Somewhere beneath the Kansas plains, history is waiting to be found. Tipi rings left by Indigenous peoples, the weathered bones of a farmstead, a schoolhouse floor, petroglyphs carved into stone — and, remarkably, remnants of a World War II Army Air Force presence. This June, a two-week field school in Russell, Kansas invites curious minds to help bring these stories back to the surface.
The Kansas Archeological Training Program (KATP) Field School, running June 4–15, is an annual collaboration between the Kansas Historical Society and the Kansas Anthropological Association.
It's not a spectator event — participants actually excavate alongside professional and experienced avocational archaeologists, getting their hands in the earth and their eyes on artifacts that have never been documented before. Many of the sites on this year's roster are being explored for the very first time, and new ones may yet be discovered during survey work in the field.
While registration for the main field school has closed, a full lineup of public programs, evening talks, and workshops runs throughout the two weeks — and all are open to anyone who wants to show up.
"Most of these sites have never been previously documented or researched."
What's happening, and when
Jun 5
KATP public program at the Deines Cultural Center
Russell · 7–8 p.m.
Jun 6
Evening tour of Fort Hays State Historic Site
Hays · 7–9 p.m.
Jun 8
Fossil Station Museum and The Avenue of History
Russell · 7–9 p.m.
Jun 10
Lab & field work tours + National Register of Historic Places Workshop (full day) + Evening talk: "From Early Naturalists of the Plains to the Sternberg Fossil Lab"
Russell · Multiple times
Jun 11
Talk: "Petroglyphs of the Kansas Smoky Hills" with Rex Buchanan
Russell · 7–8 p.m.
Jun 12
Talk: "Walker Army Airfield and the Battle of Kansas"
Russell · 7–8 p.m.
Jun 13
Lab & field work tours
Russell · 2–5 p.m.
All public programs are free to attend. Registration for the field school itself has closed.
For full schedules and details, visit kansashistory.org or call 785-272-8681.
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