Join us on June 28 at the Manhattan Public Library as we host Ron Wilson for a presentation of "Ridin' Trails and Writin' Rhymes: Cowboy Culture of Kansas."

Kansas was a key crossroads of frontier trails and it was the state which helped bring the legend of the cowboy to life, from Abilene to Dodge City and from the Chisholm Trail and "Gunsmoke" fame to the beef industry of today. This presentation shares the rich cowboy history and folklore of Kansas using stories and cowboy poems, presented by poet lariat (NOT laureate) Ron Wilson. Audience members will enjoy Ron's poetry that he says is "all original, humorous, family-friendly, patriotic, and most of the time, it even rhymes."

This event is made possible by Humanities Kansas as part of "By the People: Beyond 250," an initiative of the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University. He has served as a legislative assistant to Senator Nancy Kassebaum; as a staff member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Ron produces a weekly radio program and news column titled "Kansas Profile."

This webinar helps you piece things together—one memory at a time—without losing the plot. You’ll learn how to turn scattered recollections into a meaningful legacy, even if your writing confidence has been hiding in the margins. We’ll explore how life story writing isn’t just recounting the facts, discover tricks to jog your memory without pulling a muscle, and practice adding depth so your stories don’t feel flat (unless you’re writing about Kansas, in which case flat is historically accurate). You’ll uncover the life lessons tucked between the lines and learn how to share your wisdom without sounding like a fortune cookie.

Plantation records offer a remarkable depth of genealogical insight—not only into the families who owned the land, but also into the lives of the enslaved individuals and others whose stories are intertwined with these properties through labor, community, and proximity. In this session, you’ll learn effective research strategies for navigating these complex records and uncovering the histories waiting within them.

Join us for a joint viewing of this webinar followed by a facilitated discussion designed to help you explore and interpret these rich resources.

Tall Grass Express