The old Mentholatum building in Wichita – now The Spice Merchant. From WSU Special Collections, a bit of history about the building. ***
Black Jack maples
Black Jack Battlefield Park, Douglas County, Kansas.
To Baldwin City and Beyond
Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: TO BALDWIN CITY AND BEYOND It was two weeks before the 151st anniversary of statehood, but it felt like Kansas Day to me. Dave and I were in the car, white stripes slipping behind us as we drove eastbound. Ahhh. The blue sky, the open …
Black Jack Shadows
Black Jack Battlefield Park near Baldwin City.
In the Heart of Tornado Alley
Last Wednesday evening I drove to Wichita to a book launch at Watermark Books. “Kansas – in the Heart of Tornado Alley.” It’s a book of photos about Kansas’ tornadic history. From the Introduction: “The connection between the tornado and Kansas is as much about image and reputation as hard statistics.” While talking about …
Please
Pawnee Rock State Park
The Warkentin Home
Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: THE WARKENTIN HOME When Bernhard Warkentin moved to America in the 1870s, he came not as a shy immigrant, but a man who would make a difference. The 1918 “A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans” described him in this way: “Mr. Warkentin’s business life …
Coffeyville Bricks
Bricks from Vitrified Brick Co., Coffeyville, Kans. Photo taken at the Warkentin House, Newton. Coffeyville was prolific in its brick-making. You can find Coffeyville bricks all over this state. (And, follow Dr. Samuel Crumbine’s advice: Don’t spit on the sidewalk.)
K-15 highway is…
Tuesday Night at the Museum
NIGHT AT MUSEUM SERIES FEATURES TALK FROM LOCAL AUTHOR Tuesday night’s speaker at the Night at the Museum series will be the author of the book and column “Flyover People: Life on the Ground in a Rectangular State.” Cheryl Unruh will talk about her writing and observations of life in Kansas. Tuesday, Aug. 9, 7 …
The short story
Dave and I trekked to Mennonite territory yesterday. Robert Collins and I had a book-signing event at Threshing Days in Goessel at the Mennonite Heritage Museum. North of Goessel a ways, on K-15 near the Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church is this state marker. My father’s people (and likely yours) came to this country as immigrants. Here’s …