DOCSLIB.ORG

Old Cowtown Museum Interpreter Manual Historical Background 2019

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Old Cowtown Museum Interpreter Manual Historical Background 2019 Old Cowtown Museum Interpreter Manual Historical Background 2019 1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................... 5 Interpretive Themes of the Three Major Time Periods Covered ................................................... 5 Five Interpretive Districts and Their Themes .................................................................................. 5 An Outline Of The Essential Wichita History 1865 To 1880 .......................................................... 7 A Brief Overview Of Kansas History And Settlement ................................................................... 10 Historical Overview Of Wichita & Sedgwick County ................................................................... 10 National 1870s Historical Context ................................................................................................... 13 WICHITA HISTORY POPOURI ....................................................................................................... 16 Early Settlement ........................................................................................................................................................... 16 “Great American Desert?” .......................................................................................................................................... 16 The Munger House: Wichita’s Oldest Residence ..................................................................................................... 17 “A Well - Kept Park” ................................................................................................................................................... 17 “The Happy Valley” ..................................................................................................................................................... 17 The Bone Trade: The Buffalo Disappear .................................................................................................................. 17 Chisholm Trail and The Four Horsemen ................................................................................................................... 18 Selling Wichita: The Role of Newspapers in Early Wichita .................................................................................... 18 Delano & Wichita: So Close, and Yet So Far ............................................................................................................ 18 Delano: No Organization…No Interference ............................................................................................................. 19 Delano: Settled Down and Settled In ......................................................................................................................... 19 The Faces of Wichita .................................................................................................................................................... 19 Minorities in the Cattle Trade ..................................................................................................................................... 19 The African American Population in Early Sedgwick County ................................................................................ 19 Urbanization and Agrarian Expansion 1876 – 1880.............................................................................................. 20 Women in Wichita ........................................................................................................................................................ 21 HISTORY RESOURCE BOOKS ABOUT THE TIME PERIOD................................................... 21 HEIRLOOM GARDENS ..................................................................................................................... 22 PICTURES TRACING THE GROWTH OF THE CITY OF WICHITA ...................................... 24 POPULATION OF WICHITA, SEDGWICK COUNTY AND KANSAS ...................................... 26 Delano/West Wichita ......................................................................................................................... 27 GUIDELINES FOR INTERPRETATION OLD TOWN DISTRICT ............................................. 28 Old Town District–Heller Cabin ...................................................................................................... 29 J. R. Mead Hunter, Trader, And Freighter ............................................................................................................... 31 Old Town District - Drovers Camp ................................................................................................. 33 General History of Cowboys........................................................................................................................................ 33 Cowboys and the Cattle Drives ................................................................................................................................... 34 Old Town District – Trapper’s Cabin ............................................................................................. 35 Old Town District - The Munger House ......................................................................................... 36 GUIDELINES FOR INTERPRETATION RESIDENTIAL AREA ............................................... 40 2 Residential Area - Murdock House ................................................................................................. 40 Residential Area – Hodge House ...................................................................................................... 43 Residential Area - First Presbyterian Church ................................................................................ 44 Residential Area - One Room School .............................................................................................. 46 Wichita’s First Schools ................................................................................................................................................ 47 Residential Area - The Story And A Half House ............................................................................ 48 Residential Area - McKenzie House ................................................................................................ 49 GUIDELINES FOR INTERPRETATION BUSINESS DISTRICT ................................................ 51 Business District - Marshal’s Office ................................................................................................ 51 Business District - Meat Market ...................................................................................................... 53 Refrigeration ................................................................................................................................................................. 54 Business District - Turnverein Hall ................................................................................................. 55 The Turnverein Society ................................................................................................................................................ 55 Germans In Wichita ..................................................................................................................................................... 56 Business District - Southern Hotel ................................................................................................... 57 Business District - Fritz Snitzler’s Saloon ....................................................................................... 58 Business District - Drug Store .......................................................................................................... 60 Business District - Land Office......................................................................................................... 63 Business District - Barbershop ......................................................................................................... 64 Business District - Law Office .......................................................................................................... 67 Business District – Fechheimer’s Dry Goods and Clothing Store ................................................ 68 Business District - The Wichita City Eagle ..................................................................................... 69 Other Newspapers in Wichita ..................................................................................................................................... 70 Business District – Gill’s Mortuary ................................................................................................. 71 Business District - Carpenter Shop .................................................................................................. 73 Business District – Finlay Ross Furniture Store ............................................................................. 75 Furniture styles during the Victorian Era ................................................................................................................. 77 Business District – Harness and Saddlery ....................................................................................... 79 Business District - Baldwin Photographic Gallery ......................................................................... 80 Capturing a Glimpse of Early Wichita ......................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Union Station Conceptual Engineering Study
    Portland Union Station Multimodal Conceptual Engineering Study Submitted to Portland Bureau of Transportation by IBI Group with LTK Engineering June 2009 This study is partially funded by the US Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration. IBI GROUP PORtlAND UNION STATION MultIMODAL CONceptuAL ENGINeeRING StuDY IBI Group is a multi-disciplinary consulting organization offering services in four areas of practice: Urban Land, Facilities, Transportation and Systems. We provide services from offices located strategically across the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. JUNE 2009 www.ibigroup.com ii Table of Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................... ES-1 Chapter 1: Introduction .....................................................................................1 Introduction 1 Study Purpose 2 Previous Planning Efforts 2 Study Participants 2 Study Methodology 4 Chapter 2: Existing Conditions .........................................................................6 History and Character 6 Uses and Layout 7 Physical Conditions 9 Neighborhood 10 Transportation Conditions 14 Street Classification 24 Chapter 3: Future Transportation Conditions .................................................25 Introduction 25 Intercity Rail Requirements 26 Freight Railroad Requirements 28 Future Track Utilization at Portland Union Station 29 Terminal Capacity Requirements 31 Penetration of Local Transit into Union Station 37 Transit on Union Station Tracks
    [Show full text]
  • The Origins and Operations of the Kansas City Livestock
    REGULATION IN THE LIVESTOCK TRADE: THE ORIGINS AND OPERATIONS OF THE KANSAS CITY LIVESTOCK EXCHANGE 1886-1921 By 0. JAMES HAZLETT II Bachelor of Arts Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas 1969 Master of Arts Oklahoma State University stillwater, Oklahoma 1982 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May, 1987 The.s; .s I q 8111 0 H~3\,.. ccy;, ;i. REGULATION IN THE LIVESTOCK TRADE: THE ORIGINS AND OPERATIONS OF THE KANSAS CITY LIVESTOCK EXCHANGE 1886-1921 Thesis Approved: Dean of the Graduate College ii 1286885 C Y R0 I GP H T by o. James Hazlett May, 1987 PREFACE This dissertation is a business history of the Kansas City Live Stock Exchange, and a study of regulation in the American West. Historians generally understand the economic growth of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the business institutions created during that era, within the perspective of "progressive" history. According to that view, Americans shifted from a public policy of laissez faire economics to one of state regulation around the turn of the century. More recently, historians have questioned the nature of regulation in American society, and this study extends that discussion into the livestock industry of the American West. 1 This dissertation relied heavily upon the minutes of the Kansas City Live Stock Exchange. Other sources were also important, especially the minutes of the Chicago Live Stock Exchange, which made possible a comparison of the two exchanges. Critical to understanding the role of the Exchange but unavailable in Kansas City, financial data was 1Morton Keller, "The Pluralist State: American Economic Regulation in Comparative Perspective, 1900-1930," in Thomas K.
    [Show full text]
  • Dangerously Free: Outlaws and Nation-Making in Literature of the Indian Territory
    DANGEROUSLY FREE: OUTLAWS AND NATION-MAKING IN LITERATURE OF THE INDIAN TERRITORY by Jenna Hunnef A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of English University of Toronto © Copyright by Jenna Hunnef 2016 Dangerously Free: Outlaws and Nation-Making in Literature of the Indian Territory Jenna Hunnef Doctor of Philosophy Department of English University of Toronto 2016 Abstract In this dissertation, I examine how literary representations of outlaws and outlawry have contributed to the shaping of national identity in the United States. I analyze a series of texts set in the former Indian Territory (now part of the state of Oklahoma) for traces of what I call “outlaw rhetorics,” that is, the political expression in literature of marginalized realities and competing visions of nationhood. Outlaw rhetorics elicit new ways to think the nation differently—to imagine the nation otherwise; as such, I demonstrate that outlaw narratives are as capable of challenging the nation’s claims to territorial or imaginative title as they are of asserting them. Borrowing from Abenaki scholar Lisa Brooks’s definition of “nation” as “the multifaceted, lived experience of families who gather in particular places,” this dissertation draws an analogous relationship between outlaws and domestic spaces wherein they are both considered simultaneously exempt from and constitutive of civic life. In the same way that the outlaw’s alternately celebrated and marginal status endows him or her with the power to support and eschew the stories a nation tells about itself, so the liminality and centrality of domestic life have proven effective as a means of consolidating and dissenting from the status quo of the nation-state.
    [Show full text]
  • February 2009 I COMIN’AT ‘CHA!I 2008 SASS Southwest Regional Match
    MercantileEXCITINGSee section our (starting on page 94) NovemberNovemberNovember 2001 2001 2001 CowboyCowboyCowboy ChronicleChronicleChronicle PagePagePage 111 The Cowboy Chronicle~ The Monthly Journal of the Single Action Shooting Society ® Vol. 22 No. 2 © Single Action Shooting Society, Inc. February 2009 i COMIN’AT ‘CHA!i 2008 SASS Southwest Regional Match By Ringo Fire, SASS Life #46037 and Buffy Lo Gal, SASS Life #46039 ES!!! It’s finally here!!! HIGHLIGHTS start on page 73 I’ve been waiting … what?!? It’s over??? check out the vendors, and get ready Y Bull Shoals, SASS for side matches in the afternoon. #25400, summed it up when he said, Side matches were the routine pis- “When you check in on Thursday it’s tol, rifle, and shotgun speed match- like getting on a non-stop carnival es, along with derringer, pocket pis- ride, and when you open your eyes, tol, and long-range events. it’s already Sunday, and it’s over!” Following the side matches was That’s pretty much the way it a Wild Bunch match, under the went at Comin’ at ‘Cha, the 2008 direction and coordination of Goody, SASS Southwest Regional. It was SASS #26190, and Silver Sam, SASS four days of full-tilt boogie, non-stop #34718. That evening was the Cow- action, and fun. T-Bone Dooley, SASS boy Garage Sale (although some #36388, has always called Comin’ at pards did some early shopping while ‘Cha a party with a shoot thrown in, side matches were being shot) where and this year was no different. Okay, folks could try to sell stuff they had the theme was different … Mardi laying around the house or RV they Gras!!! And this year it was the no longer wanted, followed by the SASS Southwest Regional Cham- first night of Karaoke and the accom- pionship … but, you know what I Mardi Gras was the match theme … the festivities started during opening panying general rowdiness.
    [Show full text]
  • Wichita Destinations and Bicycle Facilities Map-11X17
    69TH VALLEY Destinations & 111TH K96 95TH 79TH Destinations & Bicycle CENTER Bicycle Facilities 167TH Facilities 61ST K254 Wichita Bicycle Wayfinding Plan 53RD PARK CHICAGO CITY LEGEND MAIZE BEL AIRE Existing Bicycle Facilities 45TH Sidepath Shared Use Path K96 WOMER 37TH Bicycle Lane Paved Shoulder D ARKANSAS 32N OHIO K96 (!34 29TH 159TH Marked/Signed Shared Lane HALS 143RD TEAD Planned Bicycle Facilities 25TH MAINSGATE AMIDON Sidepath P ¨¦§I-135 21ST REFLECTION O (!31 (!48 Shared Use Path (!44 18TH 17TH K (!28 (!38 (!45 Buffered Bicycle Lane WOODLAWN ZOO 15TH PARK PARKDALE WINDMILL 13TH Bicycle Lane (!9 ARMOUR WACO MOSLEY COUNTRY TOPEKA HARVEST 9TH RIVER Bicycle Lane/Shared Use Path ACRES C G MURDOCK GROVE (!3 HILLSIDE Paved Shoulder (!1 (!21 (!11 J CENTRAL (!39 WESTFIELD SAINT PAUL SAINT (!16 4TH (!15 (!14 (!17 (!19 B 2ND Bicycle Boulevard MAIZE (!6 (!43 (!5 A WEBB ANNA (!7 (!24 DOUGLAS TYLER (!8 ! (!23 1ST F (47 (!4 (!26 (!18 Marked/Signed Shared Lane ELDER (!2 (!20 EASTBOROUGH 119TH D !13 (!10 KELLOGG US54 183RD ( (!22(!12 L MAPLE (!25 E Other Connection 135TH N H KELLOGG CONTINENT MCCORMICK LINCOLN Further Study Needed MID (!33 (!27 I HARRY OLIVER GODDARD MCLEAN Destinations WEST G M I-235 SOUTHEAST E US54 ¨¦§ MAY O R G Level 1 Destinations Q E LARK SOUTHWEST W PALISADE A S ST H A Level 2 Destinations IN !# PAWNEE G ( 151 Level 3 Destinations T YOSEMITE O N 1 Botanica Wichita WASSALL ROSS A: Downtown Wichita 2 Carnegie Library Building GLENN NA B: Old Town 3 Central Riverside Park CESS 31ST C: Via Christi St.
    [Show full text]
  • Downtown Destinations and Bicycle Facilities
    15TH 14TH 14TH ¨¦§I-135 (!9 13TH MERIDIAN SANTA FE SANTA MCLEAN 11TH 11TH MEAD OAK JACKSON WASHINGTON LEWELLEN 10TH EDWARDS MATHEWSON RIVER INDIANA PERRY McAdams COOLIDGE Via Christi W O R 9TH D O St. Francis Neighborhood H AMIDON O W Medical Core District S A B A Center W WACO PORTER LITCHFIELD FAULKNER MURDOCK (!3 PINE SIM (!1 CLEVELAND ELM MUSEUM (!21 (!11 (!16 CENTRAL (!15 OHIO (!14 3RD (!17 Old Town EMPORIA MARKET TOPEKA (!19 BROADWAY (!5 (!6 PENNSYLVANIA (!7 MOSLEY SANTA FE SANTA MCLEAN 1ST Downtown MEAD 2ND Wichita (!24 (!8 Douglas DODGE 1ST (!23 DOUGLAS OSAGE Design District WALNUT (!4 (!18 ATHENIAN (!20 Delano Shopping Core District (!26 VINE (!2 (!10 GREENWOOD TEXAS PATTIE D CHARLES SEDGWICK BURTON N O M H Commerce SYCAMORE (!13 LEWIS ELIZABETH (!12 C I R Street Arts EDWARDS (!22 (!25 District MERIDIAN KELLOGG Friends UNIVERSITY KELLOGG University INDIANAPOLIS KELLOGG WICHITA DAYTON WATER GILBERT MUNNELL SOUTHWEST Downtown Destinations & Bicycle Facilities 0 0.25 0.5 Miles I! Wichita Bicycle Wayfinding Plan LEGEND Existing Bicycle Facilities Destinations Sidepath Paved Shoulder Level 2 Destinations Shared Use Path Marked/Signed Shared Lane (# Level 3 Destinations Bicycle Lane Other Connection 1 Botanica Wichita 16 Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall 2 Carnegie Library Building 17 The Keeper of the Plains Planned Bicycle Facilities 3 Central Riverside Park 18 Union Station 4 Century II Convention Center 19 Veterans Memorial Park Sidepath Paved Shoulder 5 Decorative Arts Collection Museum 20 Wichita-Sedgwick Co 6 Epic Center Historical
    [Show full text]
  • Shootouts, Showdowns, & Barroom Brawls
    he year is 1870, the place is Kansas, and the hero is Bat Masterson. As Liberal’s new sheriff, he must bring the rowdy cowtown under control. But an evil cattle baron plots T the lawman’s demise even as he vows to tame its mean streets. Is Bat doomed? Can he make the town safe? In the end, will good triumph over evil? You don’t have to see the movie Trail Street to know the guy in the white hat wins. In fact, if you’ve seen one Shootouts, Showdowns, & Barroom Brawls 1940s Western, you’ve pretty much seen them all. The “REAL” TO “REEL” HISTORY — THATWAS genre’s strength is in fast-paced action rather than creative plots. And if gunfights, chases, and a little romance are THE FORMULA DURING THE HEYDAY OF your idea of a good time, then these movies are bound to THE HOLLYWOOD WESTERN.AND IN THE please. FANTASTICAL MIX OF GUNFIGHTS AND Kansas was the subject of many films during the FISTFIGHTS, GOOD GUYS AND BAD,KANSAS Western’s heyday (1930s–1950s), when Hollywood writ- ers and directors had just enough knowledge of the state’s OFTEN PLAYED A STARRING ROLE. history to be dangerous. They inserted famous people and by Rebecca Martin place-names into a formulaic outline, blurring the line be- tween “reel” and “real” history. Thus, generations of youth who spent Saturday afternoons at the local theater came to believe that Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War were (TOP) DRAMATIC SCENE FROM A REB RUSSELL WESTERN.(LEFT) IN THE 1950 FILM GUNMEN OF one and the same, Jesse James was just an unfortunate vic- ABILENE, POPULAR “B” WESTERN STAR ROCKY LANE (AS A U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet
    NFS Form 10-900 REC! )24-0018 United States Department of the Interior \ \' National Park Service OCT222008 National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NAT. REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE This form is for use in nominating or requesting determination for individual properties and districts. See instructioniri How to Complete the A ational Register of Historic Places Registration Form (National Register Bulletin 16A). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the information requested. If an item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items. 1. Name of Property__________________________________________ historic name Silver City Cemetery________________________________ other names/site number Old Pioneer Cemetery__________________________ 2. Location_______________________________________________ street & number 6/1 Oth of a mile from Section Line on South side of Section 22. T10N. R6W I.M. [N/A] not for publication city or town Tuttle__________________________________ [X] vicinity state Oklahoma code OK county Gradv code 051 zip code 73089 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this ^ nomination n request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property El meets CD does not meet the National Register criteria.
    [Show full text]
  • Western-Experience-Brochure2017
    1 2 1. A to Z Guest Ranch 64599 Ashby Rd. Located approx. 1 mi. W. off Hwy. 259 between Big Cedar Smithville, OK 74957 THE SPUR OF & Octavia. Watch for signs. 580-244-3729 Creeks, lush pine forests & abundance of wildlife with more than 150 mi. of trails for hikers, ATVs & horseback riders. Rental horses avail., or bring your own. 27 RV sites with hookups, 2 dump stations. Chef-prepared meals avail. for THE MOMENT cabin/camping guests. Cabins avail. w/fireplace & satellite TV. www.atozguestranch.com With more than 80 attractions spread across the state, you have the freedom to act on your impulse to unplug and relax on any given weekend. 2. Arbuckle Trail Rides LLC Sulphur, OK 73086 Call for directions. Reservations required. 580-622-6326 Arbuckle Trail Rides offers guided trail rides year-round for 580-993-0097 riders age 6 and up. Ride 1-2 hours up to full-day excursions on well-trained horses with experienced guides. Riding FARM & RANCH ATTRACTIONS instruction is available, teaching safe, effective confidence- The rich stories, culture and history of Oklahoma’s agricultural roots building horsemanship skills. No riding experience FARM & RANCH are on display at our museums and ranches for adventurers of all ages. necessary! Call or email for reservations. ATTRACTIONS www.arbuckletrailrides.com GUEST RANCHES 3. Arrowhead Stables Canadian, OK 74425 Guest ranches are a Western experience getaway – stay all night, Stables located in Arrowhead State Park, 6 mi. S. of Eufaula at the 918-465-1500 Canadian exit off Hwy. 69. Follow signs to Arrowhead State Park, GUEST RANCHES hit a hiking trail at dawn and be fishing by noon.
    [Show full text]
  • 36 Kansas History DRUNK DRIVING OR DRY RUN?
    A Christmas Carol, which appears in Done in the Open: Drawings by Frederick Remington (1902), offers a stereotypical image of the ubiquitous western saloon like those frequented by cowboys at the end of the long drive. Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains 30 (Spring 2007): 36–51 36 Kansas History DRUNK DRIVING OR DRY RUN? Cowboys and Alcohol on the Cattle Trail by Raymond B. Wrabley Jr. he cattle drive is a central fi xture in the popular mythology of the American West. It has been immortalized—and romanticized—in the fi lms, songs, and literature of our popular culture. It embodies some of the enduring elements of the western story—hard (and dan- gerous) work and play; independence; rugged individualism; cour- Tage; confl ict; loyalty; adversity; cowboys; Indians; horse thieves; cattle rustlers; frontier justice; and the vastness, beauty, and unpredictable bounty and harsh- ness of nature. The trail hand, or cowboy, stands at the interstices of myth and history and has been the subject of immense interest for cultural mythmakers and scholars alike. The cowboy of popular culture is many characters—the loner and the loyal friend; the wide-eyed young boy and the wise, experienced boss; the gentleman and the lout. He is especially the life of the cowtown—the drinker, fi ghter, gambler, and womanizer. Raymond B. Wrabley Jr. received his Ph.D. from Arizona State University and is associate professor of political science at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The author would like to thank Sara Herr of Pitt-Johnstown’s Owen Library for her efforts in tracking down hard-to-fi nd sources and Richard Slatta for his helpful comments on a draft of the article.
    [Show full text]
  • Download the 2019 State of Downtown Report
    Photo by 34thStateMedia.com 2019 STATE OF DOWNTOWN REPORT #1 BEST CITY #9 TOP CITIES FOR MANUFACTURING WORKERS WITH THE BEST WORK-LIFE BALANCE Kempler Industries SmartAsset.com DISCOVER #8 HOTTEST CITIES #3 CITY FOR YOUNG MILLENNIALS TO BUY HOMES FOR LOW STARTUP COSTS IN AMERICA Realtor.com SmartAsset.com 1 INTRO #1 GROWTH RATE #2 RECESSION-PROOF OF DIGITAL SERVICES JOBS CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES The Brookings Institution Livability.com WICHITA, KANSAS ONE OF THE KNOWN AS THE COOLEST CITIES AIR CAPITAL IN AMERICA OF THE WORLD Thrillist.com INTRO 2 2019 State of Downtown Highlights 4 4 4 $655 MILLION $85.2 MILLION 9:1 10 YEAR TOTAL 2018 PRIVATE INVESTMENT PRIVATE TO PUBLIC PRIVATE INVESTMENT 2018 INVESTMENT 4 4 15 $197 MILLION $9.3 MILLION $163 MILLION 10 YEAR TOTAL 2018 PUBLIC INVESTMENT 2018 RETAIL SALES PUBLIC INVESTMENT 7 7 7 7 513,984 SF 4.1 MILLION 89% TOTAL SQUARE FEET TOTAL SQUARE FEET OCCUPIED CLASS A OF RETAIL SPACE OF OFFICE SPACE OFFICE SPACE 17 17 2 1,228 350 2,749 RESIDENTIAL UNITS RESIDENTIAL UNITS ESTIMATED RESIDENTIAL COMPLETED SINCE 2010 IN DEVELOPMENT POPULATION Photo by Mike Beauchamp 3 INTRO Downtown Wichita is the center of commerce and culture in the largest city in Kansas – offering vibrant cultural experiences, walkable amenities and endless activities. Downtown is home to dynamic companies who choose to be in the middle of the action. During my time with Westar Energy over the past 12 years I have witnessed downtown’s evolution firsthand and it has been an awesome experience! Much of that transformation began in 2010 with the adoption of Project Downtown: The Master Plan for Wichita.
    [Show full text]
  • Dekalb County, Illinois: a Local History Project for Second Graders Danielle Bell and Mary Beth Henning
    Social Studies and the Young Learner 19 (3), pp. –11 ©200 National Council for the Social Studies DeKalb County, Illinois: A Local History Project for Second Graders Danielle Bell and Mary Beth Henning Allie’s group of second grade stu- dents was mulling over a complicated book with a lot of text and no pictures. “Here’s something about Isaac Ellwood’s family!” she said excitedly to her group members. “It says he and his brother opened a hardware shop.” The second graders paused in their research and quickly added this new fact to their note cards. A week earlier, I (D.B.) had been skep- tical that second graders could handle the responsibility of using primary and secondary sources to research signifi- cant historical figures in the history of our county, DeKalb, Illinois. Now, as I watched students actually doing the work, I shared their enthusiasm. When kids are motivated, they can do just about anything! This “complicated book” was The Barbed Wire Saga1 written by a local historian, Steve Bigolin. Earlier in the week, I had obtained this book from the local public library. Though we had dis- cussed how to use an index when using such a book, I prepared in advance by tabbing the most relevant pages and pas- sages for the students. A preservice teacher was leaning over the book, helping the children struggle through the difficult reading to discover this information about the Ellwood fam- ily and their livelihood. agricultural community, DeKalb has a town Chicago. Barbed wire was invented history that offers a rich opportunity here.
    [Show full text]