magazine articles

Winter 24ruVOLUME 8, NUMBER 1

FR()M OUR COLTECTIONS

2

Pieces of Her Life:

Quilts ofLliza Hobart Austin

6

Live from the WIBW-TV Studios

10

Mrs. White, Editor

Departments

FeaturedProgram .....1SaveOurHistory .....4Real People. Real Stories. . . . . . 8

WitnesstoHistory. ....gCurator'sChoice .....72Calendar .....13

On the cover: Kathrine Klinkenberg

White used a critical editorialeye tomaintain high professional standards

during the 15 years she ran theEmporio Cozette. See story page 10.

D r-: -r-l I J

{\urle e Ilo_rusThe Kansas Historical Society comprises five divisions and many differentprograms that serve the people of Kansas. This issue highlights the Capitol VisitorCenter at the Kansas State Capitol. The visitor center is operated by the Kansas

Historical Society.

Cmp&f*8 Vdsd$mr Cerx€"sr"

Th. visitor center at the newly restored Kansas State

I Capitol opened its doors January 2,2074, with aribbon-cutting ceremony. When Governor Sam Brownback

took his turn at the podium, he smiled and asked the gath-

ered crowd, "lsn't this awesome?"

Awesome indeed. Brass doors lead visitors into the lobby where a state map

outlining Kansas counties is built into the marble floor. The ceiling created by

the underside of the north staircase rises to windows that flood the area withnatural iight. Beyond the lobby the auditorium, classroom, dining hall, and

exhibit spaces extend throughout the north wing and under the rotunda.

The limestone foundation creates a majestic backdrop for display cases,

photographs, and objects.

The lobby features a bronze statue of General Dwight Eisenhower.

Left, stonemason tools used during the

original construction are displayed along witha photograph of Capitol construction workers

from 1888.

Top to bottom, a photlgraph of the DenisonWlmen\ Missionary Socief quilters is in the

Heritage Eyents collection in the auditorium; aposter promoting the Parker Shows fair held on

the Capitol grounds in 1904 is included in the

Business in Kansas exhibit; landscapes are on

exhibit in the dining room.

Artifacts on exhibit include stonemason tools from the

original construction, items found during constuction,

John Broum's sword, and a sledge hammer used in the

Legislative War of 1893. A dome window removed duringrestoration is displayed with photos taken from the top ofthe dome in7904 and20l3.

The State of Kansas bond to build the Capitol (1867)

and the Kansas Constitution (1859) are among the

featured documents. Fair posters from aross the state and

photographs of the original construction are on display.

Other photo exhibits highlight native peoples, heritage

events, landscapes, notable Kansans, and notable

events in Kansas.

The new Capitol Store, adjacent to the visitor center, is

operated by the Kansas Historical Foundation and willhelp to fund Capitol tours. The store features products

created by Kansas artists, including jewelry and collectibles

made with copper from the Capitol. (See story pages 4 - 5.)

Books for sale include the Kansas State Capitol, a

photographic history of the building, and a series ofchildren's activity books about notable Kansans.

The visitor center is open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Monday - Friday and 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday. Tours

are available Monday - Friday. For tour information,visit kshs.org 117777.

Winter 2014 Reflections 1

From Our Collections

Smm€re ff* il*cssBes ffiexrs*s

ln 1937 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe

IRailway (AT&SF) placed registered nurses

aboard The Scout, a passenger train

operated between Chicago and Los

thatAngeles

I(nown as courier nurses, they assisted mothers with

infants and small children, youngsters traveling alone, illpassengers, elderly travelers, and the physically disabled.

The service was later added to El Capitan, which also

traveled between Chicago and Los Angeles' The nurses

made the round trip every 10 days. They were required

to be on duty from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on-call

overnight.

The railroad required that all courier nurses were female

and registered nurses graduated fuom an accredited

nursing school. At least two years of work experience was

required, with previous employment in hospitals, homes,

camps, offlces, industrial plants, or as public health and

visiting nu$es. The women's personal characteristics were

also clearly deflned. According to the February 1942 issue

of Santn Fe Magazine, a couder nurse must have "a direct

and courteous manner, a pleasing personality, good

appearance, and the ability to meet and talk with people

A courier nurse attends to ayoung passenger aboard a sleeping car,

between 1940 and 1949.

10 kshs.org

Top, courier nurses gather aroundTheScout emblem, 1930s or

1940s; ablve, a courier nurse talks to passengers in the Hi-Level

dome lounge onEl Capitan, between 1960 and 1969.

gracefully and easily." Other requirements included "age,

between 24 and29; unmarned; about 5 feet 6 inches tall;

between 125 and 135 pounds in weight."

On-board duties included entertaining children with

games and stories, preparing formula and feeding babies,

administering medications, selecting meals to meet

specific dietary needs, and providing assistance to anyone

who had difficulty moving about the train. They were

on-hand for all medical emergencies, and inJanuary 1938

a courier nurse aboardThe Scout delivered ababy.

Courier nurses also acted as tour guides. Before startingtheir nursing duties, they visited tourist attractions alongthe AT&SF route, including old Santa Fe, southernCalifornia, the Grand Canvon, and Carlsbad Caverns.

When passengers asked about activities in the area, thenurses were well-informed promoters of the sites.

The program n as halted in l94Z when most of thenurses joined the army or na\y nurse corps to serve inWorld War IL When the popular service was resumed

in 7917 ,the original professional qualiflcations were

reinstated. Requirements for physical characteristics were

altered slightly, and according to the March 1947 issue

of Santa Fe Magaztnel once hired, courier nurses were

required to attend "a course of instruction at a Chicago

charm school."

Although the courier nurses were well-received bytravelers, the program ended about the same time Santa Fe

discontinued passenger train service in the early 1970s.

Santa Fe Magazine was published for AT&SF Railway

employees from 1906 to 1983. The complete run is

available in the Kansas Historical Society archives.

Visiting information at

kshs. orgi state_archives

Top to bottom, conductor's hat

from the 1950s or 1960s; mealticket for the El Capitan DiningClub, 1 9 59. kansasmemory.org

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A porter and tt courier ruu'se crssist a passenser in 1957.


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\ /embers of the Kansas Legislature have long been dedicated to higher education.

IVIOrring the 1863 session they established three institutions: an agricultural college

in Manhattan, a state university in Lawrence, and a state normal school in Emporia. The

state legislature followed federal efforts that created the Morrill Land-Grant Acts to help

states establish agricultural and mechanical arts colleges.

Bluemont Central College in Manhattan, created by

freestaters, offered in 1861 to donate its land and

three-story building for use as a state university. The

legislature approved the offer, which Govemor Charles

Robinson vetoed for he wanted the state university in

Lawrence. After the Monill Act became law in 7862 and

the legislature adopted its provisions, Bluemont trustees

again offered their school for use. On February L6,7863,

Kansas State Agricultural College became the first land

grant college under the Morrill Act. When classes began

in September 1863, the 108 students found a traditional

liberal arts curriculum plus the practical education of

agricultural and mechanical arts (engineering) courses. The

name was changed to Kansas State University in 1959.

After Kansas' admission to the Union, the federal

govemment donated 72 sections of land to be sold to fund

a state university. In competition for the honor, Emporia

offered the state 80 acres; Lawrence offered 40 acres plus

$15,000. Former govemor Charles Robinson offered 40

acres on Mount Oread in exchange for other property in

town. Amos A. Lawrence, treasuter of the New England

Emigrant Aid Company, donated $10,000 in notes owed to

him by another college, and the citizens of Lawrence

signed notes for a total of $5,000. The legislature passed the

bill in favor of Lawtence. In September 1866 the University

of Kansas, with a focus on liberal arts, opened its doors to

55 students in the North College building.

The federal govemment also donated 60 secflons of

salt lands to fund a normal school, designed to prepare

6 kshs.org


students for careers in teaching. In March 1863 the

legislature voted to ldcate the school in Emporia providing

thal20 aces of land was donated for a campus within 12

months. The land was donated, and the Kansas State

Normal School was established. Although the school had

land for a campus, it had no funds to construct a building.

Top, a building at the state university, Lawrence, 1867. The Kansas

River and Lawrence are visible in the backgtound. Photo is fromAlexander Gsrdner's series Across the Continent on the UnionPacific Railway, Eastern Division; bottom, the administration

building at the Kansas State Normal School, EnEoia, 1890.

The correspondence of Governor Thomas Carney

includes the letter that accompanied the deed to a

portion of the land Charles Robinson donated to the

state university. kansasmemory.org/iteml 22056U

pagelT and page/8

t

Students sttLtf ngriculttn'al implements in a fann machinery class atKansas State Agriuiltru.al College, Manhattan, circa 1910.

When the institution opened in February 1865, its 18

students attended classes in the upper level of a public

school building. ln7977 the school became Emporia

State University.

Today the nine-member Kansas Board of Regents serves

as the governing board for the state's six universities. In

addition it is the statewide coordinating board for the

state's 32 public higher education institutions (seven

public universities, 19 community colleges, and six

technical colleges).

MorrillAct

The Morrill Act of 1862 permitted compliant states to set aside

public land for the establishment of a college with emphasis on

agriculture, mechanical arts (engineering), and military tactics.

As communities were surveyed into six-mile square townships,

a one-square-mile section in each township was set aside. The

designated land was then sold and the revenue used to finance

the college. The federal government granted every state 30,000

acres of public land for each of its congressional representatives.

With one representative and two senators, Kansas qualified for

90,000 acres.

Salt Lands

Salt lands were a collection of land tracts surrounding salt springs.

ln the 19th century salt was a valuable commodity, utilized in

preserving meat. The federal government would not sell these

lands to the public for fear a few people would purchase the land

and develop a monopoly on such an important natural resource.

The salt lands donated as endowment for the Kansas State Normal

School were located around 12 salt springs in the counties of

Cloud, Lincoln, Mitchell, Republic, and Saline.

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Kansss State Normsl School pennant, circa 1918.

Horse blsnket wom during athletic events at Kansas

State Agricttltural College to promote school spirit in 1912.

kan s asmemory. or g/item / 2 2 0 8 7 1


Spring 2814VOLUME 8, NUMBEB 2

FROM ()UR C()TLECTIONS

2

Thank you, America:

Flour Sacks from Belgium

6

M-44: The "Very Natty"

Ike Jacket

10

Delivering Ann Clarke to Freedom

Departments

FeaturedProgram ..... 1

SaveOurHistory .....4Real People. Real Stories. . . . . . 8

WitnesstoHistory. ....9Curator'sChoice ..... 12

Calendar .....13

On the cover: Bob Dole of

Russell served in the military, as a

Congressman, U.S. Senator, and

presidential candidate. Named a

Notable Kansan in 201 1, he has

received numerous honors during

his career. Read more on page 8.

${crlecri*nsThe Kansas Historical Society comprises five divisions and many different

programs that serve the people of Kansas. This issue highlights the Kansas

Archeology Training Program (KATP) field school'

Kmpeses A rcl*eo#ogy W wswdees

ffr*ymrm F&eXd $c&e$sf

Th. Kansas Archeology Tiaining Program (K{TP) fleld

I school, held eachJune, offers a unique opportunity for

members of the public to work alongside professional and

avocational archeologists. Participants assist archeologists

in surveying, excavating, and cleaning and cataloging

artifacts in a laboratory. They learn related techniques in

various courses, which may be taken for college credit. The

volunteer program was established tn7974 and continues

under the joint sponsorship of the Kansas Historical Society

and the Kansas Anthropological Association (KAA).

The2012 field school was held in northwest Topeka at the site of Fool Chief's

village (14SH305). The village was home to 700 to 800 people, one of three

Kansa Indian villages occupied from 1830 to 1844 along the Kansas River.

Archeologists and volunteers excavate the site of Fool Chiefs Village.

Vohtnteers examine and catalog artifacts in the laboratory.

Inhabitants lived in lodges that were 30 to 35 feet indiameter with four to eight large central support posts

surrounding a central hearth. Outer walls were covered

with bark or hide; an opening in the center of the roof

allowed smoke to escape. The village was abandoned in1844 when the Kansas River flooded from bluff to bluffand swept away the lodges.

In May 2072 archeologists scraped the site then

surveyed to look for artlfacts and features. During the

scrape 62 features were identifled; 20 of the features were

10 meters or larger in diameter, which indicated probable

lodges. The excavation initially concentrated on five

potential houses and a large area where scattered bone had

been found. During the two-week fleld school, they were

able to conflrm three houses and an activity area.

European trade items were found at the site, including gun

flints, glass trade beads, and metal trinkets like bells, whichhelps to illustrate the village interaction with explorers

and traders.

The Fool Chief's Village site was chosen because an

impending Kansas Department of Tiansportation (KDOT)

project adversely affected large portions of the area. KDOT

partnered rvith the Historical Society and KAA to complete

the project before construction began in 2013.

The2014 KATP field school will be held May 30

through June 14 at the original site of the Samuel and

Florella Adair cabin, 1926Parker Avenue, on the western

edge of Osawatomie. The cabin was moved in 1912 to its

cunent location inJohn Brown Mernorial Park as the focus

of John Brown Museum State Historic Site. For more

information, visit kshs.orgl 74622.

WE,,-,-,,.

Lelt to riglrt, gun flint found at the village site; after approximately 170 years in the ground, the clapper inside moves and the bell rings; glass

trade bead is .25 inch in siz.e.

$ ++ e6.*#*

Spring 2014 Reflections 1


Eighth Kansas Infantry Servedwith "MAgnificent Courage"fohn Martin of Atchison was 22years old when he was appointed lieutenant colonel in

J tfre Eighth Kansas Infantry in 1861. Martin would later commend the Eighth for its"calmandpatientendurance... magnificentcourage... splendiddiscipline, and...unfaltering patriotism. "

The Eighth Kansas Infantry was organized in August

1861 to protect settlers from American Indians and the

Confederate Army along the state's borders. The Eighth

did not remain in the state; in May 1862 all federal

troops that could be spared were ordered to the South

and the Eighth was sent to Corinth, Mississippi. From

Corinth the infantry moved on to Kentucky to prevent a

confederate invasion of that border state. The Unionfumy drove the confederates out of Kentucky then went

on the offensive as it moved into Tennessee. The Eighth

was assigned provost guard duty in Nashville where itremained throughout the winter.

Summer 1863 found the Eighth Kansas in the rain and

mud during the Tullahoma campaign when federal forces

drove the confederates out of middle Tennessee and south

toward Chattanooga. As an officer of the regiment

completed the monthly muster roll, he added a note about

the hardships of life in the army. "I make this roll lying flat

on mybelly on the ground, with a rubber blanket for a

desk...I have been constantly soaked with rain for seven

days and nights; there isn't a bone in my body that

doesn't ache; my flngers are as numb as though theywere

Colonel lohn Alexander Maftin served as commandu of the

regiment and the bigade. He was elected govemor of Kansas in1884 and 1886.

The Eighth was in fierce fighting southeast ofChattanooga at the Battle of Chickamauga September 19

and20. The f,rst day soldiers held their position as long as

possible but eventually fell back under the onslaught of

the larger confederate force. According to Lieutenant

ColonelJames L. Abernathy, they advanced again "under a

perfect shower of bullets, sometimes driving the enemy

and in turn being driven by them, until we had fought the

ground over and over again, and almost half of our

number lay dead or wounded upon the field." On

September 20 the Eighth and its small brigade was ordered

to filI a gap in the federal line, but its force was not large

enough to fill the gap. The confederates became aware of

the situation and rapidly moved on the brigade's flanks.

frozen, and my clothes are as stiff withTennessee mud as my fingers are

This Model 1850 foot officers' sword

belonged to Colonel lohn Conover ofLeavenworth. Conover served as the lastregimental commander of the Eighth Kqnsas.

10 kshs.org

Fearing capture or annihilation the federals fell back. After

two days of flghting the defeated federals retired to

Chattanooga while the confederates occupied the

surrounding high ground and besieged the city. The

Eighth Kansas suffered signiflcant losses. Of 406 men

engaged in battle, 243were killed, wounded, or missing,

the regiment's largest loss in a single engagement.

The confederates were positioned on Missionary Ridge

east of Chattanooga. After federal reinforcements arrived

in the area, the Eighth Kansas led the attack on November

23 that drove the confederates from their rifle pits on

Orchard Knob, a rocky mound located between

Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge. On November Z4the

Eighth held its position on Orchard Knob while federal

forces took Lookout Mountain. The Eighth was back in

action on November 25 in the assault on Missionary

Ridge. Martin reported that the Eighth "advanced steadily

in line through the woods and across the open f,eld in

front of the enemy's entrenchments... subjected during

the whole time to a hear,y artillery flre from the enemy's

batteries, and as soon as we reached the open f,eld, to a

destructive musketry fire." As the federals reached the

summit the confederates panicked and fled dorm the hillon the opposite side. The confederates retreated into

northwest Georgia and the federals occupied Chattanooga.

In 1864 the Eighth Kansas took part in the Atlanta

campaign before returning to Tennessee and fighting its

last battles around Nashville. After serving with

"magniflcent courage," the men were mustered out of

the army inJanuary 1866.

Members of Eighth Kansas Infantry Company E: (standing) Elisha

D. Rose, [ames Hunter, Volney Brown, Henry Davidson, (kneeling)

Lewis V. Bryan, Richard Russell, William Wendall, Cyrus Grant.

Read more about the flag of the Eighth Kansas inthe collections of the Kansas Museum of History.

kshs.org/10314

O-ur online'digital archives offers more photograph$,

objects and flags connected with the Eighth Kansas.

kansasmemory.org/catego ry I 6637

In the online exhibit, Keep the Flig to the Front, you can

see more of the Museum's Civil War flag collection.

Saddle ofColonel lohn Conover

Summer 2012 Reflections 11

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