As you all know, the Journey Stagecoach recently went on its journey through Kansas, stopping in multiple places along the way. The host of Around Kansas and the Garvey Texas Foundation Historian at Fort Wallace Museum, Deb Goodrich, wrote an article that has gone out in multiple places around Kansas. The article is featured below.
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In the annals of great historic moments, last week was full of them.
Rick Hamby, intrepid cowboy from West Plains, MO, brought his 19th-century stagecoach to the far reaches of western Kansas and plied the Smoky Hill Trail from Mount Sunflower back to Monument Station (Monument Rocks). That trek took in three counties–Gove, Logan, and Wallace. The crew camped at or near the sites of the original Butterfield Overland Despatch stage stops. Since all of these are on private land (or that owned by the Nature Conservancy), the trip required the cooperation and generosity of several landowners: Ed and Cindy Harold, Davy Jones, Fraser Farms, Mark and Cindy Smith, Smoky Y Ranch, the Nature Conservancy and Little Jerusalem, and Norman Nelson. Thanks to their generosity the rest of us were able to experience these amazing locations.
Bev Broyles, promotions guru from Ozark Radio News, posted interviews along the way on OzarkRadioNews.com and lots of folks shared some amazing pictures. Check out the Facebook pages for Around Kansas, the Fort Wallace Museum, and the Western Vistas Historic Byway for evidence of the adventure!
It is difficult to describe exactly what this journey has been and the impact on these communities and everyone it touched. Rick is a man on a mission–not just to preserve the story of the American West and to perpetuate the Western lifestyle and values, but to share God’s love and connect with his fellow man on a personal level many folks never achieve. He is truly like a prophet of old, venturing into foreign lands with a sack of kids’ letters spreading the gospel of friendship.
Along the way, he has garnered followers–family, friends, strangers who became friends. Now his village has broadened to include our village.
While at Pond Creek Station, Mark Smith announced that he and Cindy are ensuring that this land and its rich history will be preserved for generations to come. It won’t be farmed or farmed out to wind turbines or oil wells. Artist Jerry Thomas, “mayor of Pond City,” told the crowd of the multi-layered past, of the personalities that stood where we were standing. Mark and Cindy’s recognition of this site’s significance and their efforts to preserve it are evidence of their community spirit and endless generosity.
If one word could be found to sum up the week, that might just be it–generosity. The gifts of time and effort were seemingly bottomless. The stagecoach crew themselves and those hosting them and helping along the way gave so much of themselves and their energy to create memorable experiences.
No one who was privileged enough to be a part of it will ever forget it.
