| Listen to recent High Plains History episodes: |
 Valentine Diners-
Take a place at the counter, and order up some tasty facts about a popular do-it-yourself diner that appeared in many towns across the High Plains.
(aired
02/08/12) |
 Coon Creek Battles-
Today, we'll travel to Edwards County to investigate two hard fought battles in the Southern Plains Indian Wars.
(aired
02/01/12)
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 Ding Dong Daddy-
Turn your radio on and listen to the music in the air! You'll hear the song that became the Dumas, Texas trademark in the early days of Western Swing.
(aired
01/25/12) |
 Stage Coach Line-
It was sometimes rough riding on the first stagecoach service across the Texas Panhandle.
(aired
01/18/12)
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 Squirrels in Garden City-
The introduction of squirrels into the treetops of Garden City is credited to a man better known for larger animals.
(aired
01/11/12)
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 Republican River Flood- A storm in 1935 brought rain and then some to the Northwest corner of Kansas.
(aired
01/01/12) |
 Rawlins County Indian Battle-
A tour of battle sites in Northwest Kansas.
(aired
12/28/11)
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 Post Rock Country-
A visit to central Western Kansas uncovers some building blocks used by the pioneers.
(aired
12/21/11) |
 No Man's Land-
A narrow strip of land in the Indian Territory became a proving ground for pioneer tenacity.
(aired
12/14/11) |
 Founding of LaMar-
This story has the making of a good dime novel- suspense, intrigue, and the rustling of a railroad station.
(aired
12/07/11) |
 Diaries- Today we take a peek inside some journals written by women who homesteaded on the High Plains
(aired
11/30/11) |
 Dance Platform- The Texas Panhandle hosts a 100 year old tradition that calls for high steppin and good eatin.
(aired
11/23/11) |
 Country Doctor- A Ford County physician began a health campaign that took him from Kansas to a position of national prominence.
(aired
11/16/11) |
 Buffalo Meat Ranch- Ness County was the first stop for a couple of Englishmen who would eventually settle in the Texas Panhandle.
(aired
11/9/11)
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 Bird City Boys- A young man known as Slim landed in Bird City and stayed awhile before going on to become a world famous aviator.
(aired
11/2/11) |
 A Happy Choice- Today, you'll hear a childhood story from one of our listeners, Virginia Frantz. Virginia is from Guymon, Oklahoma. She was born February 28, 1924 near Granada, Colorado. The depression was full of hard choices, but to a young girl, one sacrifice was a happy choice. HPPR's own Barb Blevins tells Virginia's story.
(aired
10/19/11) |
 Ghost Light- Today's Halloween goblins and ghouls have nothing on an early day haunting i n Morton County, Kansas.
(aired
10/12/11) |
 Threshing Machine- Today, we'll go to Trego County to find the site of an early day Indian Attack.
(aired
10/05/11)
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 Robbers Roost- An outlaw outpost in the Oklahome Panhandle would make the Hole in the Wall Gang proud.
(aired
9/28/11)
|
 Prairie Fires- Early day fire fighting was often a community affair.
(aired
9/20/11)
|
 Pioneer Days-
A visit to a modern day school finds students learning about old fashioned ways.
(aired
9/13/11) |
 Panhandle Movies-
In the Texas Panhandle, a trip to the moving picture show was sometimes fancy, and always a treat.
(aired
9/07/11)
|
 Italian POWs-
A visit to a Texas Panhandle Church built in World War II reveals a surprising history.
(aired
8/31/11) |
 Windsor Hotel-
A look at a Garden City landmark that is facing a facelift and a new future.
(aired
8/24/11) |
 Dodge Names-
Today, we'll hear about some of the many monikers put upon Old Dodge City.
(aired
8/17/11)
|
 Wild Bill Hickok-
A look at the Fort Hays portion in the career of one of the wildest, legendary figures in the Old West.
(aired 8/10/11) |
 Dodge City Cowboy Band-
Today, we'll sing the praises of a group of musicians that made Old Dodge proud.
(aired 8/3/11) |
 Cimarron National Grassland-
Learn about the founding of a National Grassland near Elkheart, Kansas.
(aired 7/27/11) |
 Butterfield Overland-
Early day travel across Northwest Kansas was anything but comfy. (aired 7/13/11) |
 Boggsville- Trace the beginnings of an early day community in Southeastern Colorado.
(aired 7/13/11)
|
 Barbed Wire- Today, we'll meet the man who introduced barbed wire to the Texas Panhandle.
(aired 7/06/11) |
 The Rainmakers- Desperate times call for desperate measures, and when the rain never comes, maybe a rainmakers isn't such a bad idea.
(aired 6/29/11) |
 Velma
Wancura: Velma On- Today is the last episode with 104 year old Velma Wancura. She talks about true friendship, neighbors, government bail outs, and how it feels to live past the century mark. Velma passed away shortly after her interviews this spring. Time spent with her is a pearl in the necklace of my life. Thank you this final time to her grandson, Dan, and her daughter, Glenda, for making this adventure possible. ~Cindee Talley, Director of Regional Programming
(aired 06/22/11) |
 Velma
Wancura: Prejudice and Pride- Knowing who you are and where you're going can get you through a lot of things, including prejudice, even when it's personal. In today's story, Velma shares the thread of bias, as it touched her life.
(aired 06/15/11) |
Velma
Wancura: First Rain- When it rains- it pours. Literally and figuratively. That's the topic of discussion in today's High Plains History.
(aired 06/08/11) |
Velma Wancura: Dust Storms- Dust, dust, dust. It rolls in like thunder, drifts like snow, covers everything: your fields, pasture, sheets, counters... everything. It coats your lungs. Kills your animals. Today, you'll hear what it was like from someone who lived through it. The slideshow is photos of the dust storms from across the High Plains listening area.
(aired 06/01/11) |
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Velma Wancura: Tornado- It's early 1935. There's been no rain, no wheat crop, no grass in the pasture for some time, a new baby is due soon, and Velma and her husband, Ted, decide to get away for the day to attend a sale. Home isn't like they left it when they return.
(aired 05/25/11) |
 Velma Wancura: The Dry Years- The early 1930's. Can you imagine being a young woman, married to a farmer in a time where there is no rain, no crop to harvest, no grass in the pasture? That's the topic of today's High Plains History. The conversation with 104 year old, Velma Wancura of Dighton, Kansas continues.
(aired 05/18/11) |
Velma Wancura: Farming- This week, the story of Velma Wancura is about farming- growing up on a farm, and the memories of how things used to be done. You can hear Velma tell the whole harvest story by clicking here.
(aired 05/11/11) |
 Drive the Historic Byway- This week, Barbara Shelton and Chuck Bonner of the Keystone Gallery talk about "Drive the Byway" weekend. It's a celebration of Kansas- the first historic byway and the 150th birthday of the state. The 102 mile loop, with more spur options than you can count takes you on a time travel journey from the prehistoric to classic hot rods. Special events along the way begin Friday night. Click on the following links to choose your route:
westernvistashistoricbyway.com
ksbyways.org
keystonegallery.com
You can also fin out more by calling the Keystone Gallery at 620-872-2762, or emailing them at keystone@keystonegallery.com.
(aired 05/4/11) |
Velma Wancura: Education- This week the story of Velma continues. Today, we're chatting about education- the changes she's seen, and the strong role it played throughout her life.
(aired 04/27/11) |
 Velma Wancura: Family History- This week we begin a brand new adventure discovering stories of the past- told by those who have gone before us. Today, meet Velma Whipple Wancura, 104 years old from Dighton, Kansas. She's sharing how her family came to Kansas. A special thank you to Dan Wancura for all his efforts to have his grandma's story told.
(aired 04/20/11) |
 National Grasslands- In 1960, the National Grasslands program was born, and the HPPR broadcast area is home to five of the twenty designated areas.
(aired 04/13/11) |
 The Hitch Ranch- The area called, "No Man's Land," was aptly named, for it took a certain kind of steadfast strength and courage to trun settlement into success. A man named James Hitch weathered the hard times and created a cornerstone for the history of the Oklahoma Panhandle.
(aired 04/06/11) |
 Bent's Old Fort- This historic refuge on the High Plains was a melting pot of various cultures during the first half of the 19th century, and a major resting stop on the Santa Fe Trail.
(aired 3/30/11) |
 Dodge City Bullfights- Parades and fireworks were familiar ingredients for Independence Day in the Old West, but this particular 4th of July featured a special event from South of the Border.
(aired 3/23/11) |
 The Bivins House- A magnificent structure in the center of Amarillo started as a home for a leading frontier family. It then became the city library, and it now the center for numerous civic and cultural organizations.
(aired 3/16/11) |
 Early Day Whirlybirds- When the Wright brothers took wing, they opened the door to other flights of fancy, including some ideas about flying vertically that came from two different areas of Western Kansas.
(aired 3/9/11) |
 Kiowa County Wonders- In 2007, a deadly tornado tried to obliterate the county seat of Kiowa County, but a look at the past, present, and future of the area finds things are doing just fine.
(aired 3/2/11) |
 The Cowboy Way- In the early 1900's, Hollywood painted a pretty picture of the American Cowboy, complete with huge hat, wolly chaps, and a shiny guitar. A look at the job of a real cowboy shows something quite different.
(aired 2/23/11) |
 Amarillo Name Games- In 1887, the iron horse made its way through the Texas Panhandle, bringing prosperity and a few name changes to a place called Ragtown.
(aired 2/16/11) |
 Steven County Courthouse- For over 60 years, it was business as usual, and then some, at the school house turned courthouse, turned social center for the surrounding area.
(aired 2/09/11) |
 Battle of Beecher Island- A year after the Sand Creek Massacre, another bitter battle was waged between the U.S. Army and the Plains Indian tribes at the Arikaree Fork of the Republican River.
(aired 2/02/11) |
 Old Blue - One of the top hands on Charlie Goodnight's cattle drives was a gun-metal longhorn who was one of the best lead steers in the business.
(aired 1/26/11) |
 The Red Hills - The flatlands and rolling hills of Southwest Kansas give way to some amazing topography that was formed millions of years.
(aired 1/19/11) |
 Dinosaurs in Kansas - Our final look back at the ocean that covered the High Plains during the age of the Dinosaurs reveals... Dinos!
(aired 1/12/11) |
 Beach Combing Kansas - The ocean front of the Cretaceous was very different from your vacation spot of today.
(aired 1/5/11) |
High Plains History
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