A history and recollections of Mt. Rose School District No. 51/24, Trego County, Kansas
Creator: Mai, Palmer
Date: 2009
This book documents the history of a rural, neighborhood school district in Trego County in western Kansas. According the author, Palmer Mai, Mt. Rose school, a one-room school in Trego County, was founded in 1910 and was the fiftieth of fifty-six schools established in the county, the first one being created in 1878. Published with permission of the author.

Albert Krhut's map of Township 12 South, Range 24 West, Trego County
Creator: Krhut, Albert F., 1895-1965
Date: 1909
A map drawn by Albert Krhut, from Voda, Kansas, showing creeks, the railroad and the school house in Township 14 South, Range 24 West, Trego county. On a separate sheet, Albert includes a legend for the map. This is one of several maps drawn by school children for a contest organized by Judge J. C. Ruppenthal of Russell, Kansas. The maps were to meet a "requirement of presenting historical data, together with excellence and accuracy of drawing." This submission won the 5th place prize of twenty-five cents in the map contest of 1909.

Annie Boice to Governor John St. John
Creator: Boice, Annie E.
Date: September 15, 1880
In this letter, temperance worker, Annie Boice, requests Kansas Governor St. John secure for her a pass to the Kansas City fair.

Campaign card for Lorraine Wooster
Date: May 9, 1916
A campaign postcard for Lorraine (Lizzie) Wooster, candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The card was mailed to Mr. C.C. Yetter of Collyer, Kansas from Lilla Day Monroe, Topeka, Kansas.

Cedar Bluff dam in Trego County, Kansas
Date: 1963
This series of photographs is showing construction on the Cedar Bluff dam in Trego County, Kansas.

Chicago Soldiers Colony to Governor George Anthony
Creator: Chicago Soldiers Colony
Date: May 03, 1878
A letter from the Chicago Soldiers Colony in Collyer, Kansas, to Governor George Anthony. The group asks the governor to send a military detachment to the area to help prevent cattle drivers and their cattle from passing through the area. The group says that the cattle causes damage to the crops and that the herders are outcasts of society and should not be allowed in the area.

Chipped Stone Artifacts from the Garret Site, 14TO327
Date: 2000 BCE-1000 CE
This stemmed dart point and two bifaces were recovered during the 1997 Kansas Archeological Training Program field school at the Garret Site in Trego County. The artifacts are made of Smoky Hill silicified chalk, a good quality knapping material that is exposed in linear beds in northwestern Kansas and western Nebraska. The bifaces could have been used as a cutting tool or, with more work, turned into specific tools.

Council of National Defense Woman's Committee correspondence
Date: 1918
This collection consists of correspondence between individuals and committee members to the state chair of the Woman's Committee of the Kansas Council of National Defense. The Council of National Defense was established at the federal level in 1916 as an emergency agency under the Army Appropriation Act and abolished in 1921. It was created in reaction to World War I to coordinate resources and industries for national defense and improve civilian morale. The Woman's Committee of the Kansas Council of National Defense performed the same functions at the state and local levels, coordinating women's activities for national defense. The materials are organized alphabetically by county. The digitization of this collection was paid for through the Margot R. Swovelan Endowment Fund.

Counties : Trego
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1879-1883 : St. John)
Date: 1879-1881
These documents include letters to Kansas Governor St. John that center around the organization of Trego county. The letters discuss protests for the organization of Graham and Trego counties. Along with several letters introducing Mr. Warren Keeney-- who will be visiting Topeka, Kansas-- one of the founders of WaKeeney, Kansas.

Counties : Trego, petition
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1879-1883 : St. John)
Date: 1879-1881
A petition from residents of Trego County asking Kansas Governor St. John to organize their county. The petitioners inform the Governor that their county has the correct number of inhabitants according to law to be organized. Further, the petitioners request the Governor designate the town of Wakeeney, Kansas as Temporary County Seat, and appoint three specific citizens as Commissioners to represent Trego County. Accompanying the petition is a letter from the Notary Public informing the Governor that three individuals sworn under oath state the signatures on the petition are genuine and from residents of Trego County.

County Affairs, Trego County
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1885-1889 : Martin)
Date: 1885-1889
These letters, spanning January 1885, are from the residents and offices of Trego County, Kansas regarding the probate judge to Kansas Governor John Martin. All of the letters discuss the death of the current probate judge, W. H. Fuson. Two of the letters declare a vacancy in the position and another endorses F. H. Couger as the successor. Trego County was organized on June 21, 1879 and named for Edgar Poe Trego.

Crazy quilt
Creator: Vawter, Edna J.
Date: between 1940 and 1949
Crazy Quilt featuring irregularly shaped fabric pieces, and backed with silk ribbons from Kansas fairs. Top is formed of eight Crazy Quilt blocks, with each smaller fabric piece outlined in embroidery stitches. Narrow sawtooth edge formed of points from the rosettes of purple award ribbons. Backing is made up of over 300 silk fair ribbons in purple (Champion) blue (First Premium), red (Second), white (Third), plus a few pink (Fourth) and one yellow (Fifth). Most are from the Thomas and Trego county fairs between 1929 and 1940. The quilter was Edna Gross Vawter of rural Logan County. Her daughter, Roberta Vawter Meek, won the ribbons by showing swine in the 4-H and open classes at fairs.

Dorsey Fulton family, Ogallah, Kansas
Creator: Chester, Susannna Rice Kistler, 1863-
Date: Between 1886 and 1888
This sepia colored photograph shows the Dorsey Fulton family outside their sod house near Ogallah, Kansas.

Downer Station in Trego County, Kansas
Creator: Hunnius, Ado
Date: April 17, 1867
This pencil drawing shows a view of Downer Station looking west in Trego County, Kansas.

Driving goggles
Date: between 1900 and 1920
Leather, metal, and glass driving goggles. The goggles likely belonged to Aron Treger, who was a jeweler and optometrist in WaKeeney, Kansas, in the 1910s, and in Independence, Kansas, from 1920 until around 1965. Drivers wore goggles like these to protect their eyes before automobiles became enclosed.

Eighth biennial report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, 1891-1892
Creator: Kansas State Board of Agriculture
Date: 1893
This biennial report from the Kansas State Board of Agriculture contains two parts and the page numbering starts over at the beginning of Part II. The volume contains a section on each county, providing summary information about the history of the county, a description of the landscape, crops, livestock, schools, and churches. A large number of tables with statistics about Kansas residents and crop yields, broken down by county, are also included. Other chapters are devoted to interesting subjects such as apiculture, artificial forests, loco weeds, and chinch bugs.

Eleventh biennial report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, 1897-98
Creator: Kansas State Board of Agriculture
Date: 1899
This biennial report from the Kansas State Board of Agriculture includes information on beef and pork production, farm poultry, Kansas mineral products, livestock, and other agricultural topics. Also covered are county statistics for population, acreages, productions, livestock, assessed valuation of property, and a listing of churches for each county. Proceedings and other activities of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture are included.

Fannie Palkovsky's map of Township 14 South, Range 24 West, Trego County
Creator: Palkovsky, Fannie, 1893-
Date: 1909
A map drawn by Fannie Palkovsky (mistakenly called Frances), age 16, from Collyer, Kansas, showing creeks, Old Fort Downer, the Old Denver Trail and the Smoky Hill River in Township 14 South, Range 24 West, Trego County. On a separate sheet, Fannie has included a short history of Fort Downer and the prairie fire of 1884. This is one of several maps drawn by school children for a contest organized by Judge J. C. Ruppenthal of Russell, Kansas. The maps were to meet a "requirement of presenting historical data, together with excellence and accuracy of drawing." With this submission, Fannie won the first place prize of $3 for the map contest of 1909.

Fifteenth biennial report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, 1905-1906
Creator: Kansas State Board of Agriculture
Date: 1907
This biennial report from the Kansas State Board of Agriculture includes information on the selection, cultivation, and harvesting of Indian corn, ideas for improving the conditions of farm life, and information on commercial fertilizers. There are various kinds of statistics for each county that include population, acreages, livestock, and assessed valuation of property. There are also a number of tables listing statistics for all counties. The proceedings and activities of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture are included beginning on page 977. Please see the table of contents on image 8 to determine appropriate page numbers. Page numbering starts over after page 1264. This section contains compiled statistics from the 1905 Kansas decennial census but individuals are not listed. A general index starts on page 61 of the Decennial Census section at the back of the volume.

Fifth biennial report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture
Creator: Kansas. State Board of Agriculture
Date: 1887
This biennial report covers the years 1885-86. The volume contains two parts and the page numbering starts over at the beginning of part II. The volume contains numerous agricultural statistics and information about other industries. It also contains information about Kansas weather, schools, churches, various agricultural issues such as Texas fever, chinch bugs, vacant public lands, etc. A major part of the volume is devoted to information gathered during the 1885 statewide census conducted by the Board of Agriculture. Part I contains a number of tables with statistics about Kansas residents broken down by county. Part I also contains a section on each county, providing summary information about the history of the county, nativity of residents, a description of the landscape, crops, livestock, schools, newspapers, banks, and a list of county officers for 1887. Proceedings and other activities of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture are in Part II.

Florence A. Tilton's map of Township 14 South, Range 23 West, Trego County
Creator: Tilton, Florence A. (Amelia), 1895-1976
Date: 1909
A map drawn by Florence A. (Tilton) Sparks, age 13 (7th grade), from Collyer, Kansas, showing creeks and the Smoky Hill River in Township 14 South, Range 24 West, Trego County. This is one of several maps drawn by school children for a contest organized by Judge J. C. Ruppenthal of Russell, Kansas. The maps were to meet a "requirement of presenting historical data, together with excellence and accuracy of drawing." With this submission, Florence was ranked sixth out of seven in the map contest of 1909.

Forestry, Commissioner of
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1885-1889 : Martin)
Date: 1885-1889
These letters, spanning 1887, are from the Forestry Commissioner, S. C. Robb, and the offices of Trego County, Kansas regarding land deeds to Kansas Governor John Martin. S. C. Robb wrote enclosing information on different lands to create deeds as well as receipts for various deeds. The offices of Trego County, Kansas wrote questioning the land deeds for the State Forestry Station located in Trego County.

Group of boys possibly taken in Wakeeney, Kansas
Date: Between 1908 and 1910
This is a photograph showing a group of boys possibly taken in Wakeeney, Kansas. The only identified boy is Oscar Carlson, the blonde haired boy, 4th from the right in the middle row. In 1910, Oscar was living in Wakeeney, Kansas, with his parents Carl A. and Sophia L. Carlson.

Harry Umberger to Governor Alf Landon
Creator: Umberger, Harry
Date: July 18, 1934
This letter from Harry Umberger, the Director of Extension at Kansas State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University), accompanied a map designating the drought relief counties as of July 1934. The map indicates the primary and secondary drought relief counties suffering the most through the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The map includes a key to explain the highlighted portions.

Harry Umberger to Willard Mayberry
Creator: Umberger, Harry
Date: December 23, 1933
This letter from Harry Umberger, the Director of Extension at Kansas State College (now Kansas State University), was addressed to Willard Mayberry, secretary to Gov. Alf Landon. The letter discusses the reduction of railroad transportation rates for livestock feed, because the depression, combined with the droughts of the 1930s, had made it difficult for farmers to feed their livestock. Umberger recommended that the rates be reduced for at least thirty days (preferably sixty days) in order to keep stock alive during the winter. The letter is accompanied by a state map labeling the counties who needed these rates, with the red shaded section indicating which counties were in the greatest need.