Volume 8 , Issue 4

We Are Inter-connected On the Prairie...

"I wanted to add that a number of years ago the Prairie Connection was one of the first publications to publish an article by Dale Brown of her hopes and dreams for the Restoration of the Runnymede Hotel. Even though she was ill, she came to Harper and we spent a long time talking as she showed me her book of historic documentation and plans. It, of course, was moved from Harper County on rollers a century ago. I am sorry that no one in Alva bothered to keep us informed of events since it was so much a part of our heritage, too. AND... I am sure some successful fundraising could have been done in this community for its restoration, if they had only asked.

I wish that Dale was alive to see the fruits of her labors.

I also wish Agnes Nye, Harper, was still alive to see the fruits of her labors, too, for it was her incessant promoting of Runnymede and Harper County history that made us all aware of the early settlement, way back in the 50s and 60s when everyone thought she was 'kinda crazy' wasting her time on stuff like that. She also made a painting of how the settlement probably looked.

The Runnymede Depot was sold and moved to Wichita a few years ago and sits in Old Town, on the north side of Douglas.

And as luck would have it, just this week someone from Oklahoma City gave The Balmer Fund a donation of 'yard sale items' and in it was a tape recording of Agnes on Runnymede history! And I ran into Dean Patterson in Nescatunga this week and learned for the first time that his father was an engineer on the Orient and of course, made stops at the Runnymede Depot.

Dean has been invited to share his railroad and countless other stories at our Second Friday, Women's Voices oral history recording session at the Prairie Arts Theatre. (Yes, we let men record their stories, too, if they are nice!) That is the Second Friday, February 10th, 6:30 PM at the former Harper Movie Theatre, $5 admission. Concessions available for fundraising. For more informationContact: wepreserve@balmerfund.org

Such a small, small world! What a joy to find out how we are all inter-connected, and that there are still people who care enough to help preserve what is left of our prairie heritage. By cooperating, we can do amazing things!" -- Rosalea Hostetle, The Balmer Fund/Prairie Connection - Email: wepreserve@balmerfund.org
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