northwest of Columbus, have been stocked with more than 200 species of fish.

Public hunting is also available in season.

– Sally Snell

Frontier Military Byway

nps.gov/oreg/index.htm It’s difficult to imagine how early travelers along the Oregon Trail felt as they headed west through Kansas on their 2,000-mile trek toward a new life in Oregon Country. But there are many significant sites from that time still visible that offer glimpses into life on the trail.

In fact, the National Park Service has designated Oregon Trail Road between St. Marys and the Vermillion Creek as “offering the best visitor experience.” This well-maintained gravel road traces the footsteps and wagon ruts, some of which are still visible, from that journey over 170 years ago.

Near the Vermillion Creek is the Louis Vieux Cemetery, where Vieux, who operated a ferry across the river, is buried along with many members of his family and tribe. A few hundred feet west is the Cholera Cemetery, where emigrants who succumbed to the disease are buried.

The trail leaves the road here and travels north, but more ruts are visible along Highway 99 south of Westmoreland, where the Scott Springs campground is marked with a bronze sculpture of oxen pulling a wagon.

Further north is Alcove Spring, on River Road south of Marysville, where you can sit quietly by the spring that once offered rest and respite for those weary travelers.

– Lou Ann Thomas

oregon trail

lewis and clark lewisandclarkwyco.org By order of President Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the “Corps of Discovery” in 1804-1806, seeking a water route to the Pacific Ocean and exploring the uncharted land west of the Mississippi River. Their route took them up the Missouri River along the northeast corner of present-day Kansas, which is now a part of the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail.

They camped for several days at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, documenting the only parakeet native to North America, the now-extinct Carolina parakeet, and court-martialing two of their men for getting drunk on the community whiskey barrel while on guard duty. Kaw Point Park has been erected at the current location of the confluence in Kansas City, Kansas.

They celebrated Independence Day in Atchison, where a 10-mile hiking and biking loop trail now leads from Riverfront Park to the location of the campsite and a recreation of a Kanza earth lodge. The park also contains a play structure in the shape of a keelboat, the type of craft used in the expedition.

It was near Leavenworth where they collected their final botanical specimen, raccoon grape leaf, in 1806. The Frontier Army Museum houses the bicentennial exhibit of the expedition, featuring artifacts as well as in-depth displays and videos on the expedition’s purpose and discoveries.

– Sally Snell

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pony express kshs.org/hollenberg In today’s world it’s difficult to imagine a message sent from the West Coast taking six months to get to its recipient in the East.

Before the first rider and horse headed out of St. Joseph, Missouri on the Pony Express in 1860, that is exactly how long it took to get word from coast to coast.

Those hearty, young horsemen rode 250 miles in a 24-hour day delivering mail between St. Joseph and San Francisco for $5 a half-ounce—about $85 in today’s money—in 10 days or less.

Seventy-five miles from the start, in Seneca, the Smith Hotel was the first station stop for westbound riders and horses to be exchanged and rested. The first home station was in Marysville, where the stone horse stable still stands, now part of the Pony Express Barn Museum.

Two miles east of Hanover, on State Road 243, is the Hollenberg Pony Express Station State Historic Site. In 1857 or 1858, Gerat H. Hollenberg built what is believed to be the first house in the county. The Pony Express route went by Hollenberg’s ranch, and soon he was offering services to both riders and horses.

– Lou Ann Thomas

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Butterfield Overland Dispatch

kshs.org As early as 1858, the Smoky Hill Trail was being used as a shortcut to the gold fields in Denver. At 500 miles long, it was 100 miles shorter than taking the Santa Fe Trail to Colorado, reducing travel time by a week or two. Many making the journey through western Kansas did so on foot or drove wagons; some even pushed wheelbarrows to what they hoped would be good fortune in the West.

But dreams of wheelbarrows full of gold came with a price. Those who made it to Denver shared tales of a harsh climate, a poorly marked trail—and even starvation. Despite these reports, David Butterfield saw the trail as an opportunity to establish a freight line, and in 1865 a small wagon train carrying 150,000 pounds of freight for the Butterfield Overland Dispatch left Atchison, reaching Denver 12 days later.

With the trail passing through prime Indian hunting grounds, the threat of attack coupled with scarcity of water soon proved too great, and within 18 months the Butterfield Overland Dispatch was out of business.

Today’s travelers can find stone BOD markers along the trail, one of which is just south of Monument Rocks, which served as one of the few landmarks along this route.

– Lou Ann Thomas

Scott Bean Photography K A N S A S L A N D S C A P E A N D N AT U R E P H O T O G R A P H S

785-341-1047 | SCOTT@SCOTTBEANPHOTO.COM

www.scottbeanphoto.com

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Rocks, rocks & more rocks Bruce L. Hogle, Geary County

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gallery

gallery

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Morland Train Depot Robert MacRae, Graham County

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gallery

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Sumac Brad Neff, Shawnee County

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gallery

kansas!

Barbed Wire Darla Thomas, Riley County

Fall Glory Brad Neff, Shawnee County

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gallery

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Everything Turns Leilani Tuttle, Douglas County

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Convention & Visitors Bureau There is plenty to see and do in Lindsborg.

Be sure to call ahead for complete directions.

Home of National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson

Jim and Kathy RichaRdson www.smallworldgallery.net

131 N. Main St Lindsborg, KS www.connectedfairtrade.com #ConnectedFT opeN daiLy aNd LaTe The Good MerchanT UniqUe boUtiqUe

with home decor, fashion accessories & gifts for everyone

785-212-6134 / www.thegoodmerchant.net

135 N Main Lindsborg Open 7 days a week!

Fresh Cut Flowers

Enjoy a quiEt and comfortablE rEtrEat from EvEryday lifE.

Bouquet Shoppe Inc

• 19 guest rooms • Swedish breakfast buffet served every morning

Small Town. Smal Business. Big Talent.

www.swedishcountryinn.com 800-231-0266

124 N. Main Lindsborg, KS wr.chestnut@yahoo.com

GIFT SHOP

Floral-Apparel-Gifts-Tanning

785.227.2202

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CloCk and MuSiC Box ServiCe & repair

785-819-5198

In search of Kansas’ Navigational Airmail Arrows Story and photography by Bill Stephens

Travel was not always about a GPS or even an atlas. Consider the first airmail pilots who flew in open-cockpit surplus World War I planes, a few hundred feet above the ground with nothing but a compass to find their way.

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Sixty years after the Pony Express riders hung up their saddles, the first coast-to-coast airmail route was established, consisting of lighted beacons positioned every 10 miles and a 70-foot concrete arrow painted a brilliant orange pointing to the next arrow along the route. Pilots would fly from beacon to beacon, following the direction the arrow indicated.

The Postal Service hired Charles Lindbergh to establish these airmail routes, called “airways.” Pilots needed to fly day and night to deliver the mail safely and quickly. The concrete

arrows and beacons seemed like a logical solution. Towers were built at the middle of the arrows and supported the rotating beacons. Local residents were hired to turn on the beacons every night to guide airmail pilots flying airways in the dark, functioning like lighthouse keepers along the oceans’ coasts.

This solution worked for many years, but advances in communications and navigation techniques made this method obsolete. Most of the beacons were decommissioned in the 1940s and the steel towers torn down and melted as scrap to help the World War II effort.

Harold and LuAnn Hartman at their arrow in Argonia.

“My sister and I used to roller-skate along the length of the arrow, since there was not much cement out in the country.”

– Marlene Hand The concrete arrows were not easily removed, and a few remain to this day as a testament to a good idea that was eclipsed by technology.

The transcontinental route crossed the Midwest just north of Kansas in Nebraska. One of the feeder routes, however, stretched from Amarillo, Texas to Kansas City; therefore 26 arrow/ beacon units were built in the south central and eastern part of Kansas, from Anthony through Wichita, El Dorado, Emporia, Lawrence and Kansas City.

The majority of the arrows have been destroyed over the decades— paved over or plowed under. After 80 years, only four arrows in Kansas have survived, which can be seen in Harper, Sumner and Sedgwick Counties. They can even be seen from space (seeing as how we used the satellite imagery of Google Earth to research this story).

wer The fuel tank and to near the Clearwater 0s. arrow during the 193

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Marlene Hand, left, Sheri Dean and Beverly Hammers at the arrow near Clearwater.

The Arrows

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Mary Copenhaver enjoys taking grade school students to the Anthony airport, where the remains of one of the arrows, constructed in 1934, can be seen.

“I talk to them about how pilots would fly a few hundred feet high and line up from one arrow to the next to plot their courses,” she explains. Retired now, Mary still takes curious youngsters to visit the relic. Preserving their history, one particular fourth-grade class has offered to visit on a regular basis and help preserve the site.

William Blanchat remembers the history surrounding the arrow on his property near Danville.

“There used to be a tower with blinking lights on it,” he says. “As a youngster, I remember lying in bed and seeing the light on the tower a mile down the road. Years later I purchased the land, and am reminded of those days every time I see the arrow in the ground.”

The arrow north of Argonia, dating to the 1930s, is on the property of Harold and LuAnn Hartman.

“My husband has walked near the cement several times but just thought it was an old home site and had no idea of the historical significance,” LuAnn says. “The cement is cracked and broken now, but Harold came home and said it was in the shape of an arrow. He drew me a picture and it does look like an arrow.”

Marlene Hand’s property near Clearwater is the site of the easternmost arrow.

“My grandfather, Jacob J. Maechtlen, was the original caretaker of the beacon light near Clearwater, and my father Jacob Maechtlen continued the care until the tower was removed,” she says.

Hand remembers that the tower had two lights and if one burned out the other

would automatically switch on. “My father told me that in the beginning the light keeper was paid $35 a month to maintain the gasoline generator and the site. In 1939 electricity was installed and no monthly fee was received,” she says. “The caretaker called in maintenance problems and changed burned-out light-bulbs. I have pictures of my grandfather and dad threshing wheat with the tower in the background.”

Mary Copenhaver n takes school childre out to the arrow in Anthony for a field are trip. Together they . preserving the arrow

Where can I view the airway beacon arrows?

You can enter these latitude/longitude combinations into your GPS or Google Earth: 37° 9’7.07”N 98° 4’37.33”W – near Anthony * 37°15’18.11”N 97°54’39.73”W – near Danville 37°21’1.62”N 97°44’52.93”W – near Argonia 37°32’4.75”N 97°25’12.93”W – near Clearwater All of these arrows are visible from public roads but are located on private property. The landowners should be contacted if closer inspection is desired. *Numbers such as 37° 9’7.07”N 98° 4’37.33”W are read as: “37 degrees 9 minutes 7 seconds north latitude and 98 degrees 4 minutes 37.33 seconds west longitude.”

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Taste of kansas

From

Wild Boar to Squirrel Stew A guide to cooking the day’s catch

W

hen it comes to wild game, Brendan French favors squirrel, rabbit, wild boar, deer, dove, pheasant and raccoon. He describes himself as a hunter, a fisherman, a processor and a cook. “I eat everything I kill,” he points out.

Brendan grew up hunting—and eating— squirrel.

“My dad always made large batches of squirrel stew. Inevitably there were leftovers that I’d take to school in a thermos. My teacher was a little taken aback the first time I used my spoon to crack open one of the skulls.” After that first experience, she’d shield her eyes whenever squirrel was a part of his lunch menu.

“At that time, I had no idea that it was anything out of the ordinary,” he admits.

story by Meta Newell West photography by Jason Dailey

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recipe

Pan-seared Crappie With Mushrooms and Asparagus The “chef” suggests a blend of long-grain and wild rice to accompany this dish.

Ingredients

While his dad taught him to cook whatever was available in nature, it was his dad’s best friend who taught Brendan how to hunt—from field dressing to the complete processing of both small and large game. He not only does all that, he then takes the hunt from field to table. “I even use the bones to make stock,” he says.

After shooting and processing a wild boar, Brendan hosted a backyard party for about 60 friends. The actual preparation began with brining the hog, which he explains helps add moisture to any wild game that is typically leaner than other meats.

After 14 hours in the smoker, using apple and cherry wood, the meat was perfectly cooked. “It held its shape when sliced, yet was moist and tender,” Brendan says. “The kids were astounded that I cooked something with the head on.” Although they might have been just a little put off at first, he adds, “Before the evening was over they helped

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devour the entire hog.”

Kansas is Brendan’s adopted state, and he appreciates that it offers environmentally sensitive sections of land that have been returned to their native condition as grasses and wetlands. This allows him to hunt game birds in the western part of the state, and forage or fish near Lawrence, where he now resides.

It was an excess of fish that inspired his Pan-Seared Crappie with Mushrooms and Asparagus, an original recipe that is indicative of Brendan’s culinary expertise. “I was working in restaurants by the time I was 15,” he says, adding that he later earned an associates degree in culinary arts.

Although his 1920s-era bungalow boasts a spacious, newly renovated kitchen, Brendan admits he’d rather be outside. So the patio is the place where he skillfully dices shallots, minces garlic and trims fresh asparagus for his featured fish recipe.

6 crappie 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 shallots, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt (anything without iodine) Pepper (green, white or black) ½ cup of butter 20 sprigs asparagus 8 morel or crimini mushrooms 3 lemons (2 for deglazing and 1 for plating) 1 bunch chives Instructions 1) Scale crappie, then fillet and remove rib bones. Leaving the skin on helps keep the delicate fillet in one piece.

2) Heat olive oil, sauté shallots and garlic, before adding fish flesh-side down. Briefly let the fish cook, approximately 2 minutes, before flipping and finishing fish skin-side down. Salt and pepper. Remove fish.

3) In same pan, start to melt butter, at same time cooking the asparagus. When asparagus starts to shine and pick up a bright green color, turn up heat and throw in morel mushrooms. Sauté quickly and deglaze with 2 of the squeezed lemons.

4) Plating Instructions: 3 crappie fillets per plate, topped with asparagus and then mushrooms. Garnish with chives and lemon slice.

Serves 4

When it’s time to heat oil, he grabs his grandmother’s perfectly seasoned cast-iron skillet, noting, “It’s easy to use and to clean.”

As shallots and garlic hit hot oil, it’s the beginning of the savory aromas that continue to permeate the air during the rest of the cooking process. Being an outdoor cook means that Brendan’s also flexible, so when he decides the asparagus needs a quick steam, he simply grabs his cutting board and uses it as a lid.

Brendan prefers the natural taste of foods, so he skips battering or breading and relies on simple seasonings and a quick sear or sauté for things like fish and even morel mushrooms. He smiles as he recites the advice from a fellow chef: “Always give your food a KISS—Keep It Simple, Stupid.”

While offerings from the wild meant survival for Kansas frontiersmen, they are also everyday fare for Brendan. He is a sportsman who is more than happy to transform the bounty of the hunt into something special for the dinner table.

ON THE MENU: Then and Now

1871 The Drovers Cottage, built by Joseph McCoy, served as the headquarters for cattle buyers and boasted an extensive menu. According to an original menu, dated April 28, 1871, some of those offerings included Turkey and Oyster Sauce, Turkey and Cranberry Sauce, Pigeon Pie, Woodcock, Quail Larded, Partridge Larded. (Menu on file at the Dickinson County Historical Society, Abilene.)

2014 715, a bistro in downtown Lawrence, offers rabbit, duck and fish on both its regular and ever-changing daily-specials menus. Whenever possible, 715 uses locally sourced products, purchased from Kansas farmers and purveyors. According to line cook Harrison Soelter, rabbit and trout are hot sellers at this “meat-centric” bistro. He also points out that the eatery must follow all FDA rules and regulations related to game animals.

recipe

Super Simple Sautéed Morels “Always give your food a KISS—Keep It Simple, Stupid.”

— Brendan French

Ingredients Morel mushrooms Olive oil Sea salt Truffle oil Instructions 1) To clean morel mushrooms, place them in a pan or bowl. Cover with water; soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, rinse and repeat two more times.

2) Pat mushrooms dry. Trim ends of stems but leave whole.

3) Add just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a skillet. Heat on high just until the oil begins to smoke.

4) Add morels and continue to heat on high for about 4 minutes, stirring or tossing a couple of times.

5) Sprinkle with sea salt and truffle oil to finish.

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50th anniversary of the Thomas H. Bowlus Fine Arts Center Considered a cultural gem in southeast Kansas, the Thomas H. Bowlus Fine Arts and Cultural Center is celebrating 50 years of arts and culture. Based in Iola, the center offers education in music, drama and art, with the assistance of local educators.

In addition, the auditorium and recital hall play host to performances large and small.

“For 50 years, Thomas H. Bowlus’ bequest of a fine arts center has been a priceless gift and a jewel in the crown of southeast Kansas,” says Susan Raines,

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executive director. “As the first rural community fine arts center in Kansas, the Bowlus has hosted national and international speakers, and performers of a caliber not normally available in a rural community. The Bowlus has drawn visitors from all over the United States and many foreign countries.

“The Bowlus has been an inspiration to all—our students who have chosen to dedicate their lives to the arts through teaching, acting and performing, and our community who choose to attend and financially support this beautiful center,” Raines adds. “I invite you to join us for our

50th celebration. It’s going to be an incredible year.”

In 1964, the center opened, and it hosted the Kansas City Philharmonic for its first major event. Today, touring artists enjoy the opportunity to visit the Bowlus Fine Arts Center because of its significance in the region and in the arts.

On September 26, the center will welcome back the Kansas City Symphony for an anniversary performance, to be followed by an Alumni Variety Show on September 27.

Additional details can be found at bowluscenter.org.

Photograph courtesy of the Bowlus Fine Arts Center

milestone of kansas

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