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| Doesn't really look like this in Kansas--SHOCKER! |
I had read a couple of novels about kids who had gone West on trains to live with foster families. Those stories had impressed and intrigued me with the whole concept that over a period of time from 1854 to 1929, an estimated 250,000 children were relocated to rural areas of the United States from crowded Eastern cities.
The annual summer closing at the Fort Collins Temple began on August 15th. That meant neither Louis nor I was scheduled for our shift at the Temple during that time. Me on the following two Wednesdays and Louis on the following two Saturdays.
I toyed with the idea of following a yellow brick road of my own during some of that free time.
The first thing I did was look up how many miles it was to Concordia, Kansas, from our home in Johnstown, Colorado. Then I asked Louis how long he thought it would take me to drive there. The inevitable question was posed by him..."Why do you want to drive to Kansas?" So, I told him about Cathy's experience, my own interest, and the temple was going to be closed for two weeks. All of that shouted "Adventure!" I wanted to go. Not surprisingly, Louis asked if he could tag along.
Of course! That was the whole idea. Louis likes to drive. Louis likes road trips. I was pretty sure he would want to jump into the car for this one--and I would be able to leave all the details to a professional driver while I sat back and enjoyed the ride. Pretty sneaky, huh!
Thus, we began to plan. Louis suggested we each come up with a list of other attractions we might want to see during a four-day trip to Kansas and back. A few days later, we pooled our finds and mapped out an itinerary that looked like it would be fun AND interesting.
We set out bright and early Monday morning August 15th about 6 am with an ETA of 3 pm in Concordia. But...with all the stops along the way including lunch, gas, browsing at a brand-new travel store on I-70, the world's largest ball of twine, and a huge roadside picture of Van Gogh's Sunflowers painting, it didn't look like we were going to make it by then.
Plus, we had also stopped at one of Louis' choices on the list. It was the national historical site of Nicodemus, a preservation of the only all-black western town during the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War.
Though it is now nearly deserted, Nicodemus is symbolic of the pioneer spirit of those black individuals who left regions east of the Mississippi they had been familiar with to seek personal freedom and the opportunity to develop their talents and capabilities as homesteaders. Handbills distributed in Kentucky and surrounding areas encouraged black people to come west where they could support themselves and make a living primarily through farming their own land.
The initial stake was from $1-$5, and then the Homesteader had to "prove up" in order to keep the land. Unfortunately, the railroads, which were expected to bring the revenue needed to support a western settlement like this one, were built north and south of there. And the town dwindled from about 700 people in the late 1800's to nearly nothing in the following years.
The Historic Site was attractive, educational, and had a great gift shop (always at the top of MY list for tourist stops). We learned a lot in the museum, and then we drove through what is left of the town to see other buildings that were once prominent. The town, which blended into the landscape of the Great Plains of Kansas, was dusty and HOT! I was glad to get into the air-conditioned car for our last leg that day to Concordia.
And it was 103 degrees when we finally got there about 6 pm! Way too hot for me! The car was dusty from the country roads, so Louis decided it would be a good idea to wash off the dirt. Lo and behold, it began to rain while we were actually in the car wash stall. I suggested we just stay there until the rain stopped, figured it wouldn't be long but a short shower just like at home. Nah...Louis said he didn't care. He was hungry and wanted to find a place to eat.
When we got out of the restaurant, the air was fresh and it felt so much better than it had just an hour or so before. Good sleeping weather. We were tired and called it a day.
The next morning when we got up, however, it was COLD! Only in the 60's. The whole town was abuzz about the weather...it was such a relief for them, they were glad. I wasn't too happy about it being chilly. I had only packed short sleeve shirts and short-legged pants. Nothing in the suitcase was warm enough.
First order of business was to go downtown. Only one main street, but I had seen a couple of stores on our jaunt to the hotel. Sixth Street Fashions and Footwear was a spacious shop with lovely clothes on the high end. Kind of like Chico's and White House. When I asked what was up the lovely curved staircase to the second floor, the clerk told me "seasonal and clearance". Aha! My kind of shopping. Found two very cute tops with longer sleeves on sale for a combined price less than one blouse on the main floor. Paid for them and asked if I could use the dressing room to put the warmer one on right there. Sure. The clerks had sympathized with my plight and then complimented me on the top I had chosen because it even matched my pants.
Walked out of that store and into a thrift store right next door where I found a casual jacket in a leopard print, which zipped up front and had an elastic waist, for $5. I was set for the day!
Next stop was the whole reason we went--the Orphan Train Museum where we spent the next three hours. I was at once overcome but uplifted and spent most of the time near tears with the emotion brought about by this gigantic welfare project as related in personal histories and testimonials.
The orphan train movement was started by the Children's Aid Society which recognized the inadequacy of New York's welfare institutions, and at the same time, saw the Western states as places full of opportunity. Charles Loring Brace of this organization devised a system whereby disadvantaged children would be sent to rural communities, traveling by train and with a Society Agent, where they could be taken in by families who would teach them good morals and provide for their needs.
The stories about people helping children in need were remarkable! And yes, there were some not so good outcomes such as sponsors taking kids just because they wanted someone to do their farm work and then did not treat the children like they would their own family. Some children came with siblings and were separated from each other. But the majority of cases had positive influences on children who needed help. The negative complaints also helped in that these situations were used to instruct social services clearly to adopt better policies that continue to influence and guide the foster care system today.
Placed all around Concordia are 46 statues (currently, more are added frequently) which are dedicated to Orphan Train riders and their stories which are placarded as part of the statue. (Like the one below.) We didn't take the time to find all of them, but the ones we saw added to the whole Orphan Train Museum experience.
The museum and statues were definitely worth the trip. The next day we went to a WWII POW camp which also recounted some very uplifting experiences of those enemy soldiers who were incarcerated there. Those young men also became part of the community and some even came back years later because of the humane treatment they received.
We went to Salina, drove up to Hebron,Nebraska, stopped at Hays, Colby, and Goodland all of which were on my list--antique stores! Found a couple of worthy items for my Nativity collection. (Not that I need ANYTHING more!) But still, it was fun to poke around and see lots of Kansas homestead stuff belonging to people who had lived their lives on those Great Plains.
In all, it was a top-notch get-away. Our own little "yellow brick road" with some fun and worthwhile adventures. I whole-heartedly give it an enthusiastic THUMBS UP!
But....we DIDN'T see the Wizard!
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