Kansas Through the Camera's Eye

After more than two decades of involvement in the conflict in Vietnam, on October 26, 1972, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger declared, “peace is at hand.” A peace agreement was signed just a few months later, and US troops left Vietnam. This episode features stories from Kansans who served in the Vietnam War. What led these Kansans to serve? What did they experience during the war? How did they navigate the complicated reactions to their service when they returned home? How did their service affect their lives? And what can we learn from these Kansas veterans’ experiences today?

Founded by Exodusters in the late 1800s, the story of Rattlebone Hollow has been mostly forgotten by Kansans. A thriving African-American community for the first part of the 20th century, Rattlebone Hollow was a neighborhood of black professionals, businesses, and homeowners. But decline set in, and in 1972, the US federal government was building a landfill in this Kansas City, KS neighborhood. Learn about the history of this important community and the five-decade fight against environmental discrimination from two individuals who are trying to keep the Rattlebone Hollow story alive. 

Urban renewal comes to Kansas and irrevocably altered historic communities. In a spotlight on Wichita, hear about the efforts of one woman to save the historic Calvary Baptist Church from demolition. Also, learn how the construction of I-135 in Wichita in the 1970s disrupted an African American community on the North side. And explore the contemporary Horizontes mural project, which uses socially engaged art to help heal the damage done by urban renewal to communities of color in Wichita.

How did Kansas photographers in the early 1970s engage with Kansas and Kansans in their work? Terry Evans used her camera to capture the stories of Kansans, especially in rural spaces, who were experiencing the effects of social and economic change. And Gordon Parks used the camera’s perspective to work through his complicated relationship with his home state.

In the Fall of 1972, around 10,000 people descended on the Winfield, Kansas fairgrounds to enjoy a long weekend of camping, crafts, and bluegrass music. Fifty years later, the Walnut Valley Festival and National Flat-Picking Championships is still going strong. Learn about the origins of the festival, why the early 1970s was the right moment for the creation of this kind of event, the camp culture that has made the festival so unique, and the larger community created around Bluegrass.

Explore the election year 1972 in Kansas. Republican President Nixon won re-election by a landslide, including carrying every single county in Kansas. Hear about the connection between the Catholic Volga German community, a noted Democratic political strategist from Ellis County, and the 1972 governor's race. 1972 also saw the re-election of the controversial, and popular, Kansas attorney general Vern Miller. What does the "folklore" surrounding Miller make us miss about his larger legacy?

Outer space was on the minds of Kansans in 1972. Kansas astronaut Ron Evans journeyed to the moon on the Apollo 17 mission. Western Kansas was being considered for the new Space Shuttle launch site, and some locals did not like that idea. And the state was a hotbed of UFO sightings, including notable encounters in Dighton and Delphos. (Note: Segment 2 starts at 0:19:20 and segment 3 starts at 0:36:02)

Did you know that Smokey Bear has a Kansas connection? Learn about the origins of this beloved character and the Kansas roots of his illustrator, Rudy Wendelin. Along the way, we’ll discuss New Deal public works programs, fears about Nazi spies during WWII, the environmental movement, and a mural in Rawlins County, Kansas.

1972 saw a new environmental consciousness spreading across the globe, including in Kansas. Learn about opposition to a proposed nuclear waste disposal site in the salt mines of Kansas. And hear also hear about the role of the artist and activist Patricia Duncan in the early efforts to establish a Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.

Kansas was the seventh state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment on March 28, 1972. Hear how the ERA was ratified in the Sunflower State and the challenges it faced after ratification.