I N S I D E

T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E R E N O C O U N T Y H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y

24time capsulein cornerstonereveals wealthof memorabilia

18first run

through kusmtunnels gets

a high-five

the diaries of marion foster span decades…page 4

LEGACY

FALL 2011

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HISTORICAL SOCIETY STAFF (full-time)

Linda Schmitt, executive director, rchs lindas@undergroundmuseum.org

Jamin Landavazo, chief curator, rchs jamin@undergroundmuseum.org

Gayle Ferrell, director of operations, kusm gayle@undergroundmuseum.org Tonya Gehring, docent supervisor, kusm tonya@undergroundmuseum.org

Mike Allen, finance manager, rchs mike@undergroundmuseum.org

Dave Unruh, maintenance supervisor, kusm dave@undergroundmuseum.org

Lynn Ledeboer, curatorial assistant, rcm lynn@renocomuseum.org

Tina Moore, administrative assistant, rcm tina@renocomuseum.org

Kourtney Krehbiel, visitor services, kusm kourtney@undergroundmuseum.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

John Doswell, president • Shannon Holmberg, secretary

Charles Studt, treasurer • Michael Armour, president-elect

Patty Foss • LeAnn Cox • E. Francis Habiger • Nan Hawver

Todd Laffoon • Sherry Mundhenke • Tim Davies • Richard Shank

Barbara Withrow • Jerry Wray • Mike Carey, ex-officio • Myron

Marcotte, ex-officio • Lee Spence, ex-officio

4 the diaries of francis marion foster ...reveal day-to-day life in reno county

17 dairies run the gamut in design ...from fanciful to sophisticated

18 kusm opens up tunnels to runners ...fun runs deep for middle school students

21 governor saved best for last ...in tour of “8 wonders of kansas”

22 kourtney a real people pleaser ...and she loves being a “salt nerd”

23 a big thanks to our latest members ...both new and renewing 24 capsule takes us back in time ...ceremonies mark 100 years of hall

28 volunteer up to her eyeballs in napkins ...categorizing thousands of varieties

29 it was a very social event ...ice cream draws families and musicians

29 please come tickle these ivories! ...feel free to experience our latest donation

30 fresh new signage for rcm ...thanks to donors, project is proceeding 31 volunteers spruce up rosemont porch ...united way workers scrape away at paint

32 dare you ride the train of terror? ...check out new events and exhibits at museums

Volume 23, No. 4Legacy is published quarterly by The Reno County Historical Society, Inc. 100 S. Walnut St., P.O. Box 664, Hutchinson, Kansas 67504-0664For advertising or membership information, call 620-662-1184.

© 2011 The Reno County Historical Society, Inc. ISSN 1045-3423All rights reserved. The RCHS disclaims responsibility for statements

of fact or opinion made by contributors.

THE JOURNAL OF THE RENO COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

LEGACY

4

ella parcell foster with daughter, helen, and stepsons, lester in wwi uniform, and either leon, kenneth or jim. ca. 1918. (1993.10.124)

5

(See PLAYING....page 6)

W

SALT

The Diaries ofFrancis Marion Foster

Francis Marion Foster. Born in Ohio on May 23, 1861…died in Hutchinson on October 8, 1953… buried in Hutchinson’s Eastside Cemetery.

ho was this Francis Marion Foster? He was an early Reno County adventurer. Hard worker. Musician. Family man. In early Hutchinson di-rectories, Foster was listed variously as a fi reman, ma-chinist, laborer, driver and operator, primarily for the Barton Salt Company where he worked for 51 years. Some of the addresses where he lived were 713 E. Ave G, 205 E. Ave. G, 306 Carpenter, and 208 Park. Foster kept a daily diary from 1874 until at least 1949. His 28 diaries were donated to the museum in 1993. Some are simply lined notepads, others are fancy leather-bound volumes. All contain items that Foster felt were important to him at the time. Unfortunately for the researcher today,

Foster’s writing is very sparse. At times, however, he does give us glimpses into his life, his activities, his family, his job and the world around him.

From 1874 until 1949, Foster almost always starts his entry each day with an account of the weather, including a check of the temperature, moisture and wind conditions. I have omitted the repetition of the weather reporting in some of the entries below and chosen some of the more interesting ones for continuity and ease of reading. I’ve also kept most of the origi-nal spelling, amending or chang-ing again solely for the readers’ ease.

When describing actions or events in his life, Foster gives us little embellishment, but states things simply and plainly. When he does allow us in, it is a very rare and welcome occurrence. Life certainly was not all work and no play as Foster mentions many parties, dances and get-togethers. It is evident he plays the

By Lynn Ledeboer, RCM Curatorial Assistant

detail from foster’s 1874 diary

(Continued from page 5) piano, organ and fiddle at these gatherings as he of-ten mentions “playing for the dance” or “furnished the music tonight.” And although Foster discusses the traditional farming tasks associated with early county resi-dents, the pursuit of other work drives him through-out the early years of his diaries.

He notes who he is working for, how long he has worked for someone, what the wages were for what tasks, and when he is out of work. Foster notes “Cr” and “Dr” besides the names of individuals to whom he owes money or who paid him wages. Surprisingly, Foster describes traveling repeat-

edly and staying overnight often. Sometimes these travels were to visit family and friends; sometimes he traveled to obtain goods or for work. Most evenings he “goes to town.” Sadly for us, Foster only describes his activities there as “nocking around town,” meaning “knocking around town.” We can only a detail, below,

from foster’s 1874

diary. (1993.10.189)

Playing for the dance…

foster liked to “nock around town.”

7

(See CAMPING, page 8)

guess that he shopped for necessities, visited associ-ates, stopped in to mail a letter at the post offi ce and perhaps just strolled along “main street” or gazed at the murky waters of Cow Creek.

Let’s peek into Foster’s life in August, 1874, when he was just 13 years old, and two years after Hutchin-son was established as a city.

1874

Wednesday, August 12 –On Blood Creek. Left home. Arrived at Depot at 9:30 p.m. Camped on River.

Thursday, August 13 – Started for Rattle Snake

Friday, August 14 – Arrived at R. Snake. Went plumming. Went after Buffalo. Camped at night at crossing.

(Sandhill plums were abundant at this time and Foster harvests them often.)

Saturday, August 15 – Arrived at Bend

Sunday, August 16 – Went to Walnut

Monday, August 17 – Went to Bend. Sold meat & plums. Returned home at night.

Wednesday, August 19 – Sold heifer & hogs to White.

Foster lists several east-ern address-es along with notations, including:“Baugh & Sons, No. 20 South Del, Phil – Dealer in Rough

dry Bones - $22.00=2240 (pounds?).

Thursday, December 17 – Contracted to take load of company (B) freight to camp supply.

Friday, December 18 – Camped on the River Bottom below Dodge – we are to receive “demurrage” from today till we load

Foster and his co-work-ers received pay while they waited for a delay – either due to weather or other circumstances.

Foster lists Foster lists several east-several east-ern address-ern address-es along with es along with notations, notations, including:including:“Baugh & “Baugh & Sons, No. 20 Sons, No. 20 South Del, South Del, Phil – Dealer Phil – Dealer in Rough in Rough

marion foster at 82 years of age, one of the few photos identifi ed as marion in the museum collection. (1993.10.151)

foster was only 13 when he started keeping a diary.

8

J9525-1 Hutch Legacy Mag -Spring11-7.5 x 5 2c ad .indd 1 3/30/2011 10:24:39 AM

Saturday, December 19 – Sent for gun

Sunday, December 20 – Birthday (whose is un-known)

Monday, December 21 – Received gun & let-ter – canned some place – ponies recruiting up for the trip.

Tuesday, December 22 – We went to the Post and loaded up – camped at the Post.

Wednesday, December 23– Started. Weighed our loads at Dodge City – weight 2850.540lbs = 2310. Camped on Mulber-ry 12 miles from D-City. No timber. No running water.

Thursday, December 24 – Camped on Bluff Creek – 12 miles from Mul – some brush – running water.

Friday, December 25 – Camped on Bear Creek – 20 miles – near “Sol-dier’s Grave”. Some timber & water.

Camping out on Christmas(Continued from page 7)

CALL FORINFORMATION

If any relatives or

family friends have

corrections or

more information

about the Foster

family, please contact

Lynn Ledeboer.

620-662-1184

foster worked on and off for

c.c. hutchinson, the town’sfounder

9

Saturday, December 26 – Camped on Cimarone – 12 miles – no timber, running water.

1875

Friday, January 22 – Camped fl ats. Killed two buf-falo.

Saturday, Jan-uary 23 – Struck S. Canadian River. Killed three Buffalo.

Thursday, January 28 – Camped on Paladora. Killed wolf.

Wednesday, December 15 – worked for Hutchinson. 3⁄4 day. $1.17 1⁄2 Survey-ing north of Town – good weather.

(When Foster states “worked for Hutchinson,” he’s referring to C.C. Hutchinson, founder of the city of Hutchinson.)

Monday, December 20 – Worked for Hutchinson. 1 day with team. $3.00. Surveying between river and creek. Fine weather.

Tuesday, December 21 – Hutchinson with

team, 1 day. $3.00. Leveling between river and creek. Nice weather.

Wednesday, De-cember 22 – Worked

1 day. $1.50. Surveying south of creek in town. Splendid weather.

Thursday, December 23 – Wrote to Wilder.

Friday, December 24 – Hauled corn for Street – got coal.

Saturday, December 25 – Christmas. Got fl our.

Monday, December 27 – Hutchinson Dr. 1⁄2 day with team. $1.50. Dug

3 wells west end of race. Turn to front of Book, page 20.

Foster directs the reader from book to book or, in this case, from the end of thebook back to the front. He was meti-culous in maintaining the continuity of his entries.

1876

Monday, January 6 – C.C. Hutchinson to 1⁄4 day. 37 1⁄2. Dug well South of main st.

Thursday, January 7 – 1/3 day. .50. Surveying embankment.

Tuesday, February 8 – 1 day. Surveying sect(ion) 11-1 day – 2.00

Wednesday, February 9 – Surveying Sect. 11-1 day – 2.00

the outside of

foster’s 1874 diary

is made from “hand

sided, solid sole

leather counters.”

its label asserts

that it is “war-

ranted” and made

by “c.m. henderson

co.” (1993.10.189)

this 1874 diary, containing fos-ter’s earliest memories, begins with several pages of ornate almanac informa-tion, including these detailed zodiac medallions. (1993.10.189)

(See SURVEYING, page 10)

10

Friday, February 11 – 1 day. Surveying Sec. 11 - 2.00

Monday, February 14 – Located stockyards. 1⁄2 day. 1.00 Breaking & Harrowing Sec. 5 – East embankment. .50.Dunkin Cr. By 5 gal. Sor-gum molasses.

William Dunkin was a local landowner for whom Foster often worked.

Sunday, March 5 – Sun-day night rain.

Monday, March 6 – Rain – rain. Wm. Dunkin Cr 2 bu(shels) oats. 2 bu corn.

Tuesday, March 7 – Went to town. Got corn & meal.

Thursday, March 9 – C.C. Hutchinson Dr. to setting stones on Sec. 11 with team. 1⁄2 day – $1.50. Plow sharpened.

Friday, March 10 – Sleet, cold.

Tuesday, March 14 – Worked for Wm. Dunkin on race. $1.00. Letter from Shields

Wednesday, March 15 – Sleet & snow.

Friday, March 31 – Rain – rain – rain.

Saturday, April 1 – Rain – rain – rain – rain. Went to town. Got coal. Dunkin Cr. Powder & saps. .48

Tuesday, April 4 – Windy – clear. Dunkin Cr. 1⁄2 bu corn.

Wednesday, April 5 – Plowing sod. Clear.

Thursday, April 6 – Clear. Went to town. Dunkin Cr. 2 bu corn. 2 bu shot. Or-der to Geo. Penny. $5.00

Friday, April 7 – Went to town – got scraper.

Saturday, April 8 – Clear – planted sweet potatoes. Mulched potatoes.

Sunday, April 9 – Dunkin & lady came out.

Surveying, harrowing, plowing, planting(Continued from page 9)

11

Through May he con-tinues to remark on the weather and planting corn. He continues to work for Dunkin.

Saturday, June 24 – Shower in eve – plowing west corn.

Sunday, June 25 – Boys went to river. Got some wood & plums. (See note on family on page 15.)

Monday, June 26 – Fin-ished west corn. Plowed Dunkin’s trees. .25

He continues helping Dunkin.

Tuesday, July 4 – Centen-nial. Picnic in Sand hills.

Wednesday, July 5 – Boys went to town – got plow share. Rain.

Throughout July he cuts, binds and hauls oats.

Thursday, July 30 – Foster lists his work activ-ities and what he earned for them:Plowing 1 acre – .50Harrowing .25Drilling .25Seed 1.00Harvesting 1.50Thrashing 20 bu 1.00Boarding .50Hands work .50 5.50

Sunday, August 2 – His work for Dunkin was listed as follows:Breaking 22.45Race work 1.00Plowing patch .85Hauling oats .75Shocking wheat 1.25Plowing patch .50Stocking wheat 1.50Stocking wheat .50Sacking corn 1.00

Plowing wheat 20.50Total $50.30

1900

By 1900, Foster’s entries have settled into what sounds very much like a weather broadcast.

Sunday, January 14 – Clear, warm, no wind. Made kite. No wind to fly it. Burt Vincent came over. Asked us to a party at their house Tuesday night.

Tuesday, January 16 – Went to a party and played at Vincents. Cold north wind. Cloudy. Dad went to Enid.

Sunday, March 11 – Clear warm north wind. Smokey. Went to Sheltons for dinner, big crowd over. our last night in the old sody. (soddy?)

pictured above are

marion’s father, d.p.

foster (1993.10.135),

and his mother,

catherine.

(1993.10.136)

(See page 12)

12

Foster mentions work-ing on a house through-out April and May. He relays that he had “music” several nights, went to and “played” at several parties and dances. He often mentions hauling a load of rock, hay or corn or taking hogs to town.

1901

Saturday, June 2 – Clear warm. Went to town. The Salt Jacks played ball.

There are no entries until October when Foster talks about camping.

Sunday, October 8 – Start-ed for nowhere. Camped on Indian Creek. Clear. Sandy.

Monday, October 9 – Broke camp 8:10 a.m. Took dinner at Fair-view. Camped at Juniper Spring. Hard south wind. Clear. Dusty.

Tuesday, October 10 – Broke camp 8:10 a.m. Crossed North Fork Cana-dian. Clear windy. Sand and black jacks.

On October 16 Foster says he “commenced work on sod house.” It is unknown if this house is for him or someone else, although he mentions Uncle Charley and Char-ley’s wife, and he contin-ues work on the house through November.

Monday, October 23 – Worked on house all alone. Wind blowing like

h--- (his notation). Throughout November, Foster talks about haul-ing water, cutting kaffir corn, killing chickens, and many times he admits to having “don nothing all day.” He mentions the comings and goings of Uncle Charley. However on Friday, October 17, he reports, “Uncle Charley left for better quarters, kit and budle…”

Saturday October 18 – Cattle about to take us. Cloudy all day. Warm. Looks like rain. It’s damn lonesome here. Nothing to see but hills and cattle.

Charley and his wife continue to visit Foster throughout November. On November 25 he states “Married 14 years today,”

(Continued from page 11)

foster’s creative side shows itself in the capital letters and numbers in this 1909 diary, above left. (1993.10.197)

advertisements for dr. pepper inside this 1899 diary, right, claim that dr. pepper “bright-ens the mind and clears the brain.” (1993.10.190)

13

(See page 14)

his only mention of his anniversary, possibly to a first wife.*

1902

Thursday, November 27– Thanksgiving. Had company to dinner, music and fun. Clear cold south wind.

Friday, November 28 – Clear cold north wind. Folks went for wood. I and girls went to candy pull-ing. Big crowd. Good time.

Saturday, November 29 – Went for persimmons. Found plenty. Went to funeral of Charley Lynes father-in-law. Clear cold south wind.

Though the end of December, Foster works on an engine and getting rocks for the engine bed.

1903

Wednesday, January 1 – …cloudy cold…North East wind...went to town, got home late.

Saturday, January 10 – Started for Hutch – left Ponca 12 a.m. layed over 2 hours at Blackwell. Got

to Hutchinson 8:30 p.m. Cold north east wind. Cloudy snowing some in evening.

Sunday, January 11 – Clear cold north wind. Went up to town. Got pair of shoes. Went to block in afternoon.

Tuesday, January 13 – Clear cold north wind. Don nothing. I guess

I’ll not get my job back. Nocked around town with dad Chieb.

Wednesday, January 14 – Clear cool north west wind. Up in town most of day. Jameson thinks he will have something for me soon.

During the following week, Foster stays over-night at various friends’ houses. On Sunday, Jan-

uary 18, he went to “E.F. church in the morning and to the army in eve-ning. Stayed all night with Louises.” On Tuesday, January 20, he went to church again, “big crowd. Several conversions.”

Friday, January 23 – Snowed and drifted from north. Went through Reformatory in afternoon, fired little boilers all night.

Cold. Cleared off in after-noon.

Monday, January 26 – Cloudy cool north wind. Carted salt all night.

Foster continued to cart salt on and off, helped scale salt pans, and worked with boilers through February. Mid-February Foster has a “bad night in block. All kinds of trouble.”

He fired little boilers in the reformatory one cold January night. Several weeks

later he reports on work at Barton Salt: “…bad night in block.

All kinds of trouble.”

*On Nov. 25, 1901, Marion writes: “Mar-ried 14 years today.”No information can be found, however,

that identifies his first wife.

by 1915, at the age of 54, foster’s hand-writing had vastly improved, as most

probably had his living conditions and writing utensils, allowing him to reveal

his flowing, flowery handwriting.(1993.10.202)

14

He continues to men-tion having trouble in the “block,” referring to the Barton Salt Plant.

Tuesday, February 17 – Bad night in block. I made salt.

Saturday, February 21 – Clear warm. Went to town got shoes. Went to picture show in evening. Shut down boilers to clean up.

Friday, April 29 – Cloudy raining most of time. Went to town in afternoon. Creek coming up.

Saturday, April 30 – Cloudy cold north wind.

Raining most of day. Cow Creek coming up higher than ever known. Back of Opera House fell down. Streets all underwater. (The Opera House was located on the northeast corner of 1st and Main.)

In April and May Foster repairs, cleans and main-tains boilers and pans in salt operation. He receives letters from Ella Parcell, soon to become his wife.

Tuesday, May 2 – Cloudy cool north wind no rain. Water still going down some. Dropped about 8 or 9 inches all together below town. Got letters from children.

Friday, May 5 – Clear very near all day warm. Went up town. Water about all gone. Streets and side-walks in bad shape but repairing as fast as they can.

Saturday, May 9 – …black Smallpox in town. Two deaths – both women.

On Sunday, July 26, Foster says he was “in bed most all day. Not feeling well. Toothache and bad cold. Felt bad.” By Tuesday the 28th, he was not feeling any bet-ter and “had Doctor. He pronounced it tonsillitis. Payed McHily $10.00.”

above is a detail

from foster’s 1913-

1915 diary. his cre-

ative side emerges

in his artwork here

as does his love for

his wife, “ella,”

written in the ban-

ner underneath the

bird. (1993.10.201)

(Continued from page 13)

15

800-760-5315 620-662-5315

Foster is back at work on Thursday, but com-plaining still about his sore throat. On Saturday August 15, in his usual way of under-statement, Foster writes in his diary: “Barton Salt Block burned down. Big fi re.” By the 17th Foster is “putting shed over salt. It is the supposition that Barton will build again.” On the 18th he says, “got the salt cov-ered and shack to put things in,” and on the 19th, “got the salt all roofed over. Lots of fi re there yet.” Foster reports that he “will be all alone tonight on watch.”

Tuesday, September 1 – Clear nice day. All went to Chicaska fi shing. Took dinner in shade. Caught some fi sh. All small. Went swimming. Had good time.

Wednesday, September 2 – Clear south wind. Took picture of house. Hard to get good one. Developer not good. In September Foster gets a stove, oven range and puts down carpet in his house.

Throughout the months of September and Octo-ber, Foster works on the salt pans and general salt mine work.

Thursday, October 22 – Ella came. We were mar-ried at Judge Knauss’ of-fi ce in evening. Stayed all night with Stant & Louis.

Foster was 42 at this point and Ella Parcell was 26. His marriage to

Ella may have changed some

things, as on Sun-day, October 26, Foster shares, “Gon to keeping the house proper.” Appar-ently Ella had something to say about how Foster was “keeping house.”

May 2, 1904– Went to town afternoon. Got Lester’s hair cut.

See note on Lester’s family above.

1904

Tuesday, May 10 – Clear south wind. Went fishing.

It is the supposition Foster was 42 at

this point and Ella Parcell was 26. His marriage to

Ella may have changed some

things, as on Sun-

after fi re atbarton plant,“will be all

alone tonighton watch.”

(See BARN, page 16)

as near as can be determined from early documents and obituary no-tices, lester had six children from a fi rst marriage (wife unknown), myrtle, mae, leon, kenneth, lester and jim. helen foster sanders, pictured on page 4, appears to be the only biological child of marion and ella.

16

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Caught a few. Came near upsetting in creek. It swam the horses. River up. Played for a dance.

Monday, June 13 – Clear mostly. Didn’t sleep much. Barn across the al-ley burned. They said our children don it. Cut out #2 pan to fix pipe. (Chil-dren’s names unknown) No further mention is made of the barn incident,

as was Foster’s typical blunt way of mentioning an event without any fur-ther analyses or follow-up.

This diary continues through 1904 with a mul-titude of references again to the weather, fixing the pans, pipes and boilers at the Barton Salt plant. This is just a short sampling of the entries in Foster’s diaries through

1904. In the next issue, we will follow Foster’s life until his final entries in 1949.

Although we are able to glimpse just a little of what Francis Marion Foster’s life was like in the late 1800s and early 1900s, he shares just enough to allow us to imagine his life on the Reno County prairie.

(Continued from page 15)

“Barn across the alley burned. They said our children don it.”

watch for more

on the life of

marion foster as

revealed through

his diaries in the

next issue.

FOCUSon Marion Foster’s diaries

1899 1902 1909

1911 1915 1918

18

(See GO, page 20)

On your mark…

get set....

ver and over again I have been asked by visitors if there could be a marathon underground. Or a half marathon. Or any kind of run as “...there is all that room and all those tunnels.” And for four years I said no. There is no way any-one can be turned loose to run beyond museum boundaries. Runners and bikers have a hard time compre-hending that, unlike the museum area, it is rough terrain with absolutely no light available, and there is still active mining occurring every day. It is beyond impossible to allow anyone access other than a trained min-er into those areas. My counter offer was always that it might be possible

to allow a run to occur on a circular path that was followed, almost like run-ning laps on a track. That never sounded near as exciting to them.

But then there was Jeff Eckelberry, track coach at Anthony Middle School in Manhattan. He wanted to reward his runners with a special trip to the Salt Museum and wondered if there was any chance they could run a mile un-derground.

Tonya Gehring, our Assistant Site Director, repeated the standard story: it would have to be inside museum boundar-ies, on a repetitious loop, and occur at the end of the day so that tours for other visitors were not interrupted. He liked it! So with a long list of rules and re-quirements, we said, “YES!” Measuring and laying out a loop that would eventually equal a mile became a challenge for Dave Unruh, Maintenance Supervisor. I approved turning on the emergency lights in the Dark Ride, and allow-

By Gayle Ferrell, KUSM Director of Operations

O

runners from the

anthony middle

school track

team in manhat-

tan, above, pre-

pare for the first

run through the

tunnels of kusm.

20

…GO!!!

ing the students to run there on well-graded and smooth paths. Dave eventually came up with a half-mile loop that started in the Great Room, entered the Dark Ride, went past the Sou-venir Salt Pile, turned around at the end of the saltcrete in that tunnel, and returned to the begin-ning. Next was the plan for safety, always my first priority. I had to be sure that we provided not only a safe path but also kept them on it. So we chose to have a pace car, in our case a golf cart, lead the runners on the route. Passing the pace car was NOT allowed.

At regular intervals along the route, and at every corner, we posted a docent. Their job was not only to make sure that the runners stayed on the path but also to cheer them on!

KEEPING AN EYE OUT I rode in the golf cart facing backwards so I could tell the driver whether the pace car needed to speed up or slow down, and watch how the runners were holding up. This was not a race. Coach Eckelberry made it very clear that this was a FUN run and ran along with them. A total of 44 runners of

all sizes and strengths ran the course and included both boys and girls. KUSM staff members applauded each one as they crossed the finish line and extended a “high five” for their efforts. Of course, group photos were in order before they returned topside for the bus trip home. All in all, they were a well-behaved, fantastic bunch of kids who obvi-ously had been mentored by a coach who cares about his students, not just their sports results. If we had to choose, I’m not sure who had the best time – Anthony Middle School or the KUSM staff! It was a hoot!

To see a short video clip of the exciting run, please follow this link: https://sites.google.com/site/an-thonymsxc/home/salt-mine-runderground.

(Continued from page 18)

21

he Kansas Under- ground Salt Museum was recognized as one of the “8 Wonders of Kansas” in 2008. Now, almost three and a half years after we received our award, the Governor of Kansas finally visited our facility on August 16! Although on a very tight schedule, we managed to get Gov. Sam Brownback underground for a Train Ride, an expedited Dark Ride, and a brief journey through the galleries. He acknowledged that he had already visited the other “8 Wonders” and

was impressed with our accomplishments and environment. After purchasing a cou-ple of museum souvenirs for his kids, he returned topside for the requested

photo-op with the Fan-Cam. We hope to see him back someday soon with his family and, of course, we believe he saved “the best for last.”

Saving the best for last

from left, rchs

executive director

linda schmitt, kan-

sas gov. sam brown-

back, and kusm

director of opera-

tions gayle farrell

enjoy the magic of

the salt museum.

gov. brownback,

below, has a pre-

miere seat on the

salt mine express.

T

22

ourtney Ann Krehbiel says she and her co-workers joke about how they are all “Salt Nerds.” Well, if this means that they are employees who provide excellent customer service and just happen to love salt, then it may be true. As a three-year employee in Visitor Services with KUSM, Kourtney has had the opportunity to work with many people and use her well-honed people skills. She just graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University

By Lynn Ledeboer, RCM Curatorial Assistant

where she majored in Fam-ily Studies and Human Services that deals with the psychological and social aspects of working with people, learning how people live day to day, and provid-ing service to people.

PASSION FOR PEOPLE Kourtney discovered a passion for this fi eld fi rst by working with school-age children at an after-school program at Union Valley Grade School. During her junior and senior years of high school and her fi rst year at Hutchinson Community College, Kourtney helped students with activities and homework. As she moved on to K-State, Kourtney began looking for summer work opportunities that would fi t her school schedule. In May 2008 she was hired by KUSM to help with ticket sales and general visitor services during the sum-mer.

RIDING THE RAILS She returned to KUSM during available weekends and vacations, learning everything from gift shop operations to ticket sales. She recently learned to

work the new underground train. Being underground in a working salt mine is Kourtney’s favorite part of the job, and she greatly enjoys sharing everything salty with visitors and co-workers alike. She describes her time at the museum as a “...great experience.” Working at the salt mu-seum is far removed from her Hutchinson family’s hog-raising business. “It wasn’t my thing, but I did learn to appreciate it,” she admitted.

FAMILY IMPORTANT Kourtney feels very close to her family, saying, “I feel very blessed to have a sup-porting and loving family.” Besides spending time with her family, Kourtney’s main passion is music. She has always been involved with some type of music – bell choir, chorale, a jazz ensemble at HCC. She also enjoys playing the piano. Kourtney says she missed the musical part of her life while at KSU and plans to join her church’s “Praise Team” to continue singing. KUSM is very lucky to have people-pleaser Kourt-ney Krehbiel in Visitor Services.

She’s happy to be one of the…

SALT NERDS

K

three-year

visitor services

staffer kourtney

krehbiel is a

real people

pleaser.

23

A big thank youto these members

We’d like to thank all listed below for their continued support and renewal of their member-ships between July 13 and September 30, 2011:

CORPORATE DONORS

Directors’ Circle:Bank of Kansas

Donors’ Circle:Bridgman Oil

INDIVIDUAL DONORS

Preserver:Merl Sellers

Backer:Roger HawkVirginia Rayl

Supporter:Charles BenscheidtBob DeVaultGreg HoeferKyle Holmberg

Jack MullDavid Richman

Friend:Mildred Elaine ApplegateLloyd McAdamsDouglas McGovernSally McPhersonJames ShawJ.B. StuckyRobert Winslow

If you would like to join,call 620-662-1184.

LEGACY WINS two “FIRSTS”

the legacy magazine

has won fi rst place in

state and national com-

petitions.

the magazine received

the awards in the mag-

azine category from

kansas professional com-

municators and national

federation of press

women.

legacy is written by

rchs staff members and

designed and produced by

jane lee communications,

ltd., of kansas city, for-

merly of hutchinson.

24

n the past five years as Executive Director of RCHS, I have had many wonderful opportunities and experiences. One of these occurred on September 26 when the time capsule placed in the cornerstone of Con-vention/Memorial Hall by President William Howard Taft was opened exactly 100 years later. Although I have lived in Hutchinson my entire life and seen the cornerstone a million times, I never knew about its history, or that it contained a time capsule – until I did research for our walking tour.

A step back in time When I saw that the 100-year anniversary would occur September 26, 2011, I knew that those who placed it ex-pected the capsule to be opened in 100 years, and that the museum had to be involved.

PLAN TAKES SHAPE A plan began to take shape in early summer when the Landmarks Commission, a city-ap-pointed group dedicated to the preservation of historic sites and build-ings, agreed that removing the cornerstone to retrieve the capsule was a worthy joint project.

Because the centen-nial date was quickly approaching, commission, city and museum person-nel sprang into action. This was the plan:■ Find a mason to extract the time capsule safely out of the cornerstone■ Secure the box and loosen the top prior to public opening■ Make arrangements for proper care and storage of the contents of the box before and after opening■ Plan the reenactment event ■ Publicly open the time capsule■ Inform the public and inspire them to attend■ Serve cake

Linda SchmittExecutive Director,

Reno County Historical

Society

lindas@undergroundmuseum.org

a wide variety

of items, such

as a flag, news-

papers, stamps,

souvenirs and

much more were

found in the

convention hall

time capsule.

I

25

Of course, all the steps were more complicated than this but everything went better than we hoped and expected. And the media did a great job of covering the event. Rather than recap what occurred, I would like to leave you with a list (in no particular order) of the moments that made the event especially memo-rable:

• The excitement and will-ingness of so many people to participate and donate their time • The concept of the time capsule inspiring people to fondly remember and relate their own Conven-tion/Memorial Hall mo-ments My favorite memory was the ninth grade tri-party (Liberty, Central, Sher-man) dance with the mirrorball and that pink dress. • The way that partici-pants in the reenactment were inspired to shed their inhibitions and recreate the past• Looking out into the crowd during the ceremo-ny and seeing the smiles, the flag-waving and how engaged everyone was in the moment• Discovering the wonder-ful condition of the items inside the box, demon-strating the competence and care of those who

(See page 26)

mason mike

nevius cuts

into the brick-

work around

the corner-

stone of con-

vention hall.

the box is

visible! chief

curator jamin

landavazo and

mason ernesto

alarcon ease

the 100-year-

old time cap-

sule out of the

cornerstone.

scott hoefer

and curry

wells, of

hoefer custom

stained glass,

use a jarmac

saw to cut

open the lead

seal on the

time capsule.

jamin care-

fully lifts the

lid of the time

capsule for the

first time in 100

years while

curatorial

assistant lynn

ledeboer looks

on at anniver-

sary activities.

26

created and sealed it• The idea that the items were last touched by hu-man hands 100 years ago as they were meticulously arranged inside the cop-per box• Imagining them imagin-ing us opening the time capsule in 2011• Trying to understand the thought process they used to determine what items were included in the box, and then think-ing about the process we will use in assembling our time capsule (to be placed inside the same corner-stone during 2012 Memo-rial Hall festivities)• The collaboration be-tween the Landmarks Commission, the city and museum to create a “liv-ing history” lesson I wish there were more opportunities to work together. • Reflecting upon the detailed record of the cornerstone planning and events that was left for us, and wondering if we can and will do the same for

those 100 years from now• Respect for the enormity of the event that the plan-ners were able to pro-duce in 1911: fairground events, banquet, parade and cornerstone event• The fact that 40,000 per-sons attended the corner-stone dedication in 1911 without air travel and widespread automobile availability

WHAT DID THEY DO? This also led me to wonder: what did they all do for restroom fa-cilities? I think that 1911 was pre-Porta Potty and, remember, there was no Reno County Museum next door!• Realizing that both the Kansas Semi-Centennial events (1911) and the Centennial events (1961) dwarfed anything done in 2011 for the Sesquicen-tennial, and wondering what this says about the culture and priorities of today’s society• Knowing that my grand-mother attended the cor-

nerstone event as a young woman of 17 • Finding out that my childhood friend’s mother was born on September 26, 1911, and that her birthday was often re-ferred to as “Taft Day”• The excitement of find-ing items in the capsule that weren’t included on the list, and realizing that they were mainly personal items put in at the last minute

Now, the second half of the cornerstone project begins. It includes the process of preparing the items for display, creating a Con-vention/Memorial Hall exhibit, identifying items for the new time capsule, and learning how to build a 21st century capsule that will last into the next century. I am definitely looking forward to completing this fascinating journey and know that there will be many more wonderful moments along the way.

(Continued from page 25)

a group of dignitar-

ies, including local

masons, begins the

procession from the

old masonic temple

at 6 N. Walnut to

convention hall.

from left are: wor-

shipful master of

reno lodge 124 gary

brown, mike foster,

don carlson, gil

ash, ron pauls (in

rear), brad dillon,

jerry rodman, rich-

ard greever, and don

newman of topeka.

dignitaries on the dais above, from left: grand master tracy bloom (portraying 1911 grand master alex sharp), doug mcgovern (portraying president william h. taft), don newman, and richard greever. below, mcgovern reenacts president taft speaking at the 1911 event.

in their of-

ficial corner-

stone-laying

attire, above

from left, are

tracy bloom,

doug mcgov-

ern and don

newman.

at left are

kathi white,

mcgovern and

rchs execu-

tive director

linda schmitt.

We’re proud to share our hometown with you.How fortunate we are to live in a community with such diverse and high quality amenities -- including the Reno County Museum and Kansas Underground Salt Museum!

4 Hutchinson locations to serve you

28

hat do chemical engineering and the Reno County Museum have in common? Vol-unteer Laura Elizabeth Lindgren! This summer the mu-seum was delighted to have Laura learn the ins

and outs of museum work during four weeks of her sum-mer off from studies at the University of Michigan. From July 20 to Friday, August 13, Laura worked on a backlog of data en-try and then moved onto organizing two large artifact collec-tions. More than 400 medical tools and

over 7,000 paper napkins were categorized and neatly placed in proper archival storage during Laura’s work at the mu-seum.

VOLUNTEERING FUN Volunteering at the Reno County Museum was Laura’s first experi-ence with official volun-teering and she acknowl-edged, “I liked working here. It was a lot of fun.” Laura returned to the University of Michigan this fall as a junior in chemical engineering. She chose the field because she “...likes

By Lynn Ledeboer, RCM Curatorial Assistant

problem-solving and high school chemistry.” Both her parents, how-ever, are chemical engi-neers and Laura admits, “...the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.” Laura lived in Michigan before the family followed her father to Hutchinson where he is plant manager for Morton Salt. When not studying (or boxing up napkins), Laura

enjoys sewing, knitting and crocheting. She also enjoys the trombone…a good thing as all her five roommates at Michigan also play the trombone! The RCM staff hopes Laura can find time to volunteer at the museum in the future. We’re sure there will be another large artifact collection just waiting for her!

W

This volunteer has a…

Knack for napkins

volunteer laura

lindgren, right,

helped organize

more than 7,000

paper napkins into

10 archival stor-

age boxes, creating

this tower of nap-

kins above.

29

Ice cream truly hit the spot on July 21. The Reno County Museum offered its highly anticipated Ice Cream Social once again and no one walked away hungry. Thanks to all our wonderful volunteers who helped make this event go smoothly. Also thanks to Bogey’s, RCHS Execu-

Do you enjoy tickling the ivories? Well, now you can tickle to your heart’s content at the Reno County Muse-um, thanks to a generous donation by Gayle Ferrell, KUSM Director of Opera-tions. Although not as ivory as they once were, the keys of this circa 1930s piano are begging you to play them as you enter or exit the lobby of the museum. We hope to liven up this piano in the future with a bit of decoration and a nod to the Kansas Sesqui-centennial. So, stop by and play any time we are open. The piano is calling!

tive Director Linda Schmitt, Wal-Mart and Dillon’s for their generous dona-tions. And last, but certainly not least, thank you to the band, Raging Sea, for a de-lightful, impromptu performance for the 150 or more guests during the event.

Please tickle these ivories!

A very social event

30

here is a bright new face at RCM! The Reno County Muse-um now has a fresh, clear new sign, thanks to Tina Moore, RCM’s Administra-tive Assistant (and some-times Chief Construction Technician), and John Cruz, RCM’s Hutchinson Correctional Facility Assistant, RCM was lacking a con-cise, modern and easily read sign that identified both the parking areas and the museum itself. Gregory, Inc., of Buhler, provided the graphics and aluminum signs that filled that need. Tina and John constructed, erected and painted the frame for the sign. The sign is part of the first phase in updating RCM’s outdated and badly deteriorating out-door signage. Next on the agenda are the interpretive signs for the Siegrist Claim House, the outhouse, the farm implements and the windmill. All “signs” look good for great look-ing new signage at the Reno County Museum.

Thank you!…to all the follow-ing generous donors listed below who are

supporting the signage project: Mildred Elaine ApplegateMichael & Bonnie ArmourBank of Kansas David LesperanceCharles BenscheidtDr. Norman BosDianne & James CannonJoAnn ColeBill CollinsGlenna DellenbachDillon Stores Dana KnottDr. Richard & Jane FalterMartha FeeFinancial Planning First National Bank Greg BinnsRoger & Judy HawkGregory & Andrea Henne

Gladys Heter-SargentEdward & Marjory JohnsonKenneth KeeferRobert LindquistLloyd McAdamsSally McPhersonNorma MitchellDr. Robert MorrisonBill PfenningerDr. Vern & Aavon PowersVirginia RaylRussell & Nancy ReinertF.E. SchoepfDr. Gerald SchraterRichard ShankJohn & Peg StephensRuth StigginsBarry & Gale WallDr. Jack & Donna WortmanCynda WrightLaura Yowell

T

NEW SIGNAGEbeing created for RCM

tina moore and john

cruz pour cement

around the post,

above, then put the

finishing touches on

the new sign, right.

31

Scraping off old paint is never a fun job, so hats off to these hearty volun-teers from The Hutchinson News who came out on a Saturday morning to do just that at the Reno County Museum. For the United Way of Reno County Community Work Day, six wonder-ful workers, led by RCM Administrative Assistant Tina Moore, worked the morning of August 27, scraping away peeling and flaking paint from the front porch of the histori-cal Rosemont, the muse-um’s east building. This was the first step in the extensive repair and preservation of the porch. As the porch is part of the Rosemont building, every effort is being made to restore it as much as possible to its original condition.

Thank you to Jenifer Sterling, Susan Bowlby, Shandi Stallman, Greg

Porch gets facelift…thanks to volunteers

Jerauld, Matt Irwin and Debbie Irwin who came out to help.

matt irwin, on lad-

der, and other united

way volunteers from

the hutchinson news

scrape paint from the

porch of the historic

rosemont building.

KANSAS UNDERGROUNDSALT MUSEUM

9 am–5 pm Tues–Fri9 am–6 pm Saturday

1–6 pm Sundayclosed Mondays

last tour departstwo hours

before closing

HOLIDAY SCHEDULEclosed:

November 24December 24-25

open: 9 am-6 pm December 26

reservations strongly recommended

call us or check our website for holiday

hours.

NEW SALT BLAST PASSour best deal

includes gallery tour,dark ride (both handi-

capped-accessible) and new train ride.

adults: $18seniors (60+), aaa &

active military: $16.50children (4-12) & reno county residents: $12

children under 4 not admitted

due to mine safetyregulations.

pricing availableto add only dark ride

or train ride togallery admission.

all prices include sales tax.

special pricing forgroups over 28 and school groups witharrangements made

one week in advance.

3504 e. avenue g (at airport road)

hutchinson, ks 67501

620-662-1425toll-free 866-755-3450

EXHIBITS & EVENTS

NOW OPEN!PERMIAN PLAYGROUND This new interactive display allows you to explore the incredible varieties of salt. First hand!

SALT SECRETS Salt secrets fi nally exposed!

THE STORY OF UNDER-GROUND VAULTS & STORAGE View costumes and props from your favorite movies.

KANSAS UNDERGROUND SALT MUSEUM EVENTS

SALT MINE EXPRESS

– NOW DEPARTING!Hurry aboard to ride the thrilling new underground train.Experience the rustic side of the mine while traveling on original rails and ties used underground.

THE IODINE DEFICIENCY DISORDER STORY Explore the efforts of Kiwanis International and UNICEF in using salt to combat IDD.

KUSM EXHIBITS

TRAIN OF TERROR!One day only:Sunday, Oct. 30, 3 to 9 p.m.Call to reserve your departure time620-662-1425 • 866-755-3450Reservations accepted thru Oct. 29Walk-ins welcome!$10 per person / Must be 10 years oldUnder 16 must be accompanied by adult

Do you dare ride the haunted Train of Terror 650 feet underground? Does salt really keep away the ghosts and ghoulies? Find out for yourself!

MURDER IN THE MINE February 18 • August 25Doors open at 5 p.m.$50 per person / Table of 8: $360For details and reservations:620-662-1425 • 866-755-3450

Haven’t been able to attend one of these hilarious performances? Now is your chance to get these dates on your calendar! The themes are still a “mystery” at this date, but rest assured they will be just as thrilling as previous shows.

OVERNIGHT SCOUTING ADVENTURE$30 per personTry an Overnight Scouting event for an exciting underground adventure. Scouts must be 10-18 years of age. Minimum one adult chaperone for each fi ve scouts.

Available dates:2011: December 3 (girls only)2012: February 11 (girls only)

Call Tonya Gehring or Gayle Ferrell620-662-1425 • 866-755-3450

TAKE IT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT Discover how live bacteria were extracted from ancient Permian salt.

MYRONMOBILE

Come see the “Myronmobile,” from TV’s “Dirty Jobs” fi lmed in the Hutchinson Salt mine.

MINE CORRIDOR Explore the general history of salt mining in Hutchinson, including mining equipment.

For details and reservations:620-662-1425 • 866-755-3450 620-662-1425 • 866-755-3450

32

mark your calendars now for murder in the mine 2012. you never know what to expect when it comes to murder…

TIME CAPSULE BOX Marvel at the pristine condition of these 100-year-old items from the Convention Hall corner-stone. See 1911 newspa-pers, cherished Masonic books, postcards and much more temporarily on display through Nov. 30. These items then will be removed to prepare for a more formal exhibit in April 2012.

BISONTE HOTEL:THE BEST IN THE WEST Visitors will have the opportunity to take a long-awaited look at one of Hutchinson’s most

beloved memories – the Bisonte Hotel. Experience the elegance and sparkle of the Bisonte in the early 1900s and its change to more modern times.

RCM ON THE ROAD…We’re establishing small, temporary exhibits high-lighting items unique to small communities in Reno County. See sched-ule below.

“86.121” Meet past Reno County resident Mildred Hobbs (donor #86.121) through the vast collection of arti-facts she and her family

generously donated to RCM. Follow the process of donating artifacts.

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE

THINGS

The Reno County His-torical Society staff chose their favorite artifacts, most never before on exhibit.

TRANSPORTATION GALLERY Come enjoy the Schuttler wagon, an Amish buggy, the Indian motorcycle, sidecar and much more in this fascinating look at the past.

RENO COUNTY MUSEUM EXHIBITS

RCM EVENTS

ON DISPLAY ONLY THROUGH NOVEMBER 30…UNTIL APRILafter 100 years in a copper box, this original certifi cate for the granite cornerstone for convention hall looks brand new. read more below.

RENO COUNTYMUSEUM HOURS

9 am–5 pm tues-sat

closed sunday

and monday

free admission

unless

otherwise

noted

100 S. Walnut

620-662-1184

OLD-FASHIONED CHRISTMAS

December 10, 10am-2pmCome enjoy crafts for kids with us during our signa-ture winter event. Cost is only $1.50 per child for all the crafts. Children will make Christmas orna-ments they can give as gifts, garlands to deco-rate the tree, and festive doorknob hangers. Just in time for the season! Don’t miss it!

COOKIE DECORATING/THIRD THURSDAY

December 15, 5:30-8:30pm or until cookies run out!Our newest winter event is cookie decorating for Christmas. It’s your chance to be creative. And, you get to eat your art work!

“On the Road”exhibit schedule

South Hutchinson: Bank of Kansas524 N. Main, S. Hutchinson Monday through Friday: 9–4

Pretty Prairie: Civic Theater105 W. Main, Pretty PrairieCall for an appointment: 620-459-4600

Sylvia: Sunfl ower Center301 S. Main, SylviaCall for an appointment. 620-286-5320

Plevna: Floyd Redd Building7 W. 3rd, PlevnaCall for an appointment. 620-486-3845

Turon / Langdon: Turon Community Center & Library501 E. Price St., TuronTuesday through Thursday: 1–5 p.m.Saturday: 9-12620-497-6443

Coming exhibits

November: Arlington and Abbyville

January 2012: Buhler and Medora

March 2012: Nickerson and Partridge

33