KANSAS! Magazine | Issue No. 3 | 2021 by Kansas Magazine

2021

| VOL 77

ISSUE 3

KANSASMAG.COM

S A N TA F E T R A I L :

200 Years

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S T O R I E S F R O M O U R S T A T E ’ S P A S T // Meet Kansas’ Pioneer Black Astronaut and Renowned Sculptor // Discover the Rich History of Fort Larned // Refresh Yourself with a Waterfall Pilgrimage Meet the Northwest Kansas Family Creating Craft Sunflower Oil // Plan for Events Across the State

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

When you think Dodge City, you probably think of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Shootouts and Saloons. The general stores to wide open spaces to explore. In Dodge City, Kansas, the legend of the old west still lives on, partnered with the new west just waiting to be discovered. From the Longhorn Cattle Drive to the Long Branch Saloon to the Long Branch Water Park, the days in Dodge City are long on fun.

WE SAVED THE WEST FOR YOU!

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

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

www.scottbeanphoto.com

WHAT’S IN THESE PAGES

features

38 48

After Ad Astra When the government pulled the plug on Ed Dwight Jr.’s chance to become the nation’s first Black astronaut, the talented Kansas native refocused his life into becoming a barbecue entrepreneur, a personal pilot and then one of the nation’s most sought-after sculptors

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2021 ISSUE 3

ILLUSTRATION Doug Holdread, courtesy Santa Fe Trail Association

200 Years of the Santa Fe Trail A vital land trail receives recognition and a reappraisal of its role in American history and in shaping the future of Kansas

Visit our website to learn more!

www.visitgreensburgks.com

COME EXPERIENCE

CLAY COUNTY Zoo Museums Rodeos

Festivals Milford Lake Water parks

Hunting Kansas Landscape Arboretum

claycokansas.com claycenterchamber@gmail.com 785.632.5674

WHAT’S IN THESE PAGES

departments WIDE OPEN SPACES

KANSAS DETAILS

32 Taste of Kansas: A Different Oil Field A small family farm creates artisanal sunflower oil in northwest Kansas

10 Cuisine Fine Food and Good Eats 12 Heartland People and Places that Define Us 14 Culture Arts and Experiences

PHOTOGRAPHS (FROM TOP) Bill Stephens, courtesy Fort Larned National Historic Site, Bill Stephens

16 Kansas Air The Freshness of Outdoor Life

IN EVERY ISSUE 7 In this Issue 8 From the Editor 58 KANSAS! Gallery 64 #KansasMag

18 Lens A Conversation with KANSAS! Photographers 20 The Kansan Authentic life in the Sunflower State 22 Reasons We Love Kansas Celebrating Unique Attractions 24 Must See Upcoming Events to Enjoy

26 Fort Larned A new permanent exhibition highlights the role and the legacy of a military outpost on the Santa Fe trail

ON THE COVER A detail from a watercolor by Doug Holdread, who created a series of images based on first-hand accounts of traveling the Santa Fe Trail. This scene depicts an event described by Marion Russell in 1852 along the Cimarron Route (in present day New Mexico) of the Santa Fe Trail; a group of travelers is spooked by a desert mirage, mistaking the sun and sands for a vision of a hostile raiding party on the horizon. Image courtesy Santa Fe Trail Association.

2021 ISSUE 3 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

Andrea Etzel

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Laura Kelly GOVERNOR

Brad Loveless

KDWPT SECRETARY

Bridgette Jobe

TOURISM DIRECTOR

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Joanne Morgan

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Kalli Jo Smith

MARKETING, (785) 832-7264

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KANSAS! (ISSN 0022-8435) is published five (5) times per year 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 $5 per issue; subscription price $20 per year; $36 for two years. All prices include all applicable sales tax. Please address subscription inquiries to: Toll-free: (800) 678-6424 KANSAS!, P.O. Box 146, Topeka, KS 66601-0146 Email: 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 email: ksmagazine@sunflowerpub.com 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.

IT’S ALL IN THE “EXTRA”

details

THE ROAD BECKONS

page

PHOTOGRAPHS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Courtesy National Park Service, Shutterstock

RETURNING TO THE TRAIL In 1996, on the 175th anniversary of the Santa Fe Trail, historian Michael L. Olsen wrote, “There is a difference between those who would celebrate the trail and those who seek to interpret its significance.” Olsen continued to note in his article for Kansas History journal that the trail’s mystique had long been imbued with a romanticized nationalism, not entirely accurate, but popularly propped up by writings from figures such as Buffalo Bill Cody himself. At the time, historians were still seeking to advance the importance of this trail to the nation’s history as well as to separate myth and reality. Now, 25 years later, our nation and our state renew our focus on the Santa Fe Trail for its 200th anniversary. As journalist, author and Kansas historian Beccy Tanner writes in her feature story about the bicentennial of the Santa Fe Trail, this year’s events are seen by organizers as “commemorations” rather than “celebrations,” an acknowledgment that the legacy of Westward migration brought tragedy as well as triumphs. Each generation will have its inabilities to see the past with full objectivity, but the historians and organizers in Tanner’s story help us examine the trail with an appreciation for the spectacular achievements of those who traveled it as well as an understanding for the tragedies, displacements and cultural and military clashes the trail brought about.

... the trail’s mystique had long been imbued with a romanticized nationalism, not entirely accurate, but popularly propped up by writings from figures such as Buffalo Bill Cody himself. around the state 32 Bird City 26 Fort Larned 15 Garden City

48 Kansas City

23 Independence

Eager to travel again? We know we are. After more than a year of postponements and shutdowns to help protect public health, Kansas venues and events are looking to resume normal schedules. In this issue, we’ve highlighted numerous events with the hope and confidence that they will be able to welcome visitors in full capacity. As always, keep aware of recommendations from health authorities and be sure to call or write in advance of travels to confirm openings.

ASTEROID DWIGHT As were preparing to print this issue of KANSAS! magazine, we learned that the international body responsible for naming minor planets and bodies in space is naming an asteroid in honor of Ed Dwight Jr., the Kansas native and nation’s first Black astronaut candidate featured on pages 48–57 of this issue. The asteroid (92579) Dwight is in our galaxy, between Mars and Jupiter, and orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.653 astronomical units (a unit set by the distance of the Earth from the sun). The Minor Planet Center, an organization affiliated with the International Astronomical Union (IAU), announced the honor on February 23, when it released the new names of 27 asteroids that formerly went by provisional names. 2021 ISSUE 3 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

A hello FROM OUR EDITOR

The Great Plains Highway This year marks 200 years since a trade wagon made the first successful journey on what would become known as the Santa Fe Trail. Today, you can travel the entire route by car in just under 12 hours, but travelers originally took the better part of a month to complete the journey, more than half of which was through our state. Preparing for this issue, I spent an afternoon in March at Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm in Olathe. Located on what is referred to as the Westport Route of the Santa Fe Trail, Mahaffie is the only working stagecoach stop left along the trail. It’s an historic and agricultural oasis tucked within a bustling urban environment. An immersive experience, the homestead and barn are original to the 1860s, complete with a brood of hens clucking and pecking their way around the grounds. While they may be the queens of the roost, I consider Burt, seen above, the king of the farm and the perfect model. Side note, the farm is home to goats and sheep, too! Throughout the year, Mahaffie hosts a number of living history programs, complete with working blacksmith shop, cooking demonstrations, stagecoach rides and traditional 1860s games. The next time you visit, be sure to stop by and give Burt a few extra scratches for me. Visiting Mahaffie also gave me the chance to catch up with Alexis Radil, who is their interpretive specialist and oversees special events. I’ve known Alexis since joining Kansas Tourism a little over six years ago, and it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to interview her (visit our website to read the full interview). I want to thank Alexis and the whole team at Mahaffie for their warm welcome and for graciously answering all my questions.

@KANSASMag KansasMagazine (get spotted; use #kansasmag to tag us)

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2021 ISSUE 3

ANDREA ETZEL

EDITOR, KANSAS! MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPHS Andrea Etzel

facebook.com/KansasMagazine

Alexis Radil pictured in both her roles as interpretive specialist and special events coordinator for Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm

Where in Kansas?

KANSAS DETAILS

A Lavender Spring

Fort Scott

Kanopolis

cuisine

By Cecilia Harris

Kansas farmers help move a traditional fragrance into the kitchen

Tea Time | Spice up your afternoon break with lavenderinfused tea from the Morford Lavender Farm near Kanopolis. Tea bags are hand-made by Wanda Morford and sold inside Wanda’s This and That Shop on the farm she operates with her husband, Jim. Also sold are several varieties of culinary lavender, lavender-infused sugar, salt, pepper, and other lavender products. morfordlavenderfarm.com | (785) 472-4984 10

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2021 ISSUE 3

Lavender Patch Farm’s

Lavender Lemon Bars Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • •

2 cups white sugar 2 tablespoons dried lavender buds 1/2 cup softened butter 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 dash salt 4 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (optional) 1/4 teaspoon dried lavender buds 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x12-inch baking dish. Step 2: Make the lavender sugar by blending white sugar and 2 teaspoons lavender buds in a blender until the sugar is similar in consistency to powdered sugar. Step 3: With an electric mixer, combine 1/4 cup of the lavender sugar, butter, coconut oil, 2 cups flour, and salt until a dough forms. Neatly press into bottom of prepared dish. Step 4: Bake in preheated oven until the top begins to turn a light brown, about 15 minutes. Step 5: While the dough bakes, mix the remaining lavender sugar, 1/4 cup flour, eggs, lemon juice, lemon extract, and 1/2 teaspoon lavender buds. Pour over the baked crust and return to the oven to bake until the center is set, about 20 minutes. Step 6: Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with lavender buds.

PHOTOGRAPH KDWPT

Lavender’s sweet fragrance scents sachets, lotions and cleaning products. Its oil soothes heartburn, heals insect bites and reduces acne. And for centuries, lavender has been renowned as an herb used in cooking. A member of the mint family, culinary lavender provides slightly sweet flavor to almost any recipe. Fresh flowers and leaves are used, while buds and stems are dried and used alone or with other herbs. Among the plants at The Lavender Patch near Fort Scott are several varieties owners Betsy and Davin Reichard grow for food preparation. “Non-culinary lavender is more bitter, and you don’t want that,” Betsy says. “With culinary lavender, a little goes a long way; less is better as it’s pretty strong. Some people like to use it with a citrus flavor; it’s also good with chocolate.” For her favorite lemon bars recipe, Betsy grinds dried buds into a powder in a blender and mixes it with the sugar when making the crust; she also adds lavender to the batter. The pulled pork served at the Patch’s Lavender Festival, typically held in June, is seasoned with smoked paprika and their own blend of herbs de Provence, a mixture of lavender and other herbs typically used in French cuisine. For novices, Betsy suggests an easy way to add lavender flavor: “Instead of vanilla extract, you can use lavender extract in your recipes, like in brownies.” Beside culinary lavender and herbs de Provence, the couple also sells lavender salt and pepper, tea, syrup, and mixes for lavender scones, shortbreads, cookies, tea cakes and squares in their store and on their website, which also features recipes. thelavenderpatchfarm.com | (620) 223-1364

Where in Kansas?

KANSAS DETAILS

Topeka

Leavenworth

Garden City

heartland

High Schools in the Heartland By Amber Fraley

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2021 ISSUE 3

high school. There, Topeka’s children could stretch their minds with Greek and Latin, algebra and geometry, botany and bookkeeping.” Notable alumni of Topeka High School include former U.S. senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker, Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas and jazz saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. In honor of the momentous anniversary, the Topeka High Historical Society has planned several events throughout 2021 and 2022 to celebrate, including an ice cream social on the Western Barrett Plaza, several homecoming weekend events in September, and even a sock hop. For a full list of events and updates visit topekahigh150. com/events. Tours of the high school are available through the Topeka High Historical Society. Call (785) 295-3200 to schedule. thshistoricalsociety.org

Leavenworth High School Colors: Blue and White Mascot: Pioneer Opened in 1865, Leavenworth

High School is the oldest public high school in Kansas though it’s had a few different homes over the years, beginning in a renovated church before settling in its current location in 1959. Notable alumni of Leavenworth High School are musician Melissa Etheridge, pioneer astronomer Mary Byrd and United States House Representative Sharice Davids. lusdlhs.ss18.sharpschool.com

Garden City High School Colors: Brown, White and Gold Mascot: Buffalo Garden City High School was established in 1910 in historic Sabine Hall, which is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The school’s paper, The Sugar Beet, was established the same year and is the oldest high school newspaper in Kansas. Notable alumni of Garden City High School are Vice Admiral Ross A. Myers, as well as Garden City mayor and Kansas Board of Regents member Juana “Janie” Perkins. gchs.gckschools.com Opposite A statue of Topeka High School’s mascot, the Trojan, guards the school’s front entrance.

PHOTOGRAPHS Bill Stephens

Topeka High School Colors: Black & Gold Mascot: Trojans This year marks Topeka High School’s 150th anniversary and the 90th anniversary of its famous gothic-style structure, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and was one of the first million-dollar high schools to be built west of the Mississippi. The iconic high school’s 165-foot spire is inspired by Oxford University, and the library is modeled after Henry VII’s Great Hall. “In 1871, Topeka was on a fast track forward. The bitter war was behind them, and it was time to build,” says Joan Barker, executive secretary of the Topeka High School Historical Society. “Railroads, mills, manufacturing plants and retail businesses were going up. The women of Topeka had just started a lending library. A grammar school education was not going to be enough for the children of this progressive state capital. In 1871, the Board of Education decided to take that giant leap forward—a

A hiker stands on one of several Point of Rocks, historic landmarks along the Santa Fe Trail. This natural attraction is part of the Garden City Driving Tour of historic sites.

KANSAS DETAILS

Where in Kansas? Santa Fe Trail

McPherson County

Rice County

Barton County

Garden City

culture

Follow the Signs

By Cecilia Harris

Historical markers and tours encourage exploration of Santa Fe Trail history In 1863, a 62-year-old Italian immigrant named Giovanni de Agostini (or João Maria D’Agostini), also known as Father Francesco, lived inside what is known as Hermit’s Cave in Council Grove. He then left with a Santa Fe Trail wagon train bound for New Mexico, walking the entire 550 miles to Las Vegas. There, he is said to have performed miraculous cures until retreating once again into a cave in the area. This is one of many experiences preserved through historical markers and exhibits and helping to commemorate this year’s 200th anniversary of the Santa Fe Trail.

Agostini’s story is told on one of nearly 50 Santa Fe Trail wayside exhibits erected by the National Park Service in nine locations across Kansas. The signs feature drawings, pictures and quotes from travelers that tell about life on the Santa Fe Trail. The signs also point out features in the landscape along the route and discuss the clash of cultures during westward expansion. One of seven signs near Gardner explains the apprehension emigrants from Missouri felt about leaving the United States as they entered unknown territories while Indian Nations living in those territories felt their lifestyles

PHOTOGRAPH Andrea Etzel

Passport Book Adventure |

The Quivira Chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association offers a free Santa Fe Trail Passport and Site Book at museums and public libraries in McPherson, Barton and Rice counties. Scan the QR codes inside the book for directions and information about trail sites in the three counties. Collect stamps from ammunition boxes at all of the sites, and follow directions to be entered to win a prize. 2021santafetrailkansas.com | (620) 241-8719

threatened as vast herds of big game, vegetation and other resources diminished. Another exhibit identifies one of several Point of Rocks, this one located in the Cimarron National Grassland north of Elkhart. The cliff provided a lookout along the Cimarron Valley for both natives and traders and is still surrounded by prairie as it was during the trail era. Each of the exhibits also can be viewed on the National Park Service website. nps.gov/safe/learn/historyculture/ exhibits.htm (505) 988-6098

Garden City Driving Tour |

Point of Rocks, an elevated outcropping of rocks that served as a landmark for Santa Fe Trail travelers, is one of 9 sites on the Garden City Driving Tour that includes the Beersheba Historical Marker, identifying the first Jewish agricultural colony in Kansas. The brochure is available at the Finney County Convention and Visitors Bureau office or on its website. visitgck.com | (620) 276-0607

2021 ISSUE 3 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

KANSAS DETAILS

kansas air

Fishing across Kansas

By Michael Pearce

State and federal programs open up fishing waters across the state

Locations |

October 31. These locations are primarily rural and come with designated parking. Some require a short hike, and most shorelines are “as is,” meaning little mowing or clearing—so accessibility could be an issue for some. The state leasing program also offers access to more than 40 miles of streams flowing through private lands as well as five river access points along the Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri rivers with greater accessibility. The federal program, Community Fisheries Assistance Program (CFAP), also opens up waters for fishing. Throughout the state, public fishing rights have been leased for over 13,000 acres of water, from 230 impoundments owned by 127 communities that range from counties down to subdivisions.

As with the WIFA program, the only requirement to fish these waters is a Kansas fishing license (or exemption by age). Pre-CFAP, these waters could only be fished by residents or those willing to pay for a substantial angling permit. Most CFAP waters are in more park-like settings of urban or suburban areas. Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism helps manage the fisheries, which can include stocking fish. Many CFAP waters are regularly stocked with eating-sized channel catfish, which are easily caught. Ponds and lakes larger than 100 acres may also be stocked with fish like wipers and saugeyes. Boats and other watercraft are generally allowed on most sizable program waters, but be sure to check regulations.

Locating WIFA and CFAP waters gets easier and easier. KDWPT’s printed fishing atlas is available at agency offices and license vendors. In recent years the agency has also refined online versions with detailed locations and up-to-the-minute accuracy. Look for the map section in the “Fishing” tab of ksoutdoors.com.

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2021 ISSUE 3

PHOTOGRAPHS Michael Pearce

The adage “big things come in small packages” is a perfect description for some of Kansas’ best fishing spots. As well as dozens of sprawling reservoirs and state fishing lakes, the state offers over 100,000 smaller bodies of water for fishing. A partnership of federal funding and state administration opens these waters, officially referred to as “impoundments,” to the public by leasing them from private landowners, cities, counties and neighborhoods. Since 1998, the state has supported a program called “Walk-In Fishing Areas” (WIFA) to lease water access from private landowners. For 2021, this is a total of 80 impoundments covering some 1,300 acres that are open to the public from March 1 through

Fishing License and Fees |

Fishing in Kansas is one of the most affordable outdoor pastimes, especially on program waters. Resident fishing licenses are required for all Kansans ages 16–74. Annual permits are $27.50 and are valid 365 days from purchase. Residents 65–74 qualify for a variety of discounts. Single-day fishing licenses are $6. Non-residents 16 and older must have a fishing permit, which runs $52.50 for 365 days, $27.50 for five days or $10 for a single day. Go online at ksoutdoors.com and search for “fishing license fees,” download the HuntFishKS app, or call 800-918-2877 to find full information.

A family catches fish at one of the state’s walk-in fishing areas, private or municipal bodies of water that the state leases for public fishing.

KANSAS DETAILS

lens

Bill Stephens A conversation with KANSAS! photographers about their lives in photography Kansas native Bill Stephens has had a lifelong interest in photography, particularly around the Topeka area where he has lived all of his life except for his college years in Winfield and a five-year stint on the staff of Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Retired from his career as an network engineer and website designer, Stephens devotes considerable time to photographing Kansas scenes and carrying out various photography assignments, including ones for KANSAS! magazine. He is also a bluegrass musician who plays solo and with a collective around Topeka. What was your first camera? What did you like about it? I was given a bicycle and a Kodak Brownie by my parents when I was about eight. I took the bike and camera outside and took pictures of the bike but did not ride it for many weeks. I did develop the roll of film right away though. A few years later, I made the plunge into 35mm cameras, and my folks helped me buy an Argus C3, still considered a classic. It was advanced enough that I could adjust the shutter speed, aperture and change lenses. I still have it.

What was the moment you wanted to become a photographer? How old were you at the time? When I was in high school at Topeka West, I shot for the yearbook and campus newspaper and enjoyed the access and privilege it gave me. It was a free ticket to sports events, backstage access to music and plays, and I could roam the halls and not need a hall pass! If you had to describe your photography in terms of a color wheel, where would you fall on it? I hang out in the red-orange part of the spectrum. That is the flavor of light at sunrise and sunset, the “magical” times of the day to shoot because the shadows change from minute to minute as does the color temperature. The photo of the balloon taking off during Huff n’ Puff was shot at sunrise, and the long shadows on the ground and the color of the rim light on the balloon makes the image pop. Ditto for the sunset light on Monument Rocks. What was your favorite photo shoot of your entire career? This is an easy choice—my photo shoot

of a goat yoga class near Berryton. The property owners were a delight to work with, the goats were always providing unexpected photo ops, and the whole idea just seemed crazy, but worked out for a nice cover shot. Who is a Kansan you have never photographed, but would have liked to? Charlie Proubsky. He ran a legendary lunch counter and deli in North Topeka. Notable musicians, politicians and other celebs have eaten at Proubsky’s over the decades. I ate there often, and visited with him every time I was there, but never took the time to photograph him because he was a very private person. What is the most common photography advice you share with amateur photographers? Don’t get caught up in equipment. You don’t need the newest and fastest whizbang. A simple camera and lens is all you need if you are able to see the images all around you. Try to shoot from angles that most people don’t get to use. Thrive on back light and cross light.

“A simple camera and lens is all you need if you are able to see the images all around you.” –Bill Stephens 2021 ISSUE 3 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

THE

kansan

–JESSICA LYONS, GOVE COUNTY She and her husband, Kyle, manage Pyramid Ranch, which includes the chalk pyramids, also known as Monument Rocks.

PHOTOGRAPH Rachael Sebastian

“There are a lot of good days on the ranch and a lot of bad days, but even during those bad days I’m thankful to live this life. A bad day on the ranch is still better than a good day working in town. No matter what is happening in this crazy world right now, life on the ranch stays the same. I couldn’t imagine raising my daughter anywhere else. The life lessons she will learn growing up on a ranch are priceless.”

Where in Kansas?

KANSAS DETAILS

Lansing

Cottonwood Falls

Fort Scott

Blue Rapids

Dexter Junction City

reasons

Reasons

We Love Kansas By Cecilia Harris

IN THIS ISSUE

Waterfalls

ALCOVE SPRING AND WATERFALL | Blue Rapids In 1846, a member of the infamous Donner-Reed Party wagon train found and named Alcove Spring while waiting to ford the Big Blue River at nearby Independence Crossing on the Oregon Trail. The natural spring flows from the side of the alcove into the basin; during wet weather, a creek also falls from a rocky outcrop nearly 12 feet into the same pool. The area is abundant with native grasses, wildflowers, foliage and animal life. The trail leading to the spring is less than a quarter-mile walk, and recently constructed bike trails offer additional ways to explore the park. visitmarysvilleks.org | (785) 619-6050 22

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2021 ISSUE 3

Note: Because rainfall affects waterfalls, visit during a wet spring or after a heavy rainstorm for the best views.

KANSAS DETAILS

reasons

COWLEY STATE FISHING LAKE WATERFALL | Dexter 1 This spectacular manmade waterfall’s accolades include being named as one of the Top 12 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in America by Yahoo Travel, one of 8 Beautiful Waterfalls Not Named Niagara by AARP and as the Kansas choice for Most Gorgeous Waterfall in Every State by Reader’s Digest. Cowley State Fishing Lake overflows into a stream that leads to a 25-foot drop. The dramatic falls can be challenging to access by foot, but it’s well worth the view. For visitors unable to make the descent to the plunge pool, a dirt road runs about 100 feet west of the falls. From there, visitors will be led about 200 feet downstream and can then hike back to the waterfall on smaller rocks along the stream.

cowleycounty.org | (620) 221-5851

STATE FISHING LAKE FALLS | Cottonwood Falls 2 CHASE Also known as Prather Creek Falls, this tiered waterfall is a must-

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY (CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE) Scott Bean, Andrea Etzel, Michael Pearce, Mickey Shannon (3)

see when exploring the Flint Hills in wet weather. Each cascade can be seen via a short, easy hike across the Chase State Fishing Lake dam and then following the spillway to the creek. The falls are most spectacular when lake water is released; however, springs and seeps trickle year-round. TravelKS.com | (620) 767-5900

FALLS | Lansing 3 ANGEL This small waterfall inside the city limits offers a serene setting of

flowing water and colorful vegetation, especially in autumn. Seven Mile Creek crosses a ledge of bedrock, dropping three feet to form the natural cascade. Leading to the site and shaded by trees is the paved hiking and biking Angel Rock Trail, along which Lansing’s Fall Festival typically is held in October.

lansingks.org | (913) 727-3233

GEARY FALLS | Junction City 4 Created by the overflow of water in Geary State Fishing Lake, this cascade is dream-like when rainfall is plentiful. From the rocky top, the water falls 35 feet over several ledges, creating multiple small falls. A trail leads to the top of the waterfall, and a path with steep slopes winds down for a view from the bottom. No swimming is allowed. TravelKS.com | (785) 461-5402

5 ROCK CREEK LAKE WATERFALL | Fort Scott

Located in a wildlife habitat, this series of three waterfalls begins with the overflow of Rock Creek Lake as the uppermost cascade, followed by two natural five-foot drops before the water empties into the Marmaton River, a great spot for canoeing and kayaking. Typically flowing year-round, the waterfalls are best viewed by following the creek between the lake spillway and the river.

visitfortscott.com | (620) 223-0550

2021 ISSUE 3 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

Where in Kansas?

greatbendfarmandranchexpo.net

visitlindsborg.com/millfest

Flint Hills Area Home Show

Big Kansas Road Trip

April 16–18 | Manhattan

May 6–9 | Brown, Doniphan and Nemaha counties

Home builders and DIY enthusiasts can spend the weekend viewing the latest products and services for home improvement. Exhibits will feature an array of gadgets for kitchens and baths, lighting fixtures, landscaping and more.

Take a Big Kansas Road Trip this summer and enjoy the backroads and small towns of Kansas. Designed to be interactive and fun while helping to sustain rural communities, this year’s road trip will take place in Brown, Doniphan and Nemaha counties. Hit up local cafes and shops, and enjoy attractions and events.

flinthillsbuilders.org

Meadowlark Swap Meet April 24 | Abilene

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2021 ISSUE 3

bigkansasroadtrip.com

Crappie USA 2021 Fishing Tournament

Head to Colby to enjoy a fun weekend full of music, food and crafts. The festival will feature music from Grammy Award winner Ricky Skaggs as well as Dan Tymkinsky, The Isaacs and more.

pickinontheplains.com

Prairiesta June 10–13 | Russell Celebrating its 150th anniversary, Russell County presents Prairiesta! Join the fun and commemorate the county’s history, heritage and culture. The event has been held every 10 years since 1941 and will include a parade, carnival, live music and more.

prairiesta2021.com

Lights on the Lake June 26 | Osawatomie Celebrate the Fourth of July a little early this year with Osawatomie’s Lights on the Lake. Start the day off with inflatables, games and food vendors, and end it with the annual fireworks show.

May 16 | Milford

Find Osawatomie’s Lights on the Lake on Facebook.

Sponsored by the Geary County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Crappie USA Fishing Tournament will take place at Milford Lake. Anglers need to enter by May 1 to be able to compete. crappieusa.com

FIND MORE EVENTS AT TRAVELKS.COM/EVENTS All events are subject to change, confirm with organizers before finalizing plans.

Opposite The Hiawatha Clock Tower, located in Brown County, is just one of many historic sites to see during the Big Kansas Road Trip this summer.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY Deb Christian, Deb’s Images

One of the largest farm events in the United States dedicated to promoting agricultural technology, this virtual expo will include exhibits on farm and ranch equipment, seed and chemicals, agricultural services and more!

dickinsoncountyhistoricalsociety. com/meadowlark-swap-meet

Pickin’ on the Plains Bluegrass Festival June 4–6 | Colby

The McPherson County Old Mill Museum presents Millfest. Once a year, the 1898 Smoky Valley Roller Mills is fully operational as guides walk visitors through the historic building. Other events will include a quilt show, Americana folk music, wood carvers and more.

This swap meet is for demonstrators and prairie home enthusiasts alike. The event will include historic pieces such as cook stoves, treadle sewing machines, tractors and much more. Must register by April 1 to be included.

Osawatomie

April 7–9 | Great Bend

Nemaha Manhattan Milford

May 1–2 | Lindsborg

Lindsborg Abilene

Millfest

Great Bend Russell

Great Bend Farm, Ranch & Hemp Expo

Colby

must see

Brown Doniphan

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Fort Larned A new permanent exhibition highlights the role and the legacy of a military outpost on the Santa Fe Trail Story by Cecilia Harris

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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY National Park Service

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F Company C of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment stands in front of the Fort Larned barracks in 1867.

ort Larned National Historic Site sits amid fields and along a meandering line of trees that clings to the banks of the Pawnee River in rural Pawnee County, approximately 7 miles west of Larned. It is a quiet, peaceful place, although it was for a brief time at the center of American migration, commerce and a bitter war of settlement and dislocation. The story of the fort’s connection to the Santa Fe Trail, its role in pivotal events and its sudden consignment to a peripheral place in the nation’s history continues to be preserved and told to visitors throughout the year. First named Camp on Pawnee Fork in 1859 because of its location on the Pawnee tributary of the Arkansas River, the military post was one of a series of 2021 ISSUE 3 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

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Living History at Fort Larned The sound of a blacksmith hammering in his shop, the smell of warm bread in the bakery, and the sight of soldiers cleaning their weapons during Living History Events at Fort Larned National Historic Site provide an insightful look into daily life on a frontier military post in the mid-19th century. “You can walk in and see empty buildings anytime, but to walk in and actually get the smells and the sights and sounds of an active military post, it just brings the whole thing to life; it brings all our senses into it,” says Chief Ranger George Elmore of the National Park Service. “Some people say it’s like walking into the past. You still get that isolation feeling out here, just like if you were traveling the trail in the 1860s and walked into the fort.” Prior to the pandemic, Living History Events at Fort Larned occurred on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, with a smaller event on Independence Day. Elmore says plans are to resume hosting these gatherings when health authorities declare it safe; therefore, this May’s Memorial Day event depends on the coronavirus situation at the time. For that reason, the Fort’s website should be checked for the most current information before traveling. Typically, the larger weekend Living History Events at the fort bring 20 to 30 infantry and cavalry re-enactors from Kansas and units from as far away as Denver and Dallas, according to Elmore. Dressed in period military attire, they “live” in the barracks for the weekend as guardians of history. “Instead of walking in and seeing a bed, you see soldiers sitting on beds and polishing brass on their uniforms,” Elmore says. “You might think that out in the middle of Kansas, nobody would care, but the Army regulations were the same as if the troops were stationed in Washington D.C.—they inspected those guys every day. It’s a great visual.”

Above After the fort closed in 1878, three soldiers were left behind to guard the empty post. This photo of the “guard soldiers” would have been taken at some point before 1884, when the Army sold the property.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY National Park Service

military forts along the heavily traveled Santa Fe Trail to assert American settlement and commerce. “The Santa Fe Trail was the main artery of commerce right through the area,” explains George Elmore, the site’s chief ranger. “The fort was established for defense and protection of the U.S. mail routes on the trail. At the beginning, the soldiers at the fort protected the entire route halfway to Fort Union in Santa Fe. Later on, there was an average of about 300 men in the garrison, and at any time about half of them were out on the trail. The military was basically like the highway patrol of today; they went up and down the trail to patrol and keep it safe, but they could not guard everything that went down the trail.” As the United States fought the Civil War (1861–1865), the regular and volunteer troops remaining at Fort Larned became increasingly drawn into military conflict with Native people, particularly during what is known as the Indian War of 1864. From 1867 to 1868, the fort’s original sod and adobe structures were upgraded to the more durable native sandstone buildings still seen today. But just as the fort took on a more solid presence, its relevance as a fortification along the Santa Fe Trail decreased in the 1870s as railroad lines absorbed passengers and commerce and reshaped routes into the American West. The story of the creation of Fort Larned, the lives of the troops who lived there, the Native communities who sometimes fought and sometimes traded with them, the ecosystem and the cultures that grew up around the fort is detailed in a new multimedia, multicultural permanent exhibition that opened in January 2020. “It is a total overhaul, very much a different type of museum than we had before,” says Elmore. “It is based on all the cultures that were involved in the history of the area of the fort, including the Spanish, the Buffalo Soldiers and the Native people. In fact, these exhibits were created with representatives of the tribes—there are a lot of little, subtle things that they contributed to, such as the fact that images of the Plains tribes people

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such as the Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapaho or Lakota should be depicted as standing in a circle since they are ‘people of the circle.’” The Fort Larned includes nine original native sandstone structures housing saddler, blacksmith, carpenter and wheelwright shops, the enlisted men’s barracks, opulent officers’ quarters, the post hospital, a commissary, and warehouses. A block house and a massive brick oven for baking have both been reconstructed and are historically accurate. Visitors may explore the fort’s grounds and historic buildings at their own pace, according to Elmore. “If you get the app on your cell phone, you can walk around on your own and get a tour that way,” Elmore says. The app also includes a guided tour of the fort’s one-mile History and Nature Trail.

The historic reenactors perform duties at the fort, which contains nine original native sandstone buildings around a parade square, typical of frontier forts in that time period. Bread is baked in a massive reconstructed brick oven that takes three days to heat to 360 degrees. Cavalry soldiers care for their horses and use period tack. The traditional 19th-century Army flag lowering ceremony ends each day; frontier posts typically flew a 36’ by 20’ garrison flag so it could be seen for miles, assuring trail travelers that the United States Army was nearby. Volunteers and staff portray the roles of civilians at the fort, such as a blacksmith forging a tool and an officer’s wife dressed in finery as she sits reading in her lavish quarters. On each of the three days of the event, special activities include artillery and rifle firing, other demonstrations such as blacksmithing, quilting and leather working, and programs on various aspects of the fort and its history.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY National Park Service

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on i t a r o m e m m o C 200 th Fe Trail of the Santa

june 11 Michael Martin Murphey in concert

june 12 Symphony in the Flint Hills

for more details SantaFeTrail200.com 541.561.1788 Santafetrail200 on Facebook

june 18-19 Washunga Days Intertribal Powwow

july 16, 17 Gunfight Reenactments on the Santa Fe Trail

Visiting Fort Larned Health precautions in response to the pandemic will affect which events and areas of the museum will be open to visitors at any given time. For the past months, the site itself has been open, with full access to the grounds and nature trail, but the education center has been periodically closed. Visitors should go online or call in advance of a visit in order to plan activities or schedule a guided tour. nps.gov/fols/index.htm | (620) 285-6911

A revised, multimedia main exhibit opened in January 2020 to acquaint visitors with the history of the site, as well as with the cultures and people that were part of the fort’s history.

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A Different Oil Field A small family farm creates artisanal sunflower oil in northwest Kansas Story by Meta Newell West Photography by Bill Stephens

unflowers are more than a beautiful symbol of our state. Kansas is the nation’s fourth largest producer of sunflower products with a sizable portion of this crop becoming food for birds and animals. But some growers, such as the Wright family in the far western part of the state, cultivate sunflowers to create the nutrient-rich sunflower cooking oil. Now the fourth generation of their family to farm on fields around Bird City, father and son Don and Dennis Wright built their sunflower oil business

Above Don and Dennis Wright plant their sunflower crops in June and harvest in late fall and early winter, once the seeds have fully matured and after the brilliant yellow coloring has disappeared from the flowers’ petals. Left Dennis Wright gathers and inspects some of the harvested seeds.

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from the ground up and monitor their product through each phase, from field to bottle and then on to the consumer. The sunflower crops are a recent addition, coming in 2015 when the Wrights diversified their farm by adding a processing plant allowing them to produce unrefined, minimally processed oil. Small batch processing of sunflower oil is a slow process, and like winemakers, the Wrights check each batch for consistency in color and clarity. It’s the same “take it slow, do it right” philosophy that guided the Wrights from day one as they adapted their century-old farm to create a sunflower enterprise. Father and son did their own construction, and Don used his skill as an electrician to wire the plant

and to engineer much of the equipment that runs the automated filtration system. He also designed their bottle labeler, which is made from spare parts, including a hand drill and lawn mover belt. The entire plant was designed to include labor-saving practices—from the location of the plant right next to the sunflower storage bin to elevating the press so that the meal by-product drops down into totes, ready to be hauled away for cattle feed. A separate commercial kitchen, located within the plant, allows the Wrights to easily bottle the oil while complying with food safety standards. One of the biggest challenges was locating equipment that would allow them to cold press the seeds, a process that preserves nutrients and flavor. 2021 ISSUE 3 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

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spaces They finally found a German-made expeller press and filters that extract the oil without subjecting it to high-heat refining; it’s a method similar to what is used to produce high-quality European olive oil. By 2016, the Wrights’ operation was approved by the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Arrangements were then made with Kansas State University to conduct a shelf life and nutritional analysis. The Wrights knew they had a healthy product. Their research had shown that the American Heart Association recognized sunflower oil as one of the “better for you” fats. They also knew that cold-pressed sunflower oil is high in vitamin E, a fat-soluble nutrient that acts as an antioxidant,

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protecting cells from the damage caused by free radicals. Focus groups, used in the early stages of the project, convinced them there was a real consumer interest in healthy cooking oils and helped spur the venture onward. Tasting groups also sampled the oil and provided feedback, which led to the mild-flavored oil that is their standard. Some described the flavor as nutty; others noticed a slightly sweet taste while others described it as light and fresh. For the Wrights, the annual harvest process begins with a late June planting. Last year the Wrights planted 500 acres of sunflowers using black oil seeds. Unlike confection seeds that are meaty and used for snacking, the black seeds are smaller, with a high oil content that makes them ideal for use in cooking oils and cosmetics and as premium bird seed. Flowers are harvested in November using a combine equipped with special sunflower pans added to the header. Seeds are deposited in a bin where they can be augured directly into a hopper that feeds into the expeller press located in the plant. The automated screw press squeezes out the oil and can be set to run for several hours. Pressed oil goes into a holding tank and then continuously permeates though a series of filter plates for 48 hours. From there, a hose transfers it to a secondary holding tank located in the adjoining commercial kitchen where it is then bottled, labeled and boxed for shipment. The harvesting is the first step in producing sunflower oil. The pressing and processing will also be done at the Wright farm.

The Ortus Café’s

Wright Sunflower Oil

Grilled 3-Cheese Tender Crepe Steak Marinade Marinades help Edward Hammatt created this home-style version of one of his cafétenderize and add flavor to any cut. crepe offerings. He narrates the directions, including his technique for creating the square or pocket fold he uses forYield: savoryEnough crepes marinade for two average-sized steaks and points out that when making fillings or other savory items, “I definitely don’t measure the seasonings, I just add ’til it tastes good.”

Ingredients

Directions

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1. Mix the liquid ingredients thoroughly with a whisk. 2. Coat steaks on both sides with mixture. 3. Sprinkle with dry seasonings as desired. 4. For best result, marinate steak in the refrigerator overnight but shorter marinating times work, too.

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cup Wright Farms Sunflower Oil 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon liquid smoke Dry seasoning of your choice (such as mesquiteflavored blends)

Wright Sunflower Oil

Fluffy Rolls

These no-knead rolls require a minimum of effort but do need time to rise—first overnight and then for two hours after shaping. Yield: 36 rolls

Ingredients

Directions

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1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add remaining ingredients, except flour. Beat well. 2. Add flour and mix well; mixture will be a thick batter rather than a typical bread dough. Cover and let stand on counter overnight. 3. Next morning, divide dough into three balls. Roll each ball to the size of a pie crust, about 1/2-inch thick. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. 4. Roll up wedges from the wide end, creating a crescent roll, and place point-side down, one inch apart on greased baking sheets. 5. Cover and let rise at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 near the end of the rising time. 6. Check rolls and tuck under any points that may have escaped during the rise; bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

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PHOTOGRAPH Shutterstock

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1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry or instant yeast 1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115° F) 1 cup milk, scalded and cooled (heat to 180° to scald) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup Wright Farms Sunflower Oil 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 eggs 4 cups all purpose flour, measured without sifting

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spaces “Although the oil has been determined to have a 24-month shelf life, we make it as we need it,” Dennis says. “We want it to be as fresh as it can be.” Currently, they are pressing about four times per month. Wright oil is sold online through their website and the From the Land of Kansas site, also through small, independent retailers. Since shipping can be problematic for a small business, they rely on their local postal service and friends and family to make retail deliveries. Throughout the process, the Wrights have relied on family and community. Dennis’ wife, Dana, and their three children help with the bottling and boxing while his mom, Donna, is instrumental in scouting out vendors and helping with research. Students in a graphic design class at Goodland’s

Northwest Kansas Area Vocational-Technical School designed the original bottle label. Through their harvests, the Wrights say they have developed a greater appreciation for the strength and resilience of the state flower. The sunflowers’ strong, deep roots, up to seven feet in length, are able to explore the soil for water and nutrients in drought-prone western Kansas. Those deep roots also break up compacted soil, allowing them to absorb maximum moisture. Sunflowers have definitely been a positive venture for the Wrights. Their plant and equipment, designed to be scalable, has the capacity to produce oil up to 30 days per month. “We plan to continue producing healthy high oleic sunflower oil, made the healthiest way possible, for many years to come,” Dennis says. wright.farm | shop.fromthelandofkansas.com

Fish Play Hike Stay

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coffeycountychamber.com

Sunflowers and Kansas •

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In 2018, 89 million pounds of sunflowers were grown on 65,000 acres of Kansas land and were valued at over $16 million. The northwest part of the state is where the most acres are planted. Sunflowers are a pollinator for bees, birds and butterflies and excellent at absorbing environmental toxins. Plant sunflowers thick and sunflowers produce a smaller head; plant them thin and they produce a thicker head. Young sunflowers face the sun in the morning and follow it throughout the day in order receive maximum sunlight; after they mature they will face east. It takes 20 to 25 pounds of sunflower seeds to make one gallon of oil. A Lenexa based company, Sunny Seeds, produces another uniquely Kansas product— chocolate covered sunflower seeds with a sweet candy coating; seeds come in a rainbow of colors.

The Wrights say working with sunflowers has allowed them to better understand and respect the plant’s ability to thrive in drought-prone western Kansas.

2021 ISSUE 3 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

two hundred years of the

A vital land trail receives recognition and a reappraisal of its role in American history and in shaping the future of Kansas STORY BY BECCY TANNER ILLUSTRATIONS BY DOUG HOLDREAD, COURTESY SANTA FE TRAIL ASSOCIATION

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long the undulating hills, canyons, and creeks of the Kansas prairie, an ancient highway comes to life. Traveled by some full of hope and ambition and by others full of fear and regret, the Santa Fe Trail appears in the form of physical ruts still visible in the landscape and embedded in the legacy of communities and cultures it traversed as it wound its way over a horizon marked by buffalo wallows, tallgrass and wildflowers. This year marks 200 years of the Santa Fe Trail, first opened after Missouri freighting entrepreneur William Becknell established the route as a commerce highway. Beginning in 1821 and for more than six decades after that, the Santa Fe Trail connected the settled territory of Missouri to the settled territory of New Mexico and went on to the gold fields of California. It was—without exaggeration—the I-70 of its day. The Santa Fe Trail was one of the earliest trails for American expansion in the Old West, and some of the deadliest portions ran through the heart of Kansas.

Near Spanish Peaks

THE LEGEND OF THE TRAIL When people speak of the Santa Fe Trail, they are often evoking its legacy and symbolism as much as the historical route. Stories of the trail are captivating, caught up in the mysteries of Western lore, battles, and the fortunes and misfortunes of travelers. Buffalo Bill Cody, Gen. Phillip Sheridan and Gen. George Armstrong Custer all traveled the trail. In the spring of 1831, Jedediah Smith, famed mountain man, trapper and explorer, met his demise along the trail as he led a train of wagons and pack mules. Many of the myths and legends are rooted in the tales and voices of ordinary people. “Sometimes we were alarmed by the Indians, threatened by the storms, and always it seemed we suffered for want of water,” Marion Russell wrote in her journal, later published in the book Along the Santa Fe Trail. Russell would travel the trail from Leavenworth to Santa Fe five times in her life, one of the thousands who journeyed on it, and one of the fortunate ones who lived through it. Sister Mary Alphonsa Thompson was one of the travelers who never made it to Santa Fe. The 19-year-old nun died of cholera in western Kansas in July 1867. Before she died, she pleaded with other travelers in her wagon train to not abandon her body on the prairie. But fear of Native Americans and disease compelled her fellow travelers to bury her body quickly and continue their journey on to Santa Fe. Her grave, believed by historians to be in Finney County, is unmarked. Ed Miller’s grave in McPherson County is clearly marked, but his death may have been the result of a clash of cultures. In July 1864, Miller was on a mission to help a sick woman from Marion and was riding for help. As more and more travelers poured along the trail, Native tribes, including Kiowa, Comanche,

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Trail Sparks Many historians believe the first sparks of the bloodiest war in American history were fought on Kansas soil on June 2, 1856, shortly before dawn in Douglas County—in a battle with a connection to the Santa Fe Trail. Although no one died, several men on both sides were wounded. In the weeks following the sacking of Free State stronghold Lawrence, Kansas, and the attack on proslavery sympathizers near Pottawatomie Creek, abolitionist John Brown was seeking out Henry Pate and his band of pro-slavery sympathizers who were holding three men, including two of Brown’s sons, as prisoners. Shortly before dawn, Brown’s men overwhelmed Pate’s men in a grove of blackjack oak trees near Baldwin City and along the Santa Fe Trail. Some of the men involved said later that they used trail ruts as trenches during the worst fighting. According to historian Deb Goodrich, that grove of trees is a reminder of how deeply the Santa Fe Trail is connected to American history. “In comparison to other trails such as immigration trails like the Oregon Trail, the Santa Fe Trail has so many

more layers to its story beyond its story as a trail of commerce,” says Goodrich, chairwoman of the Santa Fe Trail 200 committee. “It’s the 1820s, and it would be hard for two places on the same continent to be more different from one another than Franklin, Missouri, and Santa Fe, Mexico,” Goodrich says. “The religion is different. The food is different. Everything—the music is different. So, it really is two foreign countries trading with one another.” But beyond that, Goodrich says, the Santa Fe Trail underlines the clashes between many cultures— between Native Americans, freighters, Mexicans, abolitionists and proslavery supporters. “The trail is vastly important in how we became a nation,” Goodrich notes. “It’s not always pretty. You know, we in the Santa Fe Trail Association are using the word ‘commemorate.’ Because ‘celebrate’ is not appropriate in all circumstances.” And it’s that area of the trail along the blackjack grove of trees near Baldwin City that calls to Goodrich. “The Bleeding Kansas era is my favorite era of history,” she says. “Blackjack is what I would call the first battle of the Civil War, and the [trail] ruts are so deep. There are so many layers to the Santa Fe story. I never stand there without feeling their spirits. That place is alive for me.” Ironically, Brown, on that summer day in 1856, would hand over Pate’s surrendered men to a military detachment led by J.E.B. Stuart, who just happened to be traveling along the Santa Fe Trail. It was literally a connection of historical figures and times along the trail. So, how much did this history and the trail’s impact change Kansas? A lot, Goodrich believes, and in many ways we are still realizing. “One of the things I’m researching right now is taking the Smoky Hills Trail to Santa Fe—because as the railroad moves westward, the Kansas Pacific becomes a de facto piece of the Santa Fe Trail, and those depots become jumping off points for freight to Santa Fe.” Wool and flour warehouses popped up in western Kansas during the late 19th century because of the Santa Fe trade. Mules, burros and jennets (female donkeys) were brought up the trail from Santa Fe to Missouri. And, just as the railroad replaced the trail, eventually asphalt highways would traverse the terrain along the trail. As Goodrich notes, the Santa Fe Trail and the path it still marks are a “collision of passion and culture.” 2021 ISSUE 3 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

Arapahoe and Cheyenne, sought to push back on the invasion by attacking wagon trains and ranches in the area. When Miller’s body was found, it had been scalped, pierced with a spear and shot. THE ROUTE The United States military used this 900-mile trail during the Mexican-American War, the Civil War and Indian Wars. Then, miners used it to travel back and forth to the gold rushes, and families used it to migrate westward, according to Leo Oliva, a Kansas historian and author. In places, the trail was a narrow 50 feet across; in other locations along the route, it would branch off in different directions, almost like the ends of a frayed rope. But the trail was defined enough and known well enough to move America—from1821 when Mexico won its freedom from Spain and welcomed Becknell’s small trading party in Santa Fe, to when the last rails were completed and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad reached the Kansas state line in 1882. “It was the first international trade trail between the United States and Mexico,” Oliva says. “It was the route responsible, in part, for taking three-fifths of Mexico and taking 99 percent of the Indian lands in the Great Plains. It’s part of the national expansion story and the sad part, white supremacy and Christian nationalism. It’s all a part of it.” KAW LAND And in that sense, the trail is older than 200 years, for much of it is an overlay of routes established long before by Native people and then turned into an instrument against them. Pauline Sharp is the granddaughter of Chief Lucy Tayiah Eads, first woman chief of the Kanza Indians, from the tribe for whom Kansas is named. She is a citizen of the Kaw Nation and past vice president of the Kaw Nation Cultural Committee. The Kaw Nation faced land reduction and removal several times during the height of the Santa Fe Trail. At one time, the Kaw claimed a territory that covered roughly two-fifths of modern Kansas and parts of Nebraska and Missouri. Then, an 1825 peace treaty with the federal government reduced the Kanza lands from 20 million acres to 2 million acres just west of Topeka. Another treaty in 1846 reduced the Kanza land to 256,000 acres near Council Grove, where the Kaw Mission is the town’s oldest stone structure and where the people lived from 1848 until their forced removal to Oklahoma in 1873—pushed out by the travels on the roads that they and other Native peoples had once established. “The Santa Fe Trail used to be an Indian trail, and when so many people began traveling [it], the Kaws took a different route that ran south and parallel to that—to the hunting grounds,” Sharp says. “It eventually stopped with the loss of the buffalo and railroad. The trail was pretty devastating for the Kanza.

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Council Grove

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Honoring the Legacy Glimpses of the Santa Fe Trail can still be found. You can roughly follow Becknell’s historic route if you drive along much of US highways 56, 54, and 50 in Kansas. Here, the terrain changes in new ways, but also in ways that it would have 200 years ago— from the urban, rolling landscapes of eastern Kansas, to ranches in the Flint Hills, the sandy soils of the Quivira, past lands of corn, wheat, and feedlots and beyond the Point of Rocks in the Cimarron Grasslands. Semi-trucks drive this route alongside wind turbines and circle irrigation systems. Dave Webb, Kansas historian and author of Santa Fe Trail Adventures, remembers how he grew up in Protection but didn’t learn the area’s connection to the historic route. “It was briefly mentioned in our American history book, and like so much information kids have access to at that age, it was homogenized,” Webb says. “It was down to a couple of things about how this was a major trail across the Great Plains.” Some six decades and many studies later, Webb

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still marvels at what the trail would have been like. “You can hear the noises the animals would have made. Guys yelling at them and the wagons creeping along. The animals huffing and puffing and the harnesses jingling. People looking around and wondering if there were Indians nearby,” Webb says. “I think about the terrific thunderstorms in the spring and summer and how those people endured them, maybe even getting hit with hailstones.” Sometimes, when he drives US 400 highway between Ford and Dodge City, when the light is just right, Webb glances up to the north side of the highway and he sees them—ruts from the longago trail. “The hill has been cultivated for years, so you don’t see them in there, but they run into a pasture and they become visible and then, they go right into where the highway is now, right on the same roadbed,” Webb notes. And it is there, the history of 200 years’ travels on the same road.

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Snowstorm near Ark River It was a conduit for disease—smallpox and cholera. It brought trade to the Kanza. But lots of swindling went on. In some ways, it was the end of the Kaws in 19th-century Kansas; it definitely sped things along.” Sharp brings this perspective to her work as a member of the national Santa Fe Trail 200 committee. She and her husband, Doug, are members of the Santa Fe Trail Association, and Doug manages land in the Flint Hills where the trail traverses near Dunlap in Morris County. “We’ve been to symposiums, rendezvous, and I’ve learned a lot about the Santa Fe Trail, its history,” Sharp says. “The Kaws were trying to survive. It was not good for them.” Surveying the route and the landscape it crossed, Sharp says her favorite part of the trail is on the land her husband manages, not far from the Allegawaho Heritage Memorial Park—the sacred land of the Kaws and site of last Kaw Indian village before tribal members were forced from Kansas—near Council Grove. “To go out there, it’s isolated, and you can just imagine how was it back then,” Sharp said. “The land looks pretty much like it did 200 years ago. There is a hill where some of the ruts are over your head. It’s very impressive. I think of the trade that went on. It was a part of life back then. It’s part of the fabric of our country.

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Pawnee Rock People aren’t aware of how the Kaws were treated back then. It’s sad—but it’s also part of our story that needs to be told.” ON THE TRAIL At the time of the trail’s greatest activity, the Native and Euro-American cultures were mostly in conflict. While travelers feared Native attacks, the clashes and the growing military power of the American settlers often brought about one-sided battles. In 1853, for example, a wagon train near Great Bend came into contact with 500 Cheyenne Indians. Sixty Indians and five settlers were killed in the ensuing conflict. For most settlers, the trail was not an intrusion into hunting grounds or tribal lands, but a difficult undertaking to get from one location to another. A typical wagon train included anywhere from 25 to 100 freight wagons. June and July were the peak travel season, when the grass was high enough to sustain the livestock. While freight wagons carried supplies to sell in Santa Fe, people traveled in small covered wagons, buggies, on horseback and by foot, covering 15 to 20 miles a day. The average trip took about 8 weeks. The travelers took a little bit of everything—flour for making biscuits, sugar, salt and coffee. They carried beans and salt pork and hoped they had enough to make it into buffalo range, where they had an easy supply of fresh meat. Supplies could be expensive. According to The Road to Santa Fe by Hobart Stocking, a pair of oxen cost $50 to $75; mules $60 to $85 per team, and a freight wagon had to be purchased in Missouri for as much as $150—though if you made it to Santa Fe, it could be sold for as much as $700. Stocking describes the wagons loaded with “cloth and metal and even bottles. They started out from Missouri with a lot of wine. They drank the wine along the way. The empty bottles in New Mexico were worth more than the wine cost in Missouri because there was a shortage of bottles.”

Ark River Crossing

WHAT REMAINS It is estimated that more than 150 historic sites remain along the route of the historic Santa Fe Trail. As a historian who has been researching and writing about the trail since 1959, Oliva says many of those sites are favorites to share. “There are lots of spots that still have trail ruts, stream crossings and so on. Half of the trail is in Kansas,” he says. “When I did tours, I would stop some place and I would say ‘This is my favorite place on the trail.’ The next stop, I’d say, ‘This is my favorite place.’ Finally, somebody said, ‘How can you have so many favorite places?’ And I said my favorite place is wherever I happen to be.”

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2021 ISSUE 3

7 Santa Fe Trail Bicentennial Events Kansas commemorates the bicentennial of the Santa Fe Trail with a series of public events. Here is our selection of some of the highlights coming up in our state; you can see a full listing of national events at santafetrail200.org or santafetrail.org and more local events at 2021santafetrailkansas.com. Please write or call ahead in advance to confirm dates and times before traveling. DAR WREATH-LAYING CEREMONY AND REDEDICATION OF DAR MARKER May 22 | Fort Dodge Join the Daughters of the American Revolution Dodge City Chapter members as they rededicate Santa Fe Trail Marker 64 and conduct a wreath-laying ceremony in historic Fort Dodge. Alongside the marker one mile east of the fort is a storyboard discussing the junction of the trail’s Wet/Dry routes at this point. Santafetrail200.org | 9pwinger@gmail.com

AN EVENING ON THE OLD SALT ROAD June 4 | Geneseo City Museum, Geneseo Listen to Jim Gray, noted historian and author, discuss Old Salt Road connecting the Smoky Hill Trail to Cow Creek Crossing on the Santa Fe Trail. Also included is a camp stew and biscuits, frontier music, and a re-enactment of the hunting camp of local frontiersman Smoky Hill Thompson. facebook.com/GeneseoCityMuseum (620) 824-6015

TRAILS AND TRAILBLAZERS June 5 | Baldwin City This old-time festival will include the dedication of the new Black Jack Ruts Trail, a gravel path circling some of the nation’s best preserved wagon ruts, which also played a role in the 1856 Battle of Black Jack. Interpretative panels explain the Santa Fe Trail, the ruts, and the grassland found on this native prairie preserve. santafetrail.org | (785) 424-0595

SYMPHONY IN THE FLINT HILLS SIGNATURE EVENT June 12 | Morris County Plan to spend the day listening to programs about the Santa Fe Trail, the Flint Hills, and Morris County, followed by the evening’s sunset concert by the Kansas City Symphony. Order tickets early for this event at North Lakeview Pasture near the historic trail town of Council Grove. symphonyintheflinthills.org | (620) 273-8955

MOUNTAIN MEN ON THE SANTA FE TRAIL June 26 | Old Mill Museum, Lindsborg View a mountain man camp outfitted with beaver traps, weapons, and gear at this event where the history of the Arkansas River and Rocky Mountains fur trades will be discussed. oldmillmuseum.org | (785) 227-3595

WHAT DID THEY EAT ON THE SANTA FE TRAIL? July 23 | McPherson Museum, McPherson Ever wonder what those traveling on the trail ate? Learn the answers as Dr. Leo E. Oliva, a former Fort Hays State University history professor, presents this program as part of Eastern McPherson County and Marion County Santa Fe Trail Days, July 23–24. 2021santafetrailkansas.com | (620) 241-8464

LITTLE ARKANSAS RENDEZVOUS August 7 | Rice County Meet Buffalo Soldier re-enactors and learn about the Little Arkansas River crossing, Camp Grierson (established by the 10th Cavalry of African Americans solders), Swanson’s Swales and Fry’s Ruts (remnants of the mail route on the trail), and the huge Stone Corral stock pen. 2021santafetrailkansas.com | (620) 241-8719 2021 ISSUE 3 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

Ed Dwight created the statue “Jazz” as a commissioned work. This replica of the tribute to musical legends stands in his studio near Denver, Colorado.

AFTER When the government pulled the plug on Ed Dwight Jr.’s chance to become the nation’s first Black astronaut, the talented Kansas native refocused his life into becoming a barbecue entrepreneur, a personal pilot and then one of the nation’s most sought-after sculptors

STORY BY AMBER FRALEY | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK MANGAN

Dwight Jr. started his extraordinary journey through life on the north edge of Kansas City, Kansas, on a farm near Fairfax Airport, where he and his family grew most of the vegetables and meat that sustained them. He was born to Georgia Baker Dwight and Edward Dwight Sr., both children of slaves. Ed Senior had been a second baseman and centerfielder for the Kansas City Monarchs and played on other all-Black teams from 1924 to 1937. “He played with Satchel Paige and that group,” notes Dwight, who would become a bat boy for his father’s old team just a few seasons after Jackie Robinson left the Monarchs to integrate Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Georgia was a devout Catholic and doting mother who valued learning and could pass for white, an advantage she used for the betterment of her children, while also shielding them from racism whenever possible. “She was fascinated with life and nature and studied to be a writer,” Dwight says. Georgia never let her children’s minds idle and taught them to read from an early age. “She made us read the newspaper every day,” Dwight recalls, and when they finished reading, she’d have them explain what they’d read. Georgia enrolled her son in a Head Start–type program at the age of two and made sure to expose her kids to as much culture as she could. “The Y[MCA] at Seventh and Quindaro had a training program for preschool kids, and I was three and four years old and painting, making jewelry, woodburning, and everything you can do to possibly make art,” Dwight says. “She got me a library card when I was four.” Initially, Georgia intended for that library card to come from the main public Kansas City Library. But that institution refused to issue a library card to a Black child, so Georgia was able to secure a library card for her son at Northeast Junior High School even though the librarians expressed reservations about issuing a card to someone so young—none of which would matter to young Dwight. “That door she opened by getting me a library card—I could travel all over the world in a library,” Dwight recalls. Another great influence in Dwight’s life was the proximity of Fairfax Airport. “We spent enormous amount of time at Fairfax Airport,” he remembers. On the way to and from the airport, Georgia taught her kids about the flora and fauna they’d pass. Watching planes take off and land, Dwight became obsessed with aircraft. “Sometimes we’d stay even after dark,” he says, and when the sun went down, his mother would teach him and his sister about astronomy, pointing out the constellations and planets.

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2021 ISSUE 3

Ed Dwight, Jr. developed a love for art growing up on his family farm near Kansas City, Kansas.

When he was old enough, Dwight became what their house, providing signage for Black businesses in the area. He bought his first car with the profits from he describes as the airport hangar’s “mascot,” the that business. young man who would clean out airplanes for pay While Dwight and his sister were still and hang out in the maintenance shop, handing the attending the local Catholic elementary school, mechanics the tools they needed to fix engines. As his mother went to Bishop Ward—a prestigious he got older, Dwight requested the pilots pay him in plane rides instead of cash, and many obliged. “It Catholic high school that had erected a new allowed me to see life from a totally different angle,” building in 1931—and let them know she planned to someday enroll her kids in school there. The he explains. “When you’re in an airplane, you see things way outside of your scope. You learn to think family understood the kids were to be accepted until the school realized that Georgia’s kids globally and outside of yourself.” were Black and denied them admission. Georgia Dwight was still a boy of only 8 when World appealed to local Catholic officials, who also War II began, but it would have a profound impact. denied her request, but she continued to work “It kind of turned my world upside-down,” Dwight her way up the hierarchy, including sending a recalls. “They turned Fairfax Airport into an Army airport training base. The takeoff went right over our letter to Rome. Three years after Georgia’s initial request, the school contacted her and notified the house—day and night—shaking the rafters.” Dwight family that they had started studying the prevailed. The lore airplanes, checking in the Dwight family out library books was that an order about planes and “That door she opened by had arrived directly drawing them. The getting me a library card— from the pope. “Lo library is where he and behold,” says discovered flightI could travel all over the Dwight, “the Vatican training manuals. ordered that school “I would read these world in a library.” to integrate.” books and I would The Bishop Ward take the exams at the –ED DWIGHT integration in 1945 ends of the chapters. I came nine years never, ever thought I’d before the landmark be flying airplanes or doing anything of the sort. It was just a little secret of Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case that ordered an end to legal segregation in American mine. I wanted to be an artist.” Growing up Catholic, Dwight began by copying public schools, and it came two years before similar rulings in neighboring Catholic jurisdictions, such the paintings and statuary he was exposed to at as the 1947 parochial school integrations in St. Louis church. “I did my first oil painting at 8,” he says. He that resulted in widespread white protests among learned metal work from his grandfather, who ran the Catholic congregations. Given this timeline, the the farm. “We’d go all over Kansas City looking for Dwight siblings were taking on a tremendous burden junk,” Dwight remembers. His grandfather would as educational pioneers in a hostile environment. gather scrap metal and teach his grandson how to The official history of Bishop Ward melt and join it to make tools and equipment for acknowledges that “a number of families” protested the farm. and withdrew their students rather than accept When Dwight was 12 years old, his family integration. Dwight believes that out of 800 students, opened Dwight’s Soda Grill next door to their house as many as 300 left the school immediately after on their land. At this point, Dwight’s day started at their families learned that their children would study 6 a.m. and sometimes didn’t end until midnight. He alongside two Black students. served at Mass as an altar boy in the mornings, and As the first Black students at Bishop Ward, after school he had paper routes before helping at Dwight and his sister were required to attend the family restaurant. He was studying art at school, special training before starting classes. “They made and at age 14, he opened a sign shop in the back of

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2021 ISSUE 3

Opposite Dwight continues to create new sculptures and other works of art from his studio.

my sister and I go to an orientation,” Dwight recalls, though the administration wasn’t too worried about his sister. “But for me, I had to go through intense training,” Dwight says. “I could not look at a white girl in the eye. I could not speak to a white girl. If a white girl was to speak to me first, I was to nod my head.” At Bishop Ward, Dwight boxed, played football and ran track while he studied art. Eventually, his white peers and their parents accepted him and his sister. “Sports was the changeover,” Dwight explains. “If you’re a star athlete, all the sudden all that segregation stuff starts melting away.” Still, prejudice persisted. Speaking to students at his alma mater in 2018, Dwight noted that although he was accepted on the teams, he could not shower with his teammates and had to use a separate, isolated facility. After graduation, Dwight’s dad sat him down and asked what he intended to do with his life. Ed replied that he wanted to be an artist, but his dad wanted him to become an engineer. Dwight began

taking math and science classes at Donnelly College so he could transfer to Kansas City Community College as an engineering student. One day on his paper route, an article on the front page of the Kansas City Call caught his attention. Above the fold was a photo of a Black pilot standing on the wing of an F-86 Sabre Cat who had been shot down in Korea. “I said, ‘Oh my God, they’re letting Black people fly airplanes.’” Dwight went straight down to the local recruiting office, determined to sign up. But the recruiters told him that at five-foot-four he was too short; in addition, Dwight had a significant stutter, and he was told pilots must be able to communicate clearly with the flight tower. He returned to the recruiting office several times—until they told him not to come back. But Dwight was determined to learn to fly. Following his mother’s lead, he decided to write the Pentagon. Eventually, they sent a team out to the Kansas City Kansas Junior College to test him, and others, for pilot aptitude. “They picked thirty-three

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of us to go to Denver, Colorado, to test for pilot training,” Dwight says. “I was the only Black kid in the crowd.” When he sat down to take the written test, he realized it was the same material he’d been studying in the flight manuals he’d been checking out of the library for years. He easily passed all the tests, learned to manage his stutter and graduated flight training near the top of his class to become a flight instructor. Traveling from base to base, he learned to fly 26 different aircraft, including planes, helicopters and fighter jets. He was well on his way in a satisfying military career and was told by superiors he was on track to someday make general. That all changed in an instant: “I got a letter November 4th, 1960, asking if I wanted to be an astronaut.” Dwight’s knee-jerk reaction was to say “No.” “I didn’t want to go to astronaut training,” he says, laughing. “I thought those guys were crazy daredevils.” At the time, the space program was notoriously dangerous, and several early American astronauts were killed. Once again, Georgia would change the trajectory of her son’s life. “My mom was

Serenitysainfeaenvironment

the one who talked me into it. She said, ‘Son, you do understand that you can help the race, and the civil rights movement, if you do this.’” Out of only about 125 Black pilots in America, Dwight was the single Black pilot chosen to enter NASA’s space program. Many Black pilots were too old, having served as Tuskegee Airmen in WWII. Dwight was 27, and had not only more than enough flight hours but also the math and engineering skills to be an astronaut. But Dwight saw white America’s reason for training a Black astronaut as purely political. “Senator Kennedy needed the Black vote, and he didn’t know how to get it,” Dwight explains. Civil rights activist Whitney Young advised then Senator John Kennedy that Black youth weren’t being admitted to elite colleges and programs, which was why the country lacked Black engineers and scientists. Reportedly, Young told Kennedy he could go a long way toward securing the Black vote and give someone for America’s Black youth to look up to by encouraging NASA to train a Black astronaut.

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On being admitted to the space program, Dwight says his whole life changed. Suddenly he was treated like an important person, making speeches all over the country and taking photo ops with congressmen—including Senator Kennedy—though Dwight says he had little contact with Kennedy, even after he became president, as Kennedy didn’t want his white constituency to discover he’d had a hand in the creation of a Black astronaut. “He would lose white votes, and that’s why he wanted to keep it a secret,” Dwight explains. So Kennedy put his brother Bobby in charge of the Black astronaut program. “Bobby Kennedy did all the work,” Dwight says. Most of his life, Dwight says he found he was accepted by white people once he showed what he was capable of. The space program was different, and Dwight knew many people didn’t want him at NASA. “Having a Black in the space program too early would destroy NASA’s tax base. In order to sell the space program to the public, NASA wanted the public to perceive astronauts as heroes,” Dwight explains. “If the public found out Black folks or women could be astronauts, well then, they’re just regular people.” Dwight says many people in the upper echelons of the military and the government tried to end his training. “It wasn’t really over until the president got killed. He was literally protecting me. Once he was killed, they came after me with a vengeance.” After Kennedy’s death, Dwight was offered overseas transfers that were ostensibly promotions, but which he believed were designed to pull him out of contention as an astronaut. Eventually, he left the military and went to work for IBM. After a stint there,

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2021 ISSUE 3

Dwight opened a chain of five barbeque restaurants in Denver. “Because I’m from Kansas City and I love barbeque,” he laughs. Later, Dwight worked as a personal pilot and then became a general contractor. He started collecting scrap metal from his construction sites and on the weekends and began welding pieces together to make abstract art. That evolved into a decorating business, and Dwight would become friends with George Brown, a former Tuskegee Airman and fellow Kansas native who would become the first Black lieutenant governor of Colorado. Brown asked Dwight to cast a statue of him for the Colorado Capitol and then convinced Dwight he needed to be the man to tell the stories of great Black Americans by creating monuments and statues of them. So Dwight sold off his businesses and went back to school at the University of Denver to earn his master’s degree in sculpture, returning to his artistic roots. His first big commission was a series of bronze statues for the State of Colorado called “Black Frontier of the American West.” Since then, Dwight has gone on to create bronze statues and memorials all over the country, including “Tower of Reconciliation” to commemorate the Tulsa race massacre. Today, Dwight mentors other sculptors to teach them how to pitch, manage and create large sculptural installations, and he mostly credits one person with the incredible twists and turns his life has taken. “My mom was always there, whispering in my ear that no white person was smarter than me. ‘You’re smart, and I love you, and you can do anything,’ says Dwight. “After a while, you start believing it.”

Dwight was tapped to become the nation’s first Black astronaut, but racism—including in the upper echelons of NASA and the U.S. military—led to his withdrawal. Photographs courtesy of Ed Dwight, Jr.

Ed Dwight’s sculptures stand in dozens of prominent and historical locations across the United States. Here is an overview of a few of his works and their permanent locations.

AMERICA

An Overview of Ed Dwight’s Public Sculptures Anacostia, Maryland, Frederick S. Douglass Museum

Sioux City, Iowa, Sioux City Headquarters of the NAACP Bas-relief image of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Life-sized bronze statue of famous abolitionist and statesman

Kansas City, Missouri, Bluford Library Denver, Colorado, Federal Courthouse Sculpture honoring America’s Buffalo Soldiers

Bust of Lucille Bluford, managing editor of historic Black newspaper Kansas City Call

Paterson, New Jersey, Downtown Paterson Memorial to the Underground Railroad

Washington, D.C., Library of Congress

Los Angeles, California, California Afro-American Art Museum Six life-sized sculptures of American jazz legends, including Miles Davis and Duke Ellington

Atlanta, Georgia, Atlanta-Fulton County (Braves) Stadium Larger-than-life statue of MLB Home Run King Henry “Hank” Aaron

Life-sized sculpture of Ella Fitzgerald

Austin, Texas, Grounds of the Texas State Capitol

Charleston, North Carolina, Hampton Park

Large-scale Texas African American History Memorial

Monument to slave revolt leader Denmark Vesey

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