By Greg Hoots On April 6, 1917 at 1:11 pm, President Woodrow Wilson signed a declaration of war passed by both houses of the United States Congress, launching America into World War […]
Enemy Aliens of Wabaunsee County, Kansas
A Profile of Courage: PFC Charles E. Barnhart
-by Mark Barnhart- Editor’s note: When I was in high school, college, and later, one of my closest friends was Chris Barnhart. The Barnhart family lived four or five blocks from my […]
Old Friends of the Flint Hills: Russell Woofter, 1915-2007
By Greg Hoots Author’s note: This article originally appeared in the 2012 print edition of the Flint Hills Special. Russell Woofter was the hardest working man that I’ve ever known. Russell approached […]
A Flint Hills Story by Victor Palenske
Editor’s note: Victor Palenske, born in Alma in 1903, authored this story in 1973, recalling his youth in Alma. Palenske’s penchant for details is amazing and insightful. This editor has added period […]
Stanley Funeral Home, Eskridge, Kansas
Editor’s note: This story of the Stanley Funeral Home was compiled with personal recollections of Judy Stanley Hayes who was a toddler while her family resided in Eskridge, Kansas, supplemented with photos […]
You Coast Downhill
-by Greg Hoots- As a child, I often heard stories from my folks of what they always called “the bicycle trip.” The bicycle trip took place three years before I was born, […]
Minnie Palenske Zwanziger Memorial Museum Turns 50
Fifty years ago, on October 27, 1968 the Wabaunsee County Historical Society held the grand opening of their new museum in Alma, Kansas, the Minnie Palenske Zwanziger Memorial Museum. Present at the […]
Daddy’s War
A Veterans Day Tribute by Greg A. Hoots Chapter 1: Before the War I opened the lid of the big plastic storage container. The contents appeared in disarray; however, I soon realized that […]
Dunn Home Supply, Eskridge, Kansas
-by Greg Hoots- Dean Dunn was born in 1926 in Eskridge, Kansas, the son of local pharmacist, Preston Dunn and his wife Dora. Preston Dunn had moved to Eskridge with his parents […]
Don Mogge: Eyewitness to History
-by Greg Hoots- For years I shared my lunch break with Don Mogge. I would grab a bite to eat in the early afternoon, and Don would usually meet me at the […]
Flint Hills Special 