I think we should be on the map
Peabody Historical Society had a successful tour this weekend schlepping bus-loads of interested folks out to various "Barns of Marion/Butler Counties" for facts, figures, and photos with a local historical flavor. By all accounts it was a huge success drawing nearly 100 people, including a researcher for the Kansas State Historical Society, an agriculture photographer, an artist, and who knows who else?
Amazing, isn't it? You give them what they want and you don't have to bother to build it. They will just come. Good for Peabody Historical Society for figuring out what the masses are longing to see! At $15 a head, the Memorial Day event was a nifty little fund-raiser.
Longtime historical society chairman Marilyn Jones heaped praises on some of the barn owners. One landholder had made up brochures about the history of his barn and land. Family members at another barn were dressed in period clothing; other owners had snacks and treats
It doesn't get much better than that!
People on the tour were here from all over the state. Do you think it is just our barns or do you think it is a desire to delve into the plans and dreams of the generations that went before us?
I think we have things that people want to see and a history about which people would like to learn. Just my most humble opinion, but as usual I don't think I am wrong. I have said this before and I expect I will say it again and again — we need to band together along U.S.-50 and create a corridor of history relevant to the westward expansion of our country.
And we need to get ourselves into a position to partner with the Z-Bar ranch at Cottonwood Falls. There are two kinds of people who will come to see the Tall Grass National Parkway. People who are interested in the last expanse of native prairie and people who are interested in how the Great Plains and the West were settled and conquered.
We need to be able to show them the early towns of the Great Plains. The places settled by our pioneer families
I think we can do this. I think Elmdale, Peabody, Florence, Cedar Point, and Strong City all have features that can be sold to busloads of tourists just as the barn tour was today. It may take some organization, vision, and a smidgen of daring, but guess what? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And how far could we fall? And so what if we did?
I'll make a deal with you. If you want to be a part of this, give me a call. I am in the book and so is the newspaper. There are some 30 or 40 towns along I-70 that have banded together to share their past, culture, art, and story with people traveling that highway. They are marketing themselves to the world.
I think we have something to offer that is just as worthwhile. Let's create a group willing to pursue this legacy. If you are interested, I will find you someone to lead the charge. Give me a call.
— SUSAN MARSHALL
