Legacy T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E R E N O C O U N T Y H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y

15descend a mileinto the earth – virtually,that is

12take a bike ride

underground… in the dark… if you dare

WINTER 2015

FOCUS ON

SALT

spend a day with a new miner in the 1920s and find out what it was really like down there…page 4

I N S I D E

h

HISTORICAL SOCIETY STAFF (full-time)

Linda Schmitt, executive director, rchs linda@underkansas.org

Ashley Maready, chief curator, rchs ashley@underkansas.org

Gayle Ferrell, director of operations, strataca gayle@underkansas.org Tonya Gehring, operations manager, strataca tonya@underkansas.org

Dave Unruh, maintenance supervisor, strataca dave@underkansas.org

Myron Marcotte, mine specialist, strataca myron@underkansas.org

Sarah Voran, customer service representative, strataca sarah@underkansas.org

Lynn Ledeboer, curatorial assistant, rcm lynn@renocomuseum.org

Paula Dover, administrative assistant, rcm paula@underkansas.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Richard Shank, president • Nan Hawver, president-elect

Billy Klug, treasurer • Laura Snyder, secretary • Tim Davies

Elaine Fallon • Mary Wilson • Bill Pfenninger • Carol Carr

Cris Corey • Katherine Goodenberger • Arlyn Miller • Frank

Alexander • Jerry Wray • Darren Wicks • Lee Spence, ex-officio

Mike Carey, ex-officio • Harold Mayo, ex-officio

4 a miner’s life way back when ...what was it really like?

12 new attractions afoot in strataca ...and don’t miss that bike ride in the dark!

14 new volunteer makes exhibit possible ...thanks to his digital conversion expertise

15 take the plunge a mile underground ...on the new ipad tablets, that is

16 legacy magazine has a storied history ...now it’s time to bid it adieu

19 legacy, it’s been a great ride! ...issue on solomon butler editor’s fave

20 a heartfelt thanks to our members ...your loyalty has been invaluable

21 new windows give museum a facelift ...while those from our past “look on”

22 murder, salt hikes, exhibits, jewels ...what more could you want from two museums?

Volume 27, No. 1Legacy is published quarterly by The Reno County Historical Society, Inc. 100 S. Walnut St., P.O. Box 664, Hutchinson, Kansas 67504-0664For advertising or membership information, call 620-662-1184.

© 2015 The Reno County Historical Society, Inc. ISSN 1045-3423All rights reserved. The RCHS disclaims responsibility for statements

of fact or opinion made by contributors.

THE JOURNAL OF THE RENO COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Legacy

ON THE COVERTHIS POSTCARD DE-PICTS THE MINE’S UNDERCUTTING ROOM AS IT WOULD HAVE AP-PEARED IN THE 1920S AND ‘30S AND THE UBIQUITOUS CARBIDE LAMP. THE CAR ON THE TRACKS WAS USED TO TRANSPORT THE UNDERCUTTER. (STORY P. 4)

h

A

4

...a glimpse into the pastWorking the mineBy Myron Marcotte, Strataca Mine Specialist

ugust 11, 2014 marked my 39th year of involve-ment with the Carey Salt Mine, and many times I have been asked the question, “What’s it like working down there?” To be honest, I have wondered what it was like working in the mine 90 years ago when it first opened. And I have dreamed of what it would

have been like back then. So using the writings of Benny Pallister with my own experience and imagination, I will attempt to explain what it was like to work in the mine in the mid-1920s. I hope you enjoy this fictional tale.

LOOKING FOR A JOB Benny, being a young lad and just getting out of

Benny Pallisterchronicled what it was like to work in the mine in its early days.

school, was eager to find a job. He had heard of a salt mine opening under the Carey Salt Company, southeast of town. So he rode the trolley down to the Carey Salt corporate offices at 1 East Avenue B, just around the corner from their old salt works on Main Street. He was told by the corporate secretary to apply at the

the source ofthat strange

smell washanging fromthe ceiling.

(See I WAS, page 6)

BENNY WOULD HAVE USED A CARBIDE LAMP (CIRCA 1930) VERY SIMILAR TO THIS. MADE OF BRASS, THIS LAMP HAS A SMALL RESERVOIR AT THE BOTTOM FOR STORING CALCIUM CAR-BIDE AND A DEVICE ON TOP FOR ADJUSTING THE FLOW OF WATER. (1987.162.382)5

mine. So he rode the trol-ley down A Street to the Larabee Mill, then hitched a ride on the Ark Valley Interurban railway that ran right past the mine. At the mine, young Benny talked to the mine foreman who told him they were looking for some strong young men. “We pay 50 cents a car load that you help with, but while you’re learn-ing you will only make a dime,” he said. “You’ll need a pick, sledgeham-mer and shovel that I’ll sell you. It will come out of your first check. You’ll need a carbide lamp. I can sell you that and the carbide, too. If you want the job be here at 7 a.m. tomorrow and wear a cap.”

ARRIVING AT WORK Benny was early to the mine, arriving at 6:30. He had to wait around as the other men showed

up. One by one they went into the red brick building behind the hoist house. So, of course, Benny had to go in to see what was there. As he walked into the building, a foul odor struck him. It was the

odor of sweat and grime, like clothes that were worn too many days in a row. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at him, but just for a brief instant. They then went on about their business of changing clothes in preparation for work. It was then that he realized where that odor was coming from. In the rafters of the building were clothes hanging from baskets on ropes that fastened to the walls. There must have been 60 baskets. Men were changing into clothes that were hanging drying from the previous day’s work.

u

THE TRAIN CREW MULE DRIVER AND SWITCHMAN ARE

SHOWN AT LEFT PICKING UP AND CHANGING OUT THE

3.5-TON CARS. THE LOADING CREW IS IN THE BACK.

BENNY WOULD HAVE USED THE SLEDGEHAMMER,

PICK AND SHOVEL, SHOWN HERE, WHILE MINING.

6

(Continued from page 5) The mine foreman spotted Benny and came over to speak with him. He asked Benny, “Did you bring a change of clothes?” “Well no, I did not think of that,” Benny replied, as he watched men starting to file out past him, wear-ing bib overalls. “Grab your hat and we will go underground.” “My hat!” Benny thought. “I was supposed to bring a hat. I wonder why.”

GOING UNDERGROUND THE FIRST TIME As he followed the fore-man outside he noticed it had begun to rain. They crossed the road and he saw a staircase leading up to the shaft. The shaft was a mighty-looking struc-ture as it was made from

I was supposed to bring a hat?concrete and you could see the skip moving as it passed by the landing. Standing in the rain, Benny watched as the first group of men got onto the left skip below the bucket. He heard three bells, then three more bells, and finally one bell and the skip began to move down. He could see two cables moving as the men descended into the mine. Soon the right cable pulled up another bucket and skip identical to the first. It stopped at the bucket for a minute and then slowly moved up to the landing. The group of men stand-ing with Benny began to move toward the skip. They crammed themselves onto it until there were 12 men jammed together in a space 48 by 50 inches.

Benny’s arms were wedged at his sides by the bodies of the men around him. He looked up and watched the sky as it got farther away until it was just a dot. At the mine level the men quickly sprung off the skip. A couple of bare light bulbs dimly lit the area. As Benny stepped off the skip he became nervous, goose bumps of excite-ment welled up on his arms. Wow, he thought, I am really deep under-ground!

LIKE NOTHING EVER IMAGINED Underground was noth-ing like what he had imag-ined. His only previous experience was going into a cave he and his cousin had found in northern Kansas. The mine was much

MINING IN THE

1920S WAS OFTEN

BACK-BREAKING

WORK, AS SEEN BE-

LOW. AS BENNY DIS-

COVERED, LOADING

WAS OFTEN DONE

IN PAIRS, WEARING

THE UBIQUITOUS

OVERALLS.

7

(See SETTLE, page 8)

BENNY KNEW HE HAD REACHED ROOM NUMBER “5” WHEN HE LOOKED UP TO SEE A NUMERAL “5” SIMILAR TO THIS ONE THAT WAS DRAWN WITH A CARBIDE LAMP ON THE ROCK WALL.

a battery-powered “mule”

pulled thetrain loadedwith miners.

wider than the higher ceil-ing. To his right the room he was in curved out of sight. Directly in front of him was a large steel apparatus with train rails running through it. As he looked left he could follow the rails as they curved off out of view. He followed the other men off to the right. Across the tracks was a door in the salt wall. The foreman opened it and went in. He soon came out with a pick and shovel and handed them to Benny.

TRIP TO THE FACE The men began climbing into a mine car, joining the men from the skip before. The small bat-tery-powered mule pulled them down the tracks. Bang, bang, bang, bang was heard as each mine car was pulled to life.

Each car was connect-ed to the next by a large three-link chain. The ride was bumpy and rough. The train jerk-ed them around as they rode along. The wheels sang a loud click-clack as they passed over endless joints. Sudden-ly they were all jolted to the right as they turned down a switch cutting across to another entry. Rooms flew by as they passed them. A lot of mining had already taken place here.

AND THEN HE HAD LIGHT When they got to the face of the mine everyone quickly climbed out of the cars. The mine foreman yelled, “Benny come here.

Do you know how to use a carbide lamp?” “No,” Ben-ny replied. “Well, watch me, then you try.” Benny watched carefully as the foreman unscrewed the bottom from his car-bide lamp. He dumped some carbide from a flask into the bottom then screwed it back on. He then opened a small lid on top and poured water in from a jug. “Now you see this lever,” the foreman indicated, “You adjust the water drip with this lever and that determines how bright your light is.”

THE LAMP LIT WITHA LOUD POP Benny watched as he cupped the reflector of the light in his hand and lit the lamp. A bright white light emitted from the lamp. “Wow!” Benny thought. “It should last you a couple hours if

you don’t have it too bright. Now you

try.” Nervously Benny copied the procedure step by step. When it came

to lighting the lamp he had trouble

on the first try. He tried again, and the lamp lit with a loud pop. “The gas built up on ya’,” the foreman ex-plained. “If you had a cap you could hook the lamp to it like this.” Benny watched as the foreman slipped the hook on the

8

(Continued from page 7)back of the lamp into a hole in his cap above the brim. “I guess you will just have to settle for sett’n it on a rock.” Benny saw a sledge, and a small metal wedge on the floor. “What’s this?” he asked while picking up the wedge. “It’s a gunior (sounds

like junior with a G),” the foreman explained. “It’s like a wedge you use with the sledge to split rock. Now go down to room 5 and help Tom and Joe.”

OFF TO WORK Benny followed the rail down the passage going past rooms in which other men were busily load-ing mine cars. Finally he came to room 5 with its designation written on the wall with a thin black line. He wondered what they used to write it with. The room was 50 feet wide, 6 feet high, and about 200 feet deep. Ben-ny, being a man of 6’ 2,”

“Settle for sett’n it on a rock”quickly realized the impor-tance of that hat he was supposed to bring with him. There at the back the two men were hurriedly loading the salt from a big pile into the car. “We like to load in a pattern,” Tom said. “Joe usually starts against the wall and I start next to the car. We work our way

left. That way we can load at about the same rate all day.” “That’s why we are the fastest muckers!” they bragged. “Why, we once loaded nine cars in a day! You grab a broom and sweep and shovel up the floor as we go.” Benny quickly finished the task assigned and began shoveling salt as quickly as he could into cars. They soon filled the two cars assigned to them and pushed them out, howling the whole time for more cars. When the mule driver came with the locomotive, he handed each a chip for

the cars that were loaded. “Whatever you do, don’t lose one of those chips. If you do, you won’t get paid for that car.” Soon it was lunch and the men found three nice boulders for seats. Benny pulled a sandwich from his bag and ate. Tom and Joe also dug out their lunches. Tom had brought some peaches in a ma-son jar, and Joe brought some fried chicken and an apple. As they ate, Benny’s mind wondered back to the number “5” on the rib wall of this room. Always inquisitive, Benny asked how the “5” was written on the wall. “With a carbide lamp like this,” said Tom as he got up off his boulder and walked to the rib. He took the lamp from his cap and placed the flame against the wall of the rib. He then drew a picture of a mon-key face on the wall. “Quit monkeying around! Back to work!” Joe said with a grin. “We got cars to load.”

AN IN-DEPTH TOUR The mine foreman came by to talk to Benny. “Well, how are ya’ doing?” “He’s doing great!” Tom yelled out. “I’m trying to keep up,” Benny admit-ted. “Good,” said the foreman. “Come with me. I want you to see the rest of the face of the mine.” They walked back to the entry and around the corner to the next room, number “6.” There the drillers were drilling holes

THE DRILLING CREW THAT BENNY WOULD

HAVE SEEN IN THE ‘20S OR ‘30S WOULD HAVE LOOKED SIMI-

LAR TO THIS PHOTO-GRAPH. THE CREW

USED A POST DRILL TO DRILL THE 39 HOLES USED TO

BLAST THE ROOM. IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH, THE UNDERCUTTER

CREW IS BEHIND THEM, BEGINNING TO CUT THE ROOM. (FROM 1997.40.02)

9

theundercutter:

a beast of a machine

(See THE NOISE , page 10)

using a post drill with the luxury of an electric light. That’s an odd contraption, Benny thought, as he examined the machine a little closer. About that time the men finished up that set and began taking down the drill to move it farther left to finish the room. One man released the drill steel (auger) and pulled it free of the drill while the other man lifted the drill from the post. They both sat the drill near where they were moving next. The men unscrewed two big bolts on the bottom of the post and then lowered the post to the floor. They then dragged it a few feet and stood it up again. They then reassembled the drill in reverse. Soon they were drilling again. First the top hole, then the middle, and finally the bottom hole in three rows. They left the room, walked back to the entry,

and, as they rounded the corner, Benny could hear a machine running. Salt dust lay heavy in the air as they neared a glow

toward the face of the room.

“That’s the undercutter,” explained the foreman. It was a beast of a

machine gnawing its way across the

room along steel cables stretched pillar to pillar. One man was shoveling loose salt out from in front of the machine as it dragged itself across the room. The other was scooping salt away from an auger in the back of

the machine. The noise was deafen-ing and Benny put his hands over his ears as he watched. “What’s the mat-ter kid? Too loud for ya’?” the foreman asked. “You’ll get hardened to it after a while.” Again they walked to the entry, and this time they walked across to the other side of the panel where there were more rooms. They followed the rail into a room where two more men were working. “These are the powder men,” the foreman indi-

cated. “Never come into a room where these men are

BENNY J. PALLISTER,

TOP ROW FAR RIGHT,

PARTICIPATES IN A

FIRST-AID SAFETY

CLASS GIVEN IN 1952.

NOTE THE EXTRA WORK

CLOTHES HANGING

ABOVE THE MINERS,

SIMILAR TO THOSE OUR

FICTIONAL BENNY DIS-

COVERS ON HIS FIRST

DAY ON THE JOB.

ALTHOUGH TOM WAS

JUST “MONKEYING

AROUND” IN OUR

FICTIONAL TALE, THIS

ACTUAL CARBIDE-

DRAWN MONKEY FACE

IS REAL AND CAN

STILL BE SEEN UN-

DERGROUND WITHIN

A COUPLE HUNDRED

FEET OF THE MAIN

SHAFT. IT WAS DRAWN

DURING THE ERA IN

WHICH OUR REAL B. J.

PALLISTER WORKED,

(CIRCA 1930S.)

10

benny flinchedas if expectingthe dynamite

to go off with allthe pounding.

(Continued from page 9)working,” the foreman warned. Benny watched as the men split sticks of dy-namite with a knife and shoved them into holes. On the third stick, they stuck a cap into it and wrapped the wires around it. Every two sticks they stuck a long wooden pole into the hole and pound-ed it down against the dynamite. Benny flinched as if expecting the sticks to go off with each pound-ing action. Once finished loading the sticks into the holes, the men wired all the holes together in a series. They then ran two wires out to the entry and around where they shunt-ed the wires together. “We will shoot it at quitting time,” the powder man said. “I think it’s time to get you back to the crew,” the foreman told Benny.

DAY’S END When Benny got back to Tom and Joe he saw they had loaded two more cars. “Done with your tour?” Joe asked. “We could sure use some

help,” Tom added. Benny put his back into load-ing cars and they filled cars at a feverish pace. Soon the foreman came by and yelled, “Quitting time!” Tom, Joe and Benny dropped their tools and walked towards the mantrip. Benny reached into his pocket to see how many chips he had. He counted

them, and then counted them again. He asked Tom, “How many chips should I have?” Joe an-swered with a question of his own, “How many you got?” “Well, I think I have nine, is that right?” “I can’t believe it myself but we loaded 11 cars today ourselves. It’s because you helped us,” said Tom. “Thanks,” agreed Joe. “We don’t usually do this good with a new guy.”

FIRE IN THE HOLE! As they waited in the mantrip Benny heard a faint “Fire in the hole!” yelled three times. Then he heard the loud roar of the first room going off. Benny nearly jumped out of his skin. The other men around him paid little, if any, attention to the blast. “What’s the matter, kid?” Joe laughed. “The noise scare ya’?”

WHEN THE FORE-

MAN WARNS BENNY

NOT TO COME INTO

THE ROOM WHEN

“… THESE MEN ARE

WORKING…,” HE IS

REFERRING TO A

POWDERMAN, ABOVE,

WHO IS LOADING A

FACE WITH DYNA-

MITE. THE ELECTRIC

CAP LINES CAN BE

SEEN COMING OUT

OF THE ALREADY

LOADED DRILL

HOLES. THE ROD IN

HIS HAND IS A TAMP-

ING POLE USED TO

GENTLY COMPACT

THE DYNAMITE IN

THE HOLE. THE POW-

DERMAN’S CARBIDE

LAMP IS EASILY

VISIBLE ATTACHED

TO HIS BASEBALL-

STYLE HAT.

“The noise scare ya?”

11

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800-760-5315 620-662-5315

About then he heard another “Fire in the hole!,” then again a blast. He saw the smoke from Tom’s cigarette jump side to side in a peculiar motion. “Well, I never seen smoke move like that!” Benny thought aloud while Tom and Joe laughed. Back at the shaft, they waited in line at the fore-man’s office to get credit for their chips. Benny was first and handed the fore-man his nine chips. The foreman raised an eyebrow and looked at Tom and Joe. They were both grinning. “Well, you did good, son!” he exclaimed. Then Tom and Joe handed in their chips. The foreman started to say something when Tom said, “The boy is that good, boss!”

BACK TO THE TOP The men were eager to go back topside. Again they squeezed onto the skip. Benny heard the now familiar bells. Up they went in a jerk. Ben-ny’s ears popped as they rose. Soon they were on the surface. The sun seemed brighter than before, the air sweeter, and the sky bluer. “I’m a miner,” Benny thought.

Although this scenario is fiction, B. J. Pallister, upon whom the story is based, worked for the Carey Salt Company for 40 years from about 1931. His experiences began in a similar fashion to Ben-ny’s – loading cars with a Number 2 shovel. By the time Pallister

MYRLE D. MONTGOMERY, BELOW, MADE THESE WOODEN LUNCH BUCKETS BY HAND IN THE ‘50S. THE LUNCH BUCKET PLAYED A BIG ROLE IN THE DAY OF A MINER.

retired 40 years later, he had risen to the position of Mine Manager. Pallis-ter compiled memories of his career in an essay entitled, “40 Years of Salt Mining.” It is available for further research in the Vaden Stroud Research Library of the Reno Coun-ty Museum.

12

T

INTOTHE

DARK he weather outside is frightful, but un- derground is so delight-ful.... New attractions are coming to STRATACA in 2015! Over the past few years we have added a lot of new things, both large and small. The Salt Mine Express, our underground train, was huge, and finishing the underground restroom complex was awesome! And there’s more: A video about the work life of current miners … movie memorabilia from “The Monuments Men” … a temporary exhibit about

By Gayle Ferrell, KUSM Director of Operations

World War II … a Salt Safari Adventure Hike into virtually untouched areas of the mine … an interac-tive app about the under-ground geology displayed on tablets in the Permian Room … changing our name … the Attic, a small topside gift shop.

But we are not done! We will not stop growing and changing! So what is next?

n The Safari Shuttle: Visitors will be able to take a 90-minute ride, rather than a three-hour hike, out into a virtually untouched area

of the mine to see natural salt beauty never before available to the public. A maximum of 12 guests will depart twice a day for this unique Strata-ca adventure that will of-fer some handicapped-ac-cessible features, and allow visitors as young as 10 to participate. This offers a less chal-lenging alternative to the three-hour Salt Safari Hike. Fee for the shut-tle ride is in addition to the Strataca admission charge.

n Tour de Salt: Not a race or obstacle course, this is the ultimate un-derground bike ride! It’s a leisurely ride through spectacular salt tunnels

ADVENTURESOMETRIAL RUN BIKERS

13

(See MORE, page 15)

h

FOR MORE INFOR-

MATION ON THE

INTERACTIVE APP

ON THE GEOLOGY

LAYERS UNDER-

GROUND, SEE

PAGE 15.

AND DON’T FORGET

TO CHECK OUT THE

CALENDAR ON

PAGE 22 FOR MORE

STRATACA EVENTS.

EXHIBITS ARE LIST-

ED ON THE BACK

COVER, PAGE 24.

and past massive salt walls – all in the dark! And all on rough, raw, mined salt paths! Riders must bring their own helmet light, knee pads, elbow pads and fat-tire bike (or similar). Details are forthcoming this event, October 10-11. Registration is limited as riders and bikes must be transported down and back up in the hoist. We’re still deciding if we’ll offer an overnight get-acquainted event with fellow riders and/or a family tour. We hope the Tour de Salt, a fundraiser for Strataca, will become an annual event with an ever-increasing group of interested riders.

n Boom Room: Still coming is the opportunity for visitors to hear a REAL

mine-face BLAST! Actual video and sound from the mine face will be replayed in a soundproof room. Installed in the Mining Gallery, the experience will be free with Strataca admission!

n More Murders in the Mine: We have hosted 24 Murder in the Mine shows since 2007.

Characters have includ-ed Columbo, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, the Brady Bunch, Indiana Jones, Santa Claud (aka Claus), characters from the board game, “Clue,” and many others. Interactive dinner the-atres scheduled for 2015 include:

Saturday, March 7: “Burying the Mob” (a

Mafia spoof)

Saturday, August 22: Show title to be announced

Friday, Dec, 11, and Sunday, Dec. 13: Show title to be announced

These shows have been selling out! Cost is $55/person or a table of eight for $400. The fee includes dinner, entertainment and admission to the

THESE BIKING PHOTOS WERE TAKEN DURING A “TRIAL RUN” OF THE TOUR DE SALT IN OCTOBER. PARTICIPANTS – RCHS BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL ARMOUR, ADVENTURE MONKEY ERIC BENJAMIN, AND JIM CUMMINS AND LELAN DAINES FROM DIRTY KANZA PROMOTIONS – EXPLORED THE GALLERIES ON THEIR BIKES AND EXPERIMENTED BIKING ON VARIOUS SUR-FACES THROUGHOUT STRATACA.

Y

14

ou can just call him “AudioMan!” RCM’s newest volun-teer, Aaron Wooldridge, is working on a large digiti-zation project, and it all involves audio files. Aaron will be playing a significant role in produc-ing our next exhibit based on the life and collection of Pat Mitchell, poet, histo-rian, artist and author of the two-volume postcard books, “The Fair City.”

AUDIO TO DIGITAL With a wealth of knowl-edge and the ability to hear Pat Mitchell’s actual voice, our intent is to use clippings of the recordings in the upcoming exhibit. To accomplish this, cas-sette tape recordings will be converted to digital audio files. AudioMan to the rescue! Enter Aaron Wooldridge with his vast experience converting and utilizing audio files. A newcomer to Hutchin-son, Aaron has enjoyed

living in vastly different areas of the United States. Raised in Ridgecrest, Calif., Aaron joined the Navy at age 23 and was stationed in Norfolk, Va., where he repaired aircraft electronics. “I liked the work … I miss the work and the people I worked with,” Aaron said of his two-year stint. After the Navy, Aaron

spent two years in Ohio with his sister, then moved to Quincy, Ill., where “You could see the Mississippi from my back-yard.” He went to work for a company that built televi-sion transmitters, followed

by a stint in retail. After five years in Quin-cy and at the encourage-ment of his friend, Ashley Maready, Reno County Mu-seum Chief Curator, Aaron made the move to Hutchinson. He’s currently working for Home Depot … and putting his audio and recording skills

to good use at RCM. Music has long been a big part of Aaron’s life. He taught himself to play guitar at age 15, and has written and recorded his own music, much of it hard rock and heavy metal.

ONE FOOT IN MUSIC He worked continuously on his music and record-ing until he slowed down while living in Illinois but “I always kept one foot in there,” he added. While in Illinois, he recorded and edited ser-mons from the Unitarian church to be used in pod-casts. He also assisted his girlfriend’s father in his semi-professional karaoke jockey business. Aaron admits to always wanting to be a profes-sional musician, playing guitar and singing in his own band. However, he added, he’d enjoy produc-ing music or recording audio books just to be part of the music industry in some way.

INTERESTS VARIED When not working on music, Aaron spends time reading history, science, religious scholarship and science-fiction books. He also owns a dog and two ferrets. “I spend more time grooming my beard,” he confesses, “than most women spend on their hair.” RCM is certainly glad that Aaron has generously volunteered to digitize the Pat Mitchell tapes. Thank you, AudioMan!

Calling AudioMan...

S

MITCHELL PASSED

AWAY IN 2001. HER

ENTIRE COLLEC-

TION OF HUTCHIN-

SON- AND RENO

COUNTY-RELATED

MEMORABILIA AND

INFORMATION WAS

DONATED TO THE

MUSEUM. INCLUDED

IN THE COLLECTION

WAS A SET OF 20

CASSETTE TAPE RE-

CORDINGS OF MITCH-

ELL’S RADIO SHOW,

“HISTORICALLY

SPEAKING,” WHICH

AIRED ON KWBW IN

1987.

AARON TO THE RESCUE

aaron haswritten and

recorded his own music … a big

part of his life.

h

h15 h

WITH JUST A TOUCH ON THE SCREEN OF ANY OF THE THREE IPADS (ONE SHOWN ABOVE), THE NEW APP TAKES VISITORS ON A “DESCENT” FAR UNDERGROUND TO ONE MILE BE-NEATH THE SUR-FACE. VISITORS CAN “DISEMBARK” AT VARIOUS DEPTHS ALONG THE WAY TO DISCOVER MORE IN-FORMATION ABOUT THE GEOLOGIC FOR-MATIONS ON THE WAY DOWN.(Continued from page 13)

Mining Gallery and movie costume exhibit. (See page 22 for details.)

n Gift cards: We are goin’ plastic! Gift cards will be available both online and at the ticket window and

can be loaded with what-ever amount you want to give! They can be used for any tour or event at Strataca. We still have more in the hopper! But I don’t want to tell you EVERYTHING!

More in the hopper

trataca visitors can now get a sneak pre-view of our future geology exhibit! This sneak peek comes in the form of a brand new tablet program that shows what lies beneath the sur-face of Hutchinson … and even beneath the under-ground salt museum. The special app was cre-ated exclusively for Strata-ca by Reflective Group, of Baldwin City, Kansas, using grant money gra-

ciously provided by Shell Oil for the development of our future geology exhibit. But before the full exhibit opens, visitors will get an up-close and personal view of what lies beneath. When visitors exit the hoist under-ground, they can enter the adjacent Permian Room to find three iPads ded-icated exclusively to the program. On the iPads visitors can watch an animated

hoist descend one mile into the Earth, far deep-er than 650 feet where Strataca is located. As the hoist descends, the interactive program pro-vides information about the aquifer, the different types of rocks to be found, the oil reservoirs, and, of course, the salt itself.

TABLETS BIG HIT The tablets have been a very engaging attraction for visitors so far, and they are a perfect way to introduce them to the geology of salt and sur-rounding substances. Currently under devel-opment, the future geolo-gy exhibit will bring an ex-pansion of the information presented on the iPads as well as other interactive features to engage and inform our visitors. Come visit Strataca to check out the tablets!

What lies beneath??!!S

16

(See KIDNAPPINGS, page 18)

“W

Linda SchmittExecutive Director,

Reno County Historical

Society

LegacyThe legacy of...

elcome to LEGACY, the quarterly journal of the Reno County Historical Society. Inside this issue you will find a variety of articles and columns pertaining to history, the Reno County Historical Society, and other histori-cal institutions throughout Kansas. I hope that you enjoy reading through all of these.” – Michael Knecht Fall 1989 Volume 1, Number 1

For 25 years the Legacy quarterly magazine has been part of the Reno County Historical Society. Mainly available for members, it has provided high quality articles and photos illustrating the many aspects of life in Reno County spanning

140 years. Often scholarly with articles by guest authors, Legacy educated, en-tertained and informed members of the historical society and the commu-nity about upcoming programs and events and even happenings at our two museums. The main article in the first Legacy was “Who Was Jesse Reno?” written by Mary Lynn Baker. The cover of the magazine was a line drawing of Jesse Reno by Pat Mitchell who was also the author of an-other article entitled, “The Bisonte.”

In 2011, due the high cost of mailing and de-creased advertising, the magazine went digital and became accessible to all

with Internet access via the RCM and Strataca websites where they are now archived for easy accessibility.

In looking over the 94 hard-copy issues and the 17 online issues that exist, many stories stand out. Here are a few of my favorites:n Fall 2002: “Hometown Boy Gone Bad,” written by Pat Garwood, tells how Hutchinson resident Dick Broadwell met his fate as a member of the infamous Dalton Gang.n Summer 2002: “The Enduring Legacy of Delos V. Smith” by John Eberlyn Summer 2010: “Tales talk of things that go … Bump in the Mine” by Myron Marcotten Spring 2011: “KID

FALL 2002 FALL 2002 SUMMER 2002

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FALL 1989 FALL 1990 FALL 1990

FALL 2011 SUMMER 2014

FALL 2013 SPRING 2013 FALL 2012

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(Continued from page 16)NAPPED … editor nabbed in bizarre fiasco,” by William Rexroad, re-counts the kidnapping of W.J. Turpin, editor of the Hutchinson Herald, as a result of a slanderous article published in the paper. n Winter 2011: “Bold Ben Blanchard ... the facts and the fiction” by Linda Schmitt. Yes, I’ll admit I’m partial to this one and remember the fun I had researching Ben, the dis-coverer of our salt deposit and founder of South Hutchinson. n Fall 1990: “The Kan-sas State Fair Buildings”

by Linda Laird and Pat Mitchell Since its beginning, Leg-acy has been produced in-house, by Catalyst Creative Services, and for many years by Jane Lee Communications, Ltd. with our own staff, presently and primarily Lynn Ledeboer, providing content and editing. Many sponsors over the years have made it pos-sible for this high quality publication to exist. Now, Jane is cutting back, and Legacy, in its present award-winning format, will end. We are looking for ways to continue bringing the

PAST ISSUES OF THE LEGACY ARE CURRENTLY AVAIL-ABLE AT THE RENO COUNTY MUSEUM IN OUR RESEARCH ROOM FOR YOUR CONTINUED ENJOY-MENT AND STUDY. HARD COPIES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE HUTCHINSON PUBLIC LIBRARY.

stories of Reno County to life for you and we’ll find them, whether through blogs, newsletters or collaborations with other entities. Right now, the RCHS is a regular con-tributor to “Hutchinson Magazine” and looks forward to a continuing relationship. Our deepest thanks to all those who have con-tributed articles, spon-sorships, editing, wisdom and other support to Legacy over the past 25 years. We also thank and appreciate all of you who found insight, enjoyment and knowledge within its pages.

Kidnappings,Bold Ben and more

SUMMER 2010

FALL 2014

Lee

It’s been agreat ride!

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I n this final issue of the Legacy, we would like to introduce you to the creative wizard behind the scenes who has made all the magic happen, Jane Lee. In 2005 Jane was asked to take over, rede-sign and produce the Legacy for the Reno County His-torical Society. As owner of the public rela-tions firm, Jane Lee Communica-tions, Ltd., Jane’s experience was perfectly suited to providing a more modern, profes-sional look to the well-established Legacy. Jane had always liked to write, deciding on a career in journalism and becoming a news-editorial major at the University of Kansas. She worked as a reporter for about six years at the Lawrence Journal-World newspaper.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS After a break for her children, Jane took a pub-lic relations job for a hos-pital in Hays. When her family moved to Hutchin-son in 1984, Jane opened her own business utilizing contacts she had made in Hays, gradually expand-ing her base to include a wide variety of clients. When asked about her favorite projects through-out the years, Jane re-

plied, “Probably the most satisfying experience has not been with a particu-lar client or project, but rather in performing the background research, creating a strategy or materials, then seeing it

all successfully come together for the client.” Jane does have a favorite issue of the Legacy, howev-er. It is the very first issue she worked on that included an ar-ticle about Solo-mon Butler, an African-Ameri-

can from Hutchinson who was an all-around world-class athlete. He failed to qualify for the 1920 Olympics when he was injured.

FASCINATING & FUN “The story of this Hutchinson native and the fantastic photos from the Reno County Muse-um and other museums made this one of the most fascinating – and fun – issues I’ve worked on,” Jane explained. “I’ve never failed to be amazed at the fascinating stories about Hutchinson and Reno County history and the in-credible store of photos in the museum’s collection.” Jane’s background is just as fascinating as the stories she has worked on. Born in Kansas City,

but raised in New Jersey, Jane returned to go to college at KU, following in the footsteps of her par-ents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Her husband, John, is the retired CEO of Harris Enterprises in Hutchin-son. The couple has two daughters. Their oldest, Erica, and her husband Bryan are the parents of Jane’s 14-month-old grand-daughter, Iris. Erica does collection development for the Kansas City, Missou-ri library system. Jane’s younger daughter, Mer-edith, lives in Chicago where she is a vice pres-ident for LaSalle Invest-ment Management.

FINDING BALANCE When not crafting publications or materials for clients, Jane enjoys travel, reading, being with her granddaughter, and easing into the day with coffee and friends after a long walk. Jane is also active in her downtown Rotary club and has found a nice balance between leisure, book clubs, volunteer work and “real work.” Like that perfect sum-mer night or the dreamy first dance, we wish the “spell” would go on forev-er. But like all good tales, there must be an ending. We thank Jane Lee for flourishing her wand to make the Legacy sparkle.

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THE PREMIER

ISSUE IN THE NEW

FORMAT, WINTER

2005, WAS A FAVOR-

ITE. IT FOCUSED ON

SOLOMON BUTLER,

HUTCHINSON’S

WORLD-CLASS ATH-

LETE IN THE 1920S.

THIS AND SOME

SUBSEQUENT IS-

SUES WON A NUM-

BER OF STATE AND

NATIONAL AWARDS.

By Lynn Ledeboer RCM Curatorial Assistant

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IN-KIND DONORS

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Thanks for yourcontinued support

avid Gilmour, guitarist and vocalist for the rock band, Pink Floyd, has been quoted as saying, “I don't want to be a full-time member of Pink Floyd all my life.” Well, here’s to hoping that you, unlike Gilmour, will always want to be a mem-ber of Strataca and/or the Reno County Museum. Thank you for your gen-erous support of the Reno County Historical Society. Below is our full member-ship list as of January 7.

RCM STORYKEEPERS

Caretaker:Whitey & Shirley AlpersMs. Gladys S. BosMargaret & Elwin CabbageJim & Dianne CannonMary Janet & Bill CollinsSteve ConardHerchel & K.T. CrainerMaurice & Melva CummingsCarolyn & Dick DillonJohn & Jane EriksenFrank & Bonnie FeeFirst National Bank of HutchinsonBarbara FrizellRuth & Paul Dillon Donor Advised FundBill & JoAnn DrewsE. Francis HabigerJim & Sandra HaskellHeart of Kansas Quilt GuildDena HendershotGreg & Andrea HenneMelissa & Billy KlugRita LinggR. Wayne Lowe Donor Advised FundR.M. & M.L. LundquistEarl & Ticky McAdamsWally & Joan McKinneyJudith MielkeArlyn & Loretta MillerDr. Robert T. MorrisonKaren Hall OrrGary & Sue Poltera

Vern & Aavon PowersHelen RosenbladLois Schlickau Cliff & Vicki ShankLaura SnyderPhyllis SnyderJohn & Peg StephensRuth StigginsCharles & Patsy StudtPaul & Deb WaggonerBarry & Gale WallR. Clark WesleyGary & Nancy WithamJack & Donna WortmanJohn & Barbara WithrowRichard & Lillian YoungCleyon & Laura Yowell

Protector:Sally Holmes McPhersonAllen & Ila Stone

Restorer:M.E. ApplegateCharleen Bauer Dennis & Jennalee BoggsBob & Sharon DeVaultTremenda & Butch Dillon Donor Advised FundDHRP Downtown HutchinsonLew & Julane EdigerGene ElliottRichard & Jane Falter Martha FeePatty & Dan FossGreater Hutchinson Con- vention & Visitor BureauElizabeth I. HayesLona HinshawPam & Randy JohnstonKen & Barbara KeeferJudy LangleyDan & Georgia MaxwellKim & Cindy MooreRod NashDan & Brenda PaceVirginia RexroadF.E. Schoepf (Shep)Bill & Jennifer ScofieldRichard & Patti ShankSNB Bank of KansasLarry & Sue WagerleMichael Wesley

Mollie Mitchell & John WilsonJerry & Joan Wray

Guardian:Ed & Carol BergerMae BoggsDick & Marcia CooperTucker & Nation MeyerBill & Linda PfenningerVirginia RaylMerl Sellers

STRATACA CITIZENS

Picker:Ms. Gladys S. BosMargaret & Elwin CabbageJim & Dianne CannonMary Janet & Bill CollinsFirst National Bank of HutchinsonCarolyn & Dick DillonRuth & Paul Dillon Donor Advised FundBill & JoAnn DrewsJohn & Jane EriksenBarbara FrizellKatherine GoodenbergerE. Francis HabigerMelissa & Billy KlugR. Wayne Lowe Donor Advised FundMr. & Mrs. R. M. LundquistWally & Joan McKinneyArlyn & Loretta MillerDr. & Mrs. Robert MorrisonKaren Hall OrrGary & Sue PolteraHelen RosenbladCliff & Vicki ShankLaura SnyderJason SteeleCharles & Patsy StudtHeath WebsterGary & Nancy WithamJack & Donna Wortman

Digger:Charles & Bonnie BenscheidtJerry BlocherDennis & Jennalee BoggsLarry & Marilyn Bolton

Ann & Gordon BrownMaurice & Melva CummingsTremenda & Butch Dillon Donor Advised FundLew & Julane EdigerGene ElliottRichard & Jane FalterFirst National BankJan & David HickmanDel & Carol HueskeJack & Ginger KoellingJanice & Ron MooreSam & Judy OntjesTom & Kyle PhilbeckVirginia RexroadDr. & Mrs. David & Nancy RichmanLois SchlickauRichard & Patti ShankJohn & Peg StephensLarry & Sue WagerleBarry & Gale WallBarbara Williams

Driller:Mae BoggsJohn CatonDick & Marcia CooperDr. William & Kristine DavisJohn & Kris DoswellPatty & Dan FossSNB Bank of KansasMollie Mitchell & John WilsonJerry & Joan Wray

Blaster:Martha FeeGreater Hutchinson Con- vention & Visitor BureauRoger & Judy HawkTucker & Nation MeyerMerl Sellers

Miner:Boeing Company for PrevostMr. & Mrs. David KerrStephen & DeAnna MarshallDonna Swanson

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Like a fine wine needs time to age properly and reach its peak, it takes time to craft solid repairs to old wooden windows. As Wayne Morgan and his crew from Oakland Avenue Craftsmen in Wichita quickly discov-ered, no two windows in the Reno County Museum building were alike. Wayne began the first round of installation on a few RCM windows in mid-November. Already the bright white of the repaired windows has made a big difference in the outward appearance of the museum building. We look forward to the continued progress on the Adopt-A-Window repair project.

SOLOMON BUTLER

“LOOKS ON” AS

NEW WINDOWS

WAIT TO BE

INSTALLED.

WE WENT FROM THIS.... …TO THESE WINDOWS FACING AVENUE A

NEW OUTLOOKfor MUSEUM

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STRATACAHOURS

9 am–5 pm Tues–Sat1–5 pm Sunday

closed Mondays

last tour departs at 3 pm

advance reservations strongly recommended

allow about two hours for your adventure

SALT BLAST PASSour best deal

includes gallery tour,dark ride (both handi-

capped-accessible) and train ride:

adults: $19seniors (60+), AAA

and active military: $17children (4-12): $12.50

reno county residents: $14

strataca citizens: $8

children under 4 not admitted

due to mine safetyregulations.

pricing availableto add only dark ride

or train ride togallery admission.

all prices include sales tax.

special pricing forgroups over 28 and school groups witharrangements made

one week in advance.

3650 e. avenue g (at airport road)

hutchinson, ks 67501

620-662-1425toll-free 866-755-3450

underkansas.org

Murder in the Mineinteractive Mystery dinner theatre

“Burying the Mob”Saturday, March 7Start: 5 p.m. / End: 10 p.m.

$55 per person / $400 for table of 8Must be 18 years or older due to adult humor

Bootlegging, embezzling, counterfeiting – mobsters! The DeLuca family God-father is passing his reign of power to the most worthy criminal when some-one winds up in the river with “cement shoes.” Help finger the killer!

Includes buffet style dinner, interactive murder mystery entertainment, and access to the underground gallery and gift shop.

CHECK OUT STRATACA ATTRACTIONS ON BACK COVER, PAGE 24.

salt safari Mine adventure

Select Saturdays, 1 to 4 p.m.Limit: 20 hikersMust be 13 years or olderAdvance online reservations required

This challenging, rugged hike will explore raw areas of the mine, cover many miles, and last up to three hours. Hike is not handi- capped-accessible.

Strataca events fill up fast.Make your reservations for these special events soon!

Don’t miss out!

For details and reservations for all events:

underkansas.org 620-662-1425866-755-3450

Don’t miss these upcoming “killer” productions in our Murder in the Mine Dinner Theatre series:

n Saturday, August 22n Friday, December 11n Sunday, December 13

Tell your Scouts about the fabulous overnight saltadventures available in Strataca:

Watch for details on overnight adventures underground for both Boy and Girl Scouts. Scouts can also earn meritbadges through this program.

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RCM on the Road…CoMes hoMe

From 2011 to 2012, RCM travelled to 14 Reno County communities to display artifacts from those towns. The exhibits stayed up for six months. Now we are bringing this exhibit back to Hutchin-son for all to see. Also we are accepting photographs of current and historical items relating to any of the Reno County cities. We’ll display them along with this exhibit.

tough, Rough & Ready: Reno County tools a-ZThis tool-tally awesome exhibit displays an amaz-ing variety of tools that built Reno County.

RENO COUNTY MUSEUM

EXHIBITS & EVENTS

RENO COUNTYMUSEUM HOURS

9 am–5 pm tues-Fri

11-5 saturday

closed sunday

and monday

free admission

unless

otherwise

noted

100 S. Walnut

620-662-1184THE INDIAN MOTORCYCLE, ABOVE, THE LANTERN, AND OLD FORD, BELOW, ARE AMONG THE MANY ITEMS FEATURED INTHE MUSEUM’S ONGOING EXHIBITS.

Reno County tReasuRes: talks, tips, & tReats

These fun, informal workshops will focus on education, creativity and treats:• March 31: Book repair• April 18: Toys• May 30: Dolls• August 18: Photo- graphy For more information:

620-662-1184

a peek inside Reno County’s JewelRy Box

From rhinestones to fine gold, see what adornment Reno Countians have been wearing from themid-1880s through the 1960s.

tRanspoRtation galleRy See the Schuttler wagon, an Amish

buggy, the Indian motor-cycle, sidecar and much more.

pat MitChell and

heR FaiR City

Coming soon – an exciting new exhibit on the life and collections of the late Pat Mitchell, local historian, artist and author of “The Fair City.” You’ll be able to not only see the collection but also hear Pat’s voice.

reno county historical societyp.o. box 664hutchinson, kansas 67504-0664

return service requested

If your address changes, please call us at 620-662-1184.

The ShaftSee this engineering mar-vel that houses the six-ton double-decker hoist that transports visitors 650’ below ground.

StratadomeIntriguing and palatial, experience the grandeur of this vaulted salt room. Play in the Permian Playground filled with a variety of hands-on salt.Salt secrets exposed!

Mining GallerySee the Myron-mobile, a post-apocalyptic looking car driven by Mike Rowe, the host of the TV show “Dirty Jobs.” Discover modern day mining prac-tices versus mining in the past. Find out what a day in the life of a miner is really like.

Harry’s Habitat(Dr. Vreeland’s Fluid In-clusion Exhibit) The world’s oldest living organism, nearly 250 million years old and once encapsulated inside a salt crystal, is a resident of Strataca. Learn about its discoverers, Dr. Russell Vreeland and his team.

Salt Mine ExpressThis 15-minute train ride is a narrated, guided tour through a part of the mine that was active in the 1940s and ‘50s.

The Dark RideYour personal guide de-livers fascinating informa-tion on a 30-minute tram ride where you experience true “mining dark” and collect your souvenir piece of salt.

GE Engine No. 2One of only three such engines ever built, it is now on display outside of Strataca. Built in 1919, the train ran along a short railway line from 1928 to 1963 that provided switching services for the Carey plant and mine.

The Iodine Deficiency and Disorder StoryExplore the efforts of Kiwanis International and UNICEF in using salt to combat the devastating effects of iodine deficiency.

The Story of Under-ground Vaults & StorageView costumes and props from your favorite movies in this exhibit focusing on a unique underground storage business.

STRATACA ATTRACTIONS

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON EXHIBITS AND EVENTS AT OUR MUSEUMS, SEE PAGES 20-21.

WHAT WAS A MINER’S LIFEREALLY LIKE? ANSWER ON PAGE 4.