Museums, Museums

What we have discovered on our road-trips across the U.S. is that every little town has its own museum of which they are very proud. Many of them are manned by volunteers anxious to tell their story. 

The last couple days we have focused on a museum in Wichita, Kansas and another in Oklahoma City. 

The Kansas Aviation Museum focuses on the city’s premier standing as the Air Capital of the World. It is the birthplace of iconic airplane manufacturers such as Beechcraft, Cessna, Stearman, and Learjet. In 1928 it turned out 1/4 of all airplanes in the U.S. and had 16 airplane manufacturers, 6 engine factories, 11 airports, and 6 flying schools. In the history of flight, Wichita based companies have produced 70% of all general aviation aircraft. Pretty impressive. The museum is housed in an old art deco air terminal. 

We watched a video about the Women’s Air Derby of 1929 where 20 women raced from California to Cleveland. It was known as the Powder Puff Derby. They all flew solo in open cockpit planes and were their own mechanics. Amelia Earhart was one of the competitors, but it was won by Louise Thaden in this plane. 

Today we visited the FAM—First Americans Museum in OKC. Just opened in 2021, it serves as a place to learn about the 39 tribal nations located in Oklahoma. 16% of Oklahoma’s population are tribal citizens. 

This map shows the various tribal nations that lost their land and were removed to Oklahoma. So sad. 

The Native American Hall of Fame is also at the site and includes recent inductees Jim Thorpe, Billy Mills (remember his appearance at NML?), Louise Erdrich, and Ada Deer from Wisconsin. 

In the Lap of Luxury

It’s been many years since we stayed at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, but it is as exquisite as ever. It was opened in 1918. 

The lounge where we sipped wine after dinner. 

The halls are lined with photos of all the famous people who have stayed at the Broadmoor. 

The chandelier in our room. 

View from the terrace restaurant. 

Entrance to the golf shop. 

Great Sand Dunes

A visit today to Great Sand Dunes National Park near Pueblo, CO. The huge dunes, North America’s tallest, are only about 11 percent of a 330 square mile deposit of sand. Some of the dunes are 750 feet high, twice the height of of the Statue of Liberty. We opted not to sand sled or sand board. 

Choo Choo

We drove north from New Mexico to Silverton, Colorado, elevation 9300 feet. For the first time I have experienced altitude sickness—not fun.  

We came so that Rick could ride the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway pulled by a vintage steam locomotive. It’s something he has wanted to do for the last 50 years. 

The line was built in 1881 to carry gold and silver from the San Juan mountains. It has been in continuous operation for 142 years. It’s a 3-1/2 hour ride through canyons next to the Animas river. The aspens are turning beautifully yellow and quaking in the breeze. 

Next on to Grand Junction on the western slopes for some hiking and golf. 

Georgia on my Mind

We had a terrific time in Santa Fe and Abiquiu, pursuing Georgia O’Keefe. The museum in Santa Fe did an excellent job of presenting her works and history. And seeing her home and studio gave us a real sense of this astonishing woman. She worked at art into her 90s even after she had macular degeneration. She learned pottery so she could feel the art with her hands.

Her living room and bedroom—both spartan. 

And the door she painted many times—one of the reasons she loved Abiquiu and decided to buy it. 

We even drove to Ghost Ranch, her other residence, which is only 13 miles away. She split her time between the two. 

Taos, New Mexico

We had a lovely day in Taos. We set off on a hike after the brilliant Packer win. The weather was perfect for our afternoon stroll. I say stroll but there was a lot of huffing and puffing since we aren’t quite acclimated to the 7000 feet elevation yet. 

Kit Carson lived in Taos and is buried here next to his third wife. He actually died in Colorado. He was known for so many great things. Sadly his treatment of the Native Americans was awful. 

Next on to Santa Fe and our immersion in Georgia O’Keeffe. 

Queen of the Cowtowns

Dodge City, Kansas has a lot of stories to tell but is well known for its Boot Hill. It’s Boot Hill Museum is located on the original site of the cemetery (along Wyatt Earp Blvd!) and provided a great history of the city. 

p.s. During the town’s first year, there were 30 killings, a little alarming since the town’s population was only about 500!

It began as Fort Dodge in 1865 to protect travelers along the Santa Fe Trail. When the bison were being hunted almost to extinction, the hides were sent east from Dodge. Interesting that almost 4 million tons of their bones were also valued and shipped. Then the era of cattle drives brought longhorns north to Dodge. The cattle boom ended in 1885. And then, of course, there are the stories of the lawmen—Earp, the Mastersons, Doc Holliday, and others. 

One of the best known, though, is fictional Matt Dillon played by Jim Arness. There is a huge statue of him outside the Visitor Center. Gunsmoke, the longest running TV western, ran for 617 episodes! And there is a Miss Kitty’s cafe in town. Even the big grocery store (a Kroger store, no less) is called Dillon’s. 

Fred Harvey started the Harvey House Restaurant in the Santa Fe railroad’s depot in Dodge.  He is credited with creating the first restaurant chain in the U.S.  

So, lots of fun history packed into a fairly small city. 

Next up, Taos, NM. 

More Americana

We are on our way to New Mexico to visit the Georgia O’Keeffe  museum and her home at Abiquiu. We stopped in Columbia, Missouri last night, home of the University of Missouri, the first state university west of the Mississippi. The traditional symbol of the school are six Ionic columns which upheld the portico of Academic Hall, the initial building on the campus. Built in the early 1840s, it burned down in 1892. However the columns were preserved. 

Near Columbia, is Fulton, MO, home to Westminster College and America’s National Churchill Museum. Who knew it even existed? The reason it is there is because Churchill made his Sinews of Peace speech at the school on March 5, 1946. It is when he notoriously said “an iron curtain has descended,” essentially the start of the Cold War. As interesting is the fact that the museum is housed in the lower level of the church of St Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury. The church was built in London after the fire of 1666 by Christopher Wren but was greatly damaged by bombing in 1940. The remaining materials were moved to Westminster College in 1966 and restored as the memorial to Churchill. 

An art installation nearby called Breakthrough consists of 8 panels from the Berlin Wall. It was dedicated by Ronald Reagan on November 9, 1990, exactly one year after the fall of the wall. 

.