By RON WILSONDirector of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University
Can I tell you a secret? How about 84 of them?
That sounds like a lot. In this case, I’m referring to a new book that intentionally shares such little known stories. The book is titled Secret Kansas. It is chock-full of fascinating and little-known stories about our state.
Roxie Yonkey, who we have profiled before, is an author, blogger and travel writer. A Nebraska native, she became a staff writer at a college in Virginia. She came back to the Midwest for her career in journalism, married a Kansan in Goodland, and worked in tourism for years. She found she enjoyed writing about Kansas attractions.
In 2019, Yonkey launched a website and travel blog called www.roxieontheroad.com, of which she is the CEO: that is, Chief Exploration Officer.
She continues to write and post about Kansas attractions. In 2021, Yonkey published her book titled “100 Things to Do in Kansas Before You Die,” as we have previously profiled.
In 2023, Yonkey published another book. This one is titled “Secret Kansas: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.” It is a gem. The book chronicles little known oddities and attractions around the state, complete with photos, locations and tips for visiting.
For example, there is the heart-wrenching story of Father Emil Kapaun, the Kansan who sacrificed his life for American prisoners in Korea and is a candidate for sainthood. There are the examples of how and where Kansas Day and Veteran’s Day and the GI Bill and the National Teachers Hall of Fame all began in Kansas. There is the world’s largest mural painted by a single artist, the state’s 106th county, and the town that might have provided the inspiration for Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.
The fascinating stories just keep coming. In 1890, a magazine held a contest to write a Pledge of Allegiance for America. Cherryvale thirteen-year-old Frank Bellamy submitted his version and saw it published in the magazine but credited it to Anonymous. When he checked, he was told that all submissions were the magazine’s property.
Meanwhile, a member of the magazine’s marketing staff claimed that he had written his own version of the Pledge of Allegiance. That version was only one word different from the one submitted by young Frank Bellamy. The name of the magazine writer? Francis Bellamy – no relation. For decades, Francis Bellamy would be credited as the author of the Pledge of Allegiance, but later research found that young Frank’s version was published first.
Who knew? “You can’t make this stuff up,” Yonkey said.
There are stories of odd attractions, parks, wildlife areas, ghosts, ghost towns and little known historical monuments. The stories come from communities large and small, including rural communities such as Damar, population 112; Coolidge, population 80; and Studley, population 33 people. Now, that’s rural.
Yonkey is planning to produce a couple more Kansas books through her current publisher. She also has a special book that she wants to publish herself.
“I think I was inspired by the story of a woman in Goodland, Eva Morely Murphy, who played a pivotal role in getting women the right to vote in her community, which allowed our town to get a Carnegie Library,” Yonkey said. “My passion project is to write about women who did amazing things in Kansas history.”
Since Kansas was the nation’s 34th state (and Ike the 34th President), Yonkey plans to feature 34 women.
Yonkey is inviting the public to nominate women who should be covered in the new book. Nominations can be submitted through the website, 34kansaswomen.com.
Secret Kansas is available through retailers and online booksellers.
“It’s been so much fun to find these stories,” Yonkey said. “Kansas is like an onion, you keep peeling off another layer and sometimes it makes you cry. As a Kansan, you should hold up your head and be proud.”
Can I tell you a secret? Roxie Yonkey shares 84 of them in her fascinating new book, Secret Kansas. We salute Roxie Yonkey for making a difference with her remarkable research and great writing.
These are secrets worth telling.