Not all of us can readily absorb military history without getting bogged down in the technicalities. Thankfully, Kansas Forts and Bases: Sentinels on the Prairie by Debra Goodrich Bisel and Michelle M. Martin is supremely readable, providing an era-by-era overview of Kansas forts as reflective of the broader picture of Kansas history overall.
Category Archives: The Sunflower State
Dunkard Mill Bridge: Its Completion and Legacy
The success of Dunkard Mill Bridge and its withstanding of later severe floods sealed the stone bridge matter, as far as Cowley County was concerned.
Dunkard Mill Bridge: How Cowley County Came to Build Stone Arch Bridges
In 1901, Cowley County entered the bridge-building picture, eventually eclipsing all the other Kansas counties in their daring stone arch bridge projects.
A Kansas Soldier at War
The Civil War era was a challenging time that severely put the nation, its families, and its values to the test. A Kansas Soldier at War: The Civil War Letters of Christian and Elise Dubach Isely by Ken Spurgeon offers fascinating insight into this human element of the conflict. The bulk of the book isContinue reading “A Kansas Soldier at War”
Kansas: In the Heart of Tornado Alley
Udall. Topeka. Hesston. Andover. Greensburg. Whether you lived through them or not, the major tornadoes of Kansas have become indelibly stamped on the state’s memory.
Stone Arch Bridges
Do you love those picturesque stone arch bridges in Cowley County, Kansas? Do we know the website for you to visit! StoneArchBridges.com is a unique blend of history, physics, how-to, and photography. It offers well-researched information about bridges in Kansas (and other places, as well!) that can be extremely difficult to find anywhere else. JustContinue reading “Stone Arch Bridges”
A Stone Arch Bridge for Greenwood County
A monumental occasion in celebration of a monumental structure.
Seasons in the Flint Hills
Crisp and black with cold, dry ash,You cover yourselves with green,Awakened to life by rain and sun,You thrive in the breezes of spring.Days grow long, the south wind blows;Your green now changes, too—First more vibrant, then more soft,And then to a golden hue.A gentler sun ripens your goldTo copper and rich red rust;Heat gives wayContinue reading “Seasons in the Flint Hills”
How Cowley County Stone Arch Bridges Were Built
A simple shape defied gravity in the days before modern machinery.
Why Cowley County Adopted the Stone Arch Bridge
How the stone arch proved superior to wooden designs, and the role of Walter Sharp in bridge promotion.
