Wabaunsee County, Kansas was late to get on the railroad bandwagon. While the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) made an offer to place a line through the county in the […]
Depot Memories
A Kansas Butterfly Garden
-by Greg Hoots- When my wife, Cheryl and I moved into our present home, there were no flower beds established on the lot. There was a long, narrow flower bed along the […]
A Citizen-Soldier’s Story
-by Howard Johnstone- EDITOR’S NOTE by Greg Hoots: I am very pleased to present the digital version of this incredible World War II story, authored by an old friend of mine, Howard […]
Cabin Fever
-by Greg Hoots- A casual look at the history of Wabaunsee County and the Kansas Flint Hills might lead one to think that most of the County’s earliest homes and other buildings […]
The Greatest Backyard Find in History: 1956 Alfa Romeo Sprint Veloce Alleggerita
-by Greg Hoots- I’ve always loved cars. New ones, old ones, and everything in between, automobiles have always caught my eye. The first car which I drove to high school was a […]
Enemy Aliens of Wabaunsee County, Kansas
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 […]
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 […]
Carl F. Hoots Arrowhead Collection
-by Greg Hoots- I once asked Daddy when he started collecting arrowheads, and he said that when he was about ten or eleven years old, he found his first arrowhead in his […]
Ozarka Village: Daddy’s Dream
-by Greg Hoots- Author’s note: This story is about my dad, Carl Hoots, and his dream to build a historic interpretative center and tourist park near West Plains, Missouri in 1970. Daddy […]
Flint Hills Special 