Commentary

By "The Cowboy" Jim Gray

In early October, 1863, the Union Army was clearly succeeding in its effort to clear the Western Front of Confederate forces. Union General James G. Blunt had managed to retake much of Indian Territory from the Rebels by destroying their source of supply at Honey Springs, 20 miles from Fort Gibson.

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By Jerry Marsh

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these N.F.L. owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired.’” Donald Trump.

“I never signed up for that ...” Former NFL coach Rex Ryan and Trump supporter.

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The Walnut Creek crossing on the Santa Fe Trail, east of present-day Great Bend, Kan. was recognized very early on as a significant location along the trail. Indians, freighters, and soldiers regularly camped on the banks of the Walnut. Wagon trains and mail coaches were known to suffer attacks from native horsemen descending upon the valley from the bluffs above.

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One hundred fortybushel dryland corn in Norton County?

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Hunting the plains buffalo was the ultimate hunting experience for Kansas settlers. In early September, 1873, John Hannibal Trautwine, Alex Weaver, and Thomas Fall left their homesteads in eastern Kansas to harvest a winter meat supply on the great buffalo range of the high plains. Their trek to western Kansas was documented in a previous story taken from Trautwine’s diary.

Traveling by wagon, the hunters arrived at Stockton, Kan. on Sept.

18. They were now on the very edge of civilization. Nothing but grass could be seen beyond the visible horizon. Trautwine noted “ … none of the three have ever been on a buffalo hunt and we might make a sorry hunt of it by ourselves.” They hoped someone in Stockton could guide them.

Political Bites

The book, The American Spirit by David McCullough, could not be a timelier read. One of our nation’s foremost contemporary historians reminds readers of what it means to be an American and the spirit that binds us. I need not enumerate the issues that work to divide us. They bombard readers continuously via the various media. I do not want to say more about his message; I prefer that readers pursue it for themselves.

Suffice it to say that I read the book in one sitting. Although by no means a voracious reader, I have read a few books in my time and I cannot recall one that held my attention through one sitting. I am confident that anyone with an interest in this country and its history will find this book worth the time it takes to read it. I also suspect that, like me, they will want to share it.

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By "The Cowboy" Jim Gray
THE WAY WEST

Movies can certainly be exciting, but they often fall short when compared with real-life events. At 20 years of age Ned Wynkoop arrived at the Kansas Territorial Capital of Lecompton in the fall of 1856. There he cultivated a close relationship with Territorial Governor James W. Denver.

When gold was discovered in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains Governor Denver appointed Wynkoop Sheriff of the expansive Arapahoe County in what was recognized as a part of Kansas. Wynkoop was among the founders of Denver City on the glittering banks of Cherry Creek.

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By Aditi Katti
Special to the I-R

Imagine a governmentfunded anti-poverty tool that encouraged people to work. Now imagine that it’s popular with both Democrats and Republicans, in red states and blue.

Turns out we’ve had just such a tool since 1975: the Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC.

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THE WAY WEST
By "The Cowboy" Jim Gray

First-hand accounts of early travels over the plains of Kansas are always of interest.

“On the 3rd day of September 1873,” John Hannibal Trautwine set out on a buffalo hunt with his neighbors, Alex Weaver and Thomas Fall. The three left Weaver’s home on Elm Creek in the eastern part of Lyon County, Kan., at 9 a.m.

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By Jordan Hildebrand
Special to the I-R

A crowd quickly begins to assemble in the Pride of Kansas building at the 2015 Kansas State Fair. To the right is the state’s largest pumpkin grown that year; to the left are the best grain samples produced by Kansas farmers. But in the middle, under a sign playfully labeled “Old-timers” sits Bob Dole with his friend and colleague, Nancy Landon Kassebaum.

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