Happy Birthday Kansas 2009

Today we went the Kauffman Museum here in Newton for the Annual Kansas Day Celebration. It was full of fun things to do like shucking corn with hand shucker, rolling hoops (like school boys did back in the pioneer days), making butter, making tortillas, listening to an Indian Storyteller, seeing a real tee pee (and being able to go in it), watching a black smith, a wood worker, logs being made ready to build log cabins (the way they would have done it in the pioneer days), wood cutting , popcorn being made over an open fire in a caldern, wagon rides and so much more including a lot of hands on activity. We wanted to make a broom but they ran out of the materials before we got through the line. We had fun learning about so much Kansas stuff. It has been a little over a week of learning about Kansas. I still feel like we have so much more to learn. It was a very well put together event.

A Blacksmith making a spoon from a railroad tie
Edward Decorating a Swedish Dala Horse

Getting to know Kansas and Newton

Today we learned that the Chisholm Trail went right through Newton, where we now reside. It was neat to learn about the history of the little town that we are now calling home. From 1871 to 1873 our quaint little town was known as the "bloody and lawless, the wickedest city in the West." In 1872 the western terminal for Santa Fe Railway and the rail head for the Chisholm Trail were established here. With the railroad came a horde of gunslingers, gamblers, "soiled doves", cowboys and railroad crews of every kind. By the end of 1872, there had been 12 murders documented, although there was evidence showing twice as many.

This is a old one room school house here in Newton, KS. This is the Kellas School.


Edward and the other co-op students, were able to find out what it was like to go to school back in 1800's in a one room school house. This school house was very authentic, complete with a wood stove to heat it, which do to the cold, we utilized. The children sat according to grade with the younger children in the front of the class and the older ones in the back, just as they would have done back then. They also participated in the same school activities as the children would have.

These are Indian artifacts.

Edward is holding a Buffalo bladder. They used these to carry water from the river back to their village to use. The other things he is holding is a sewing needle made of buffalo bone.

Edward is standing in front of what would have been worn by someone during the times of the Chisholm Trail Days. If I remember correctly, this was rain gear.

Here Edward is looking at some of the various Santa Fe and other train memorabilia. Of course with his fascination of trains, he was excited about learning all about trains and what the bringing the railroad through Newton meant for it back then.

Happy Birthday Kansas!!!!!

Today is Kansas's 147th as a State. Kansas became a state on January 29th, 1861. We had a Kansas Day Celebration with our Co-op today. We learned that Kansas's state song is Home, Home on the Range (didn't know that). That the Fly Swatter and Mentholatum were both invented here. Pizza Hut and Icee's also originated in Kansas. George Washington Carver and Amelia Erhart, as well as the first monkey (Able) in Space were from Kansas. The illustrators of Beetle Bailey and Dennis the Menace were from Kansas. Smokey the Bear was created by Rudolph Wendelin, who was born and raised here in Kansas. Kansas is known as the Sunflower state but also the Wheat state. The most wheat is grown here in Kansas. Newton where we live was one of the large Cow Towns back in the days. Edward husked a corn cob with an old fashion hand crank corn husker. He also hand stitched a Triangle Quilt Block. We saw wool being spun into yarn on a spinning wheel, then we saw cottons being woven into dishtowels on a loom. There was an elderly man who had hand carved wooden animals, which he had on display. We learned about all the rocks and minerals that can be found locally, and about the birds that can be seen (which we have seen quite a few of them around our house).

The Western Meadowlark is Kansas's State Bird.

The Honeybee is the state insect.

The Ornate Box Turtle is the state reptile.

The Buffalo is the state animal of Kansas.

The Barred Tiger Salamander is the state amphibian.

The Cottonwood is the state tree of Kansas.

The Sunflower is the state's flower.

We learned quite alot about about Kansas today, we are looking forward to learning even more about Kansas as we continue to leave here. As time goes by we will also be delving deep into the state History of Washington State, Oregon, South Dakota & Oklahoma.