Tabla de contenidos para Issue No 2 2024 en KANSAS!

For Private James Dunlavy, October 25, 1864, would shape his life. Serving in 3rd Iowa Cavalry Regiment, Dunlavy found himself thrust into a charge against Confederate forces near modern Pleasanton. A shell exploded in front of Dunlavy, filling the 20-year-old’s eyes with dirt and injuring his right wrist. Undaunted, Dunlavy continued to fight and later single-handedly captured Confederate Major General John S. Marmaduke, who mistook him for one of the rebels who had been ordered to dress in confiscated Federal uniforms. For his efforts, Dunlavy won a Congressional Medal of Honor and an honorary early discharge. Dunlavy’s story is among those told at the Mine Creek Civil War Battlefield State Historic Site near Pleasanton. “The significance of this site is that it commemorates the second largest cavalry battle of the…

“This photo was taken during the 2023 Poco Loco cattle branding. The cowboys on horseback would rope and drag the calves to the medicine and branding station in the pens. It was such an organized and efficient operation. There was a strong sense of camaraderie and pride, and that is what I aimed to capture in the photos. I love romanticizing the everyday, simple life moments that take us down a nostalgic and warm memory lane.”—BROOKE BUCK, PHOTOGRAPHER Location: Scott County Social Media: @brookebuckphoto Brooke Buck, a lifestyle portrait and branding photographer, has been taking photos since she could hold a camera. As a child, she enjoyed giving photos to friends and family. Since then, Buck identifies as a natural storyteller. After years in this trade, she has found her…

In 1843, when the Wyandot Nation (Waⁿdát or Wandat) was forced to move from upper Ohio to the Kansas Territory, the displaced people took their strong stand against slavery with them when they chose land near the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers. Here, the nation harbored those who ferried or swam their way out of Missouri and into a land that recognized them as free. By 1850, the Wyandot had formed the settlement of Quindaro. It quickly became a haven for refugees from slave states and continued as such after the federal government disbanded the tribe; abolitionists and Wyandot members who remained in the area founded the town of Quindaro in 1856. At the time, it was the only free-state river port of entry into the Kansas Territory.…

In this issue of KANSAS!, we pay homage to the remarkable individuals who shaped Kansas into the Free State we proudly call home. Our features share stories of courage and conviction—from Bleeding Kansas days to the present. On a late summer morning last June, in the company of a guide and travel writers, I had the opportunity to experience the ruins of Quindaro firsthand. Between the rugged terrain, sticky heat and hungry insects, the extraordinary history of this community and its people came into full view. Today only a few remnants are left of the abolitionist settlement, first established by Indigenous people. Nature and time have taken their toll on a site that once served as a beacon of hope to those seeking freedom. Thankfully, dedicated community volunteers and advocates…

The rule is you don’t stir the pot. After soaking 1,200 pounds of navy beans in 60 iron kettles weighing 25 to 75 pounds each, volunteers light the stacked wood underneath each cauldron. Seasonings, 50 pounds of chopped onions and 100 pounds of bacon are then added to the boiling pots. Carefully watched fires heat the mixture until it starts to roll on its own, which prevents burning and thus eliminates the need for stirring. Hours later, the beans for the annual Old Soldiers and Sailors Reunion are ready to eat. The event—held in July in Erie—began in 1873 when Civil War Union Army veterans who settled in Neosho County decided to gather to reminisce about their war experiences and to discuss pioneer farm issues. Arriving from miles around, the…

@aaronapatton aaronpatton.net For 16 years, Aaron Patton has been a commercial and editorial portrait photographer in Wichita. With clients ranging from local businesses to international publications and Fortune 500 companies, he gets to see a little bit of everything. Born and raised in Kansas, Patton has spent his life finding the beauty in what many may consider mundane. As a kid, he spent his summers hiking through pastures, ducking under barbed-wire cattle fences, and swimming in stock tanks; now, he feels right at home photographing those same kinds of images. He and Christina, his wife of 16 years, explore the world as often as possible and always try to bring a touch of their travels back to their work in Wichita. What was the moment you wanted to become a photographer?…

When Dwight Eisenhower—the WW II hero from Abilene—became the 34th US president in 1953, rural America was facing an unusual crisis. Having boosted production during the war years, farmers in the mid-1950s were facing ruinously low market prices from surplus production. Eisenhower was concerned that farmers and the rural economies around them were at risk as families abandoned farming to seek better livelihoods. To counter this trend, Eisenhower’s administration pushed many novel policy efforts. One of these was the Agricultural Trade and Development Act of 1954 that authorized a program known as “Food for Peace.” Eisenhower said this foreign food program would “lay the basis for a permanent expansion of our exports of agricultural products, with lasting benefits to ourselves and peoples in other lands.” Dawn Hammatt, director of the…

“It’s almost like putting on a new skin. When you get into your costume, you get into character,” historic reenactor Tim Rues explains. In his role as site administrator for Constitutional Hall Historic Site in Lecompton, Tim Rues educates others about the pivotal role Lecompton—then the territorial capital—played in the 1850s when armed militias and politicians fought over whether Kansas would enter the Union as a slave or free state. That work involves studying history, creating accurate displays and welcoming guests into the historic hall where free-state politicians wrestled control from pro-slavery adherents. And for nearly 30 years, it has also involved stepping into the role of a historic Kansas figure of the Bleeding Kansas era. Though he sometimes performs alone, Rues is also part of the Lecompton Reenactors, a…