Cottonwood Connections Season Two Premieres on Smoky Hills PBS
The history series Cottonwood Connections is back for season two with host Don Rowlison. The half-hour docu-series airs on Smoky Hills PBS at 6 PM on Sundays and Saturdays starting February 5.
This season the show travels to various locations including museums, historic forts, a restored opera house, a preserved archaeological site, buffalo ranches and the bottom of Webster Lake for an expanding look at the people, places, events and animals that shaped the Great Plains.
"We are slowly expanding our scope this season," said series creator Ed Lowry. "The history of Western Kansas and the Great Plains is vast and intriguing. We are hoping to give focus to those various organizations working to share and preserve that history."
The series is hosted by Don Rowlison and presented by The Friends of Cottonwood Ranch, an organization that supports the work of the Cottonwood Ranch Historic Site and has the mission of encouraging historical education about the plains.
Rowlison is an archeologist who specialized in studying the pre-historic people of the plains. In 1985, he became site curator for the Cottonwood Ranch Historic Site and devoted himself to studying all the various issues that impacted people settling the region in the late 1800s. Additionally, Rowlison is himself a cowboy and was inducted to the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2008 as a historian.
Season one and the documentary The Legacy of Cottonwood Ranch are available on Smoky Hills PBS Passport.
The schedule for the 12 episodes of season two can be found below:
Fort Wallace Museum (February 5) - They visit the Fort Wallace Museum where decades of volunteers have worked to bring greater understanding to the clash of cultures at this Western Kansas outpost on the Smoky Hill Trail.
Restoration of the Grainfield Opera House (February 12) - The Grainfield Opera House constructed in 1887 served many functions over the decades. Now, thanks to the collective efforts of a community, it stands as a town's statement that both its history and its future matter.
The Horse, the Ox and the Animals That Worked (February 19) - A look at the role of the animals whose contribution and dedication made settling the Great Plains possible.
If These Walls Could Talk - Preserving Places That Share Our History (February 26) - Physical sites and buildings help tell the stories of our past. They take a look at the preservation and restoration of Cottonwood Ranch and visit various locations either preserved, restored, remodeled or rebuilt to share our history.
The Buffalo (March 5) - What was the significance of the buffalo to the native people of the Great Plains? What happened to them, how were some preserved and how are they being revived today?
Have Town, Will Travel (March 12) - Many small towns in Western Kansas aren't where they used to be. They take at look at how entire communities would pick up and move to be closer to the railroad, to avoid drowning in a newly built reservoir or to claim the throne as county seat.
Hometown Historical Societies (March 19) - Many of the most interesting events in history happened right in our own backyards. Area county historical societies highlight the importance of understanding the people and events that shaped the home towns of the Great Plains.
History Makers - George Sternberg (March 26) - They visit the Sternberg Museum in Hays to learn about its namesake, George Sternberg, and his family of renowned paleontologists who helped shape our understanding of our ancient past.
What's for Dinner? (April 2) - Exploration of food preparation and preservation in the pioneer era, featuring guest Emily Campbell, owner and chef at The Elephant Bar and Bistro in Hoxie, preparing a meal of historic recipes in the Cottonwood Ranch kitchen.
Great American Desert - The Exploration Era of the Plains (April 9) - In a time when the center of the country was described as a sea of grass, trappers, traders and explorers shaped the understanding of both the perils and possibilities on the Great Plains.
Ethnic Heritage of the High Plains (April 16) - They look at how various communities were formed by immigrants from specific places, traditions, religions or people groups, and check in on how these heritages are carried on or celebrated today.
Those Roadside Attractions (April 23) - Balls of twine. Enormous prairie dogs. The Garden of Eden. The highways and byways of Kansas are blessed with landmarks of the odd and unusual.
(Information courtesy SHPBS.)