Museum visitors on Grasshopper Falls Day

by Betty Jane Wilson, society president

Visitors at the Valley Falls Historical Society Museum Grasshopper
Falls Day, Sept. 18, were:

Brent and Johanna Cobb, Oskaloosa; John Schoenfeldt, Ozawkie; Dot and
Bob Hensley, Olathe; Fred and Lynne Leif, Kansas City, Mo.; and Sonya
Staples and Hunter Aspindale;

Francis and Rosalie Hosler; Francis and Virginia Grollmes, Edna
Coleman, Jeanette Smith, Tamie, Richard, and Shelby Ferrell, Irene
Hurst, Tamie and William Willhite, Eleanor Pears, Kyle, Laura,
Jackson, and Myles Reich, Dera and Chris Erhart, Leo Grollmes, and
Ione Botkin, all Valley Falls.

Special hosts for the day were: Dodie Bolz, Dee Bayless, Geneva
Lonard, Ellen Schrick, Patty Brown, Anna Irwin, Dalene Senn, Maxine
Hefty, Ella Mae Holding, and Susan Phillips.

Anna Irwin and Dalene Senn will be museum hosts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 25. Admission is free.

Looking for a DVD player for the museum

The museum is in need of a DVD player, to play the films created by the historical society for guests. If you have a working player you'd be willing to donate, please contact Betty Jane at 785-945-3576, or Julie at 785-876-2445.

Grasshopper fame depicted in display

—Betty Jane Wilson, society president

Despised by farmers for his voracious appetite, berated by the frugal ants of folklore for his irresponsible capers, the indestructible grasshopper lives on.

Featured in the September Valley Falls Historical Society Museum window display, the winged creature enjoys celebrity status in the city’s history.

Located center stage, an aged weather beaten replica of the insect surrounded by late 1900 and early 2000 Grasshopper Days programs promoting celebrations are evidence of prior days of fun and frolic.

A mega mural backdrop depicting a 19th century locomotive on the old river bridge crossing the Delaware (formerly Grasshopper River) coupled with photos of 20th century “doodle bug” rail transportation and depot plus late years photos of organization sponsored Grasshopper Day concessions touting delectable “grasshopper legs” enhance the image of the survival of the grasshopper as symbolic of the town’s discovery and original Grasshopper Falls name.

The veterans’ window continues to honor our veterans past and present and to support our troops world wide.

The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4.

Music wasn't what visitor was hoping for

—by Betty Jane Wilson, society president

“Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast” declares 17th century poet William Congreve. A December 1873 music-loving visitor to Grasshopper Falls may have had cause to dispute the poet’s fantasy.

The story, according to the Kansas New Era, is that the gentleman was awakened early in the morning in his hotel room by the sweet strains of “Annie Laurie” from some brass instrument in the neighborhood.

The performer, although perhaps not a very artistic one, had a vigorous pair of lungs and great powers of endurance.

The stranger opened his window and listened to the soul-stirring strains for a couple of hours then went to breakfast after which he lit his cigar, sat by the window and drank in the incessant melody until the noon dinner hour.

After dinner the musician seemed to run out of tunes and settled down to “listen to the mocking bird.” The visitor listened for some time to the celebrated warbler’s trifling repetitions. It began to get stale, but from the brass lips of the instrument came an ever increasing demand to “listen, listen, listen” to this same old bird.

Why should he keep listening to a mocking bird he didn’t care a cent about when he wanted his supper? After supper he stepped out on the street thinking the musician had silenced his horn. Not so! The night air was rent with demand to “listen, listen, listen” to the mocking bird.

He pulled his hat over his ears and rushed to the suburbs. Just as the notes of the horn grew faint, from a loud tuned piano and the piercing throat of a young lady across the street came the shrill shrieks of a new demand to have the same old mocking bird attended to and if this were not enough, a brass band over Crosby and Randall’s Store suddenly split the air with a loud crash from its brazen throats hurling forth the terrible information that it too owned a mocking bird it wished to have listened to.

Booming from the deep trombones, a crashing swirl from the trumpets and a sledge hammer banging of the big drums, all seemed determined to have their birds attended to or perish in the attempt.

Our friend fled back to town to escape the overwhelming demands of the screeching voice and band’s beseeching voice and band’s beseeching to come and “listen to the mocking bird.”

He sought refuge in a dry goods store where he found one of the city’s merchants entertaining his canine friend, Snider, with the plaintive wail of a melancholy flute and in a piteous bewailing as if suffering from tight boots implored Snider to “listen to the mocking bird.”

This crushing the plaintive melody of the mocking bird through the disjointed spasms of a broken flute, made a howling waste of our friend’s affection for music. He rushed to the hotel, seized his carpet bag and left for the first train.

Maxine Hefty and Betty Jane Wilson will be the museum hosts Saturday, Aug. 21. The museum opens at 10 a.m.

Sunflower Unit honored in museum window

— by Betty Jane Wilson, society president

The August window display in the Valley Falls Historical Society Museum pays homage to the 60th anniversary of the Sunflower Educational Extension Unit.

A variety of project examples, including shoulder bags, decorative tinware, macrame, desk chair, caning chair equipment are on display. Also included are photos of scholarship winners, achievement citations, and luncheons surrounded by a large poster with condensed history of the unit reflecting the origin, objectives, and accomplishments of the organization.

Two history books with newspaper clippings, membership lists, awards, activity fliers, and photos are available for perusal in the museum.

The veterans’ window continues to honor servicemen and women with patriotic flags and memorials.

Ella Mae Holding and Betty Jane Wilson will be museum hosts starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, and staying open until it becomes too hot.

Miss Ring: Farewell

—by Betty Jane Wilson, society president

The Valley Falls New Era, March 18, 1899, E.P. Karr, editor:

“Miss Ring is dead.
“Funeral services were held from the Congregational Church conducted by her pastor and longtime friend, the Rev. Skinner.”

Quoting in part from the Rev. Skinner’s sermon:

“Forty-one years ago our sainted sister landed in Grasshopper Falls. She came as others have done, having imbibed the free state principles in her Boston home—the seat of American learning, culture and genius.

“She brought her culture and genius. She brought her culture and principles with her, putting them into practice where they were most needed. Her courage was unflinching as her 40-day trip behind 12 yoke of oxen across the plains testify. (referring to the trip from Grasshopper Falls to Denver.)

“She was the first school teacher in Denver where she made a name for herself not effaced today. There, as in Valley Falls, no entertainment was complete without her and the exhibitions under her care were not only unique, but as near perfection as possible. Her faith was love and charity.”

Her obituary included the following information:

“Miss Lydia Maria Ring was born at Greensboro, Vt., Oct. 26, 1814. Her girlhood days were spent there. Her family then moved to Boston. She came to Kansas in 1858 where she spent nine months, establishing a select school at Grasshopper Falls, then opened a school in Leavenworth and in 1860 departed Kansas for Denver.”

Another longtime friend, A.G. Patrick, for many years a Valley Falls resident, wrote the following from his California home:

“Some 40 years ago our acquaintance began and we well recalled the rainy night that ushered her into Kansas. As a school teacher at the Falls, she gave universal satisfaction and endeared herself with loving regard to all the young folks at the time, and as pioneer school marm of Colorado in 1859 (?) 1860. She will long be remembered by the oldest settlers of Denver.

“She was held in such high esteem that the town company of Denver donated her a good lot upon which she built a schoolhouse and in time made considerable money druing the Pike’s Peak excitement, but lost a greater portion by bad investments of her financial agent.

“She returned to the Falls and in the early ’70s built her residence. Her last visit to Denver, going by rail, as delegate to a national educational convention and with words sparkling with vitality of youth, shook hands with 10,000 delegates there assembled.”

From the Valley Falls New Era:

“Miss Ring will be missed in nearly all social circles of the city. She was welcomed to every gathering and without her entertainments were incomplete. She was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery. A kind and nobel friend. May she rest in peace.”

The society museum will be open at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 7. Closing time will be dependent upon the temperature.

Miss Ring: part 6

— by Betty Jane Wilson, society president
Sources include Yesteryears and the Valley Falls New Era.
 
“Our school life in Leavenworth (1859-60) was not marked by any event worthy of note,” reported Miss Lydia Maria Ring in her 1878 “Kansas Recollections” column for the Valley Falls New Era.

“Time sped on until march 1860 when the Great Excitement and Gold Fever spread all over the country east and west as well as north and south . . . for the new ElDorado or Pike’s Peak as it was termed.

“It turned the heads of some wise men as well as some foolish women . . . We, too, caught the fever, but not badly. Our object in going was to open a school, hoping that by so doing to secure a few nuggets, so determined to join the Great Rush, and have never regretted doing so . . .

“Our friends opposed us in many ways, but we prepared our outfit, and the 23rd of April 1860 left Leavenworth under the protection, as passenger, with Mr. Orville Stoddard and wife, also a Mr. and Mrs. George.

“Our carriage, a prairie schooner of the largest kind, with an addition to it in the form of juts extending over the wheels some two or more feet, thus giving us sitting room, parlor and kitchen and a pleasant porch on the front.

“There were five other passengers, young men going to try their fortune in the Golden West. They were only bread and butter passengers, their only place for sleeping was on the ground under the wagon or on stoves and commissary stores inside of it when compelled to seek shelter from the rain. They walked the entire distance (700 miles).

“The first night camped only six miles from Leavenworth, leaving there on Monday at 4 p.m.”

The final column of “Kansas Recollections” was printed in the New Era in the May 4, 1878, issue. In three additional columns, May 25, June 28, and June 29 issues, Miss Ring told of the trip across western Kansas and into Colorado.

The columns contained many stories of the country, food, people they met, first sight of Indians, and incidents that occurred as they traveled.

The June 29 column ended, “Tuesday, May 30, 1860. Bright and clear and a morning to be remembered for we saw the Rocky Mountains for the first time and at a distance of more than 100 miles, Pike’s Peak, and its twin brother, rise in majestic grandeur.”

Having left Leavenworth on 23rd of April, 1860, on May 30 they still had several days travel time before they reached their destination. Although Miss Ring’s column of June 29 did not seem to have reached an ending, there were no more of them through the end of 1878.

Details of life in Denver are scarce except for reports from reliable historic resources such as Rock Mountain News and the New Era following her return to Valley Falls and subsequent death in this city.

She was the first school teacher in Denver. Her school was a private one and the first in Denver. It was a one-room wooden shanty with one window and raised on stilts. As business increased, Miss Ring’s schoolhouse became a more popular educational center and she was known as the town tutor.

Miss Ring continued her vocation for 10 years then retired to private life.

Next: Farewell and accolades to Miss Ring and her sister and “that relative.”

The Valley Falls Historical Society Museum will be open at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 31, with closing time dependent on temperatures inside and outside the building.