LARNED — Rural and local museums continually face the challenge of remaining historically accurate while staying relevant in today’s society.
In Kansas, an independent nonprofit continues to lead a “movement of ideas” that empowers Kansans to strengthen their communities and democracy. Since 1972, Humanities Kansas’s pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights.
With grant assistance from HK, the Santa Fe Trail Center and Museum in Larned is moving forward in keeping its historic information relevant. This Saturday, the SFTC will unveil a new interactive visitor experience, with plans to make the exhibit permanent. Titled “The Trail Through Their Eyes,” visitors can not only see but also hear 13 characters representing roles from Pawnee County’s history from the 1860s through 1910, as they recount accounts of traveling the Santa Fe Trail or becoming early homesteaders in the area.
The feature draws on volunteers, employees, and members of the Fort Larned Historical Society board, as well as residents with ancestral roots in Pawnee County. To participate, visitors hunt through the museum’s galleries to find QR code cards to scan with a phone or tablet to view a character’s brief video. Historical experts and scholars were consulted to ensure accuracy and thoughtful depictions in the stories being told.
The entire exhibit includes 13 characters, ranging in age from teenager to senior citizen. Their stories cover experiences such as a teenage homesteader and a military son, as well as trail laundress, mule driver, freedman farmer, trader, and more. A variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds are represented, illustrating the diversity of the early settlement period.
The character list and their voices include:
• Abigail, a teenage homesteader, voiced by Evelyn Brownlee
• Bridget, a trail laundress, voiced by Janessa Meckfessel
• Caleb, a mule driver, voiced by Duskin Bowman
• Caroline, a military daughter, voiced by Lily Snodgrass
• Domingo, an arriero (Hispanic muleskinner), voiced by Phil Perez
• Elijah, a freedman farmer, voiced by Vincent Caro Jr.
• Hank, a child homesteader, voiced by Jaxson Seeman
• Josiah, a trader, voiced by Landon Erway
• Koda, a Kiowa teenager, voiced by Hunter Hewson
• Lily, a minister’s wife, voiced by Dana Shepherd
• Maggie, a trail seamstress, voiced by Karen Gore
• Samantha, a military wife, voiced by Amanda Johnson
• Thomas, a military son, voiced by Maverick Robison
The new feature encourages visitors to explore other existing exhibits and displays, revealing more than they bargained for.
The exhibit requires a QR reader on a participant’s smartphone. Tablets are also available at the museum, and earphones or headphones are recommended. Other interactive elements include areas where visitors can take selfies with the characters they are following or learn a bit about calligraphy by writing a postcard.
SFTC Director Katie Norman noted that a goal of the project was to feature as many different groups as possible. “Visitors can pick one character to follow,” Norman explained. “As they go through the museum, there are six videos that tell about life on the Trail or early Pawnee County life through that character’s eyes. There is a seventh video for each character that connects the voice of the character to their family history in Pawnee County. Visitors can use our tablets or bring their own device and headphones to view the videos.
“We are offering a ‘Spring Break Special’ from March 14-21 — paid admission receives a free old-fashioned soda. This exhibit will be a permanent feature in our museum, so it will be available after Spring Break, too.”
All of these features will be available beginning Saturday, March 14. The Santa Fe Trail Center is located on K-156, two miles west of Larned. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
