It's time for Positively Kansas.

Coming up, a Kansas woman gets more than she bargained for when researching her family history.

She discovered something none of her living relatives knew about that changed the course of history.

Also, learn about the man who changed the Kansas landscape by planting trees.

The fruits of his work are still growing today.

See what's in store as the town of Kechi works to further establish itself as a center for the arts.

And efforts to honor a local aviation hero take another leap forward.

Im Sierra Scott, those stories and Kansas Wild Edge, queued up and ready to roll on this edition of Positively Kansas.

A Kansas woman has unearthed some forgotten family history that has statewide implications.

She had no clue that her great Aunt Madeline had helped change the course of Kansas history and made news across the country.

Jim Grawe helps bring this forgotten story back to life.

There was nothing birdbrained about selecting the Western Meadowlark to represent Kansas, according to former Great Plains nature Center director Bob Gress.

It's a sound of open country, a sound of the prairie, of a colorful bird, a vocal bird and a good choice.

It was Kansas schoolchildren who made the decision in 1925.

It was a pretty big news story at the time.

In fact, it went national as Kansas was the first state to name an official bird.

But it wasn't until recently that Jackie Aaron discovered her connection to the story.

Of course, I've known forever that the Western Meadowlark was the state bird of Kansas, but I had no idea that I had a personal familial relationship to that.

In fact, none of our living family members had known that Jackie's great Aunt Madeline was the mastermind of the whole thing.

It's amazing how quickly things can disappear from memory because, you know, when I was a kid that it had not been that long ago.

And I knew her when I was a kid, you know, less than ten.

But I had no idea.

After recently retiring from a successful law career, Jackie got interested in her family tree.

It wasn't long before her research uncovered this little gem tucked away in the archives of history.

When I found the article in the Kansas State Historical Society Journal, it was so complete.

And it has that wonderful picture of Madeleine with the election returns right in front of her and her twenties outfit with her twenties bob.

It was great.

Turns out Aunt Madeleine, in addition to working as a writer for the Wichita Eagle, was secretary of the Kansas Audubon Society.

She hatched the idea of a year long campaign that would raise ornithological awareness.

Every person in Kansas will have his attention called to birds during the election campaign.

Our chief reason for having a state bird, however, is that we want the people of Kansas to be made to realize that they, as an agricultural people, owe a great debt to the birds and that they should therefore have the welfare of their feathered friends close to heart.

She consulted bird experts throughout the state, as well as just famous Kansans like the governor.

It's like, what should be the qualities we're looking for in a state bird?

They were things like, it should be nice looking.

It should be a friend of the farmer.

It should have a nice song.

And a lot of the experts recommended the Western Meadowlark.

The other challengers were the Northern Cardinal and the Quail or Bobwhite.

With the cooperation of the state school superintendent, the election was held in schools across the state on January 29th, Kansas Day 1925.

The western meadowlark won by nearly 10,000 votes over the Bobwhite Quail.

The state legislature didn't make it official until 1937, but that was good enough for Kansas to claim the first state bird.

Kansas was even more rural in that period, and bird populations, especially prairie birds, have dropped significantly over the years.

There's still a lot of western meadowlarks around, but western meadowlark is is a bird of the native prairies.

And it was such a popular bird that six other states have the western meadowlark as their state bird as well.

It's a history lesson for us.

For the Aaron family, it's a lesson about the importance of family legacy and the importance of taking the time to learn about a loved one's life before they pass away.

You know, I was a kid, and it's just like old people, you know?

But, you know, somehow kids need to get past that because these old people have a lot of stories to tell and did a lot of interesting things.

Following Kansas's lead.

Oregon, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wyoming have also made the Western Meadowlark their state bird in the years that followed.

Most of us who live in Kansas enjoy the summer shade or the beautiful fall colors from our trees.

But there was a time when much of our state was treeless.

Chris Frank tells us about a Kansas pioneer and his work to bring a forest of trees here.

Most Kansans probably don't give a second thought to the noisy sound of cicadas in the summertime, but it's a sound pioneers moving into many parts of Kansas in the 1800s wouldn't have heard when first settling here.

Why?

Because cicadas need trees to feed on.

Kansans take their trees for granted.

Now.

But there was a time in the early 1800s before Kansas became a state that this whole Great Plains region was called The Great American Desert.

That's what was put on 1800s era maps.

It's not like the deserts we think of now with the barren landscapes.

Back then it was called a desert because there weren't any trees.

To some, that may seem harsh now.

To those who come here from highly forested states, it might seem appropriate.

President Thomas Jefferson sent out surveyors and explorers to report on the Louisiana Purchase.

Those explorers called this region a great desert, in large part because it was nearly treeless.

Well, when they arrived here, being from Indiana, my great grandfather took one look around and he said, Oh, I can't do this.

It was a sea of nothing but grass.

Judy Riggs Clubine, thinking back on when the early Kansas pioneers settled in the Kingman County area of Waterloo.

This Sarah Wood Riggs was my great grandmother.

Her great grandfather, John W Riggs and wife, Sarah Woods Riggs, were amongst the early settlers to south central Kansas after the Civil War.

Clubine says those pioneers were shocked to see a treeless environment here.

There was tall grass, like sea waves, seemingly everywhere, but the scarcity of trees was almost too much to bear for those early settlers.

In fact, people from here would take their horse and buggy and go nine miles one direction to sit underneath the one cottonwood tree that existed.

The planting of trees became as nearly important to settlers as the planting of crops.

There wasn't enough wood to cook with.

Cow chips substituted for cooking.

Limestone and other rocks were used for fence posts in parts of Kansas.

But South Central Kansas didn't have that option.

John and Sarah Riggs were schoolteachers in Waterloo in eastern Kingman County.

They came out here to teach at the one room schoolhouse, which is now a privately held home.

J.W.

Riggs took it upon himself to change his environment.

He saw it his destiny to instill a forest of trees in the midst of this so-called Great American Desert.

His work led to this, the Riggs Arboretum in Waterloo.

These trees were planted in 1887.

The inception of this started when my great grandfather, because he could not take the constant ocean of grass, came out here and decided, okay, I'm going to start bringing in different species and see how they handle the heat, the humidity, the lack of rain, see if they could be acclimated here.

And every species that he brought in almost unfailingly grew.

Riggs work here was getting noticed.

K-State took notice of this odd individual.

Riggs was considered by many as-- well, odd-- as she puts it.

They thought he was nuts.

They thought at first.

Until K-State professors inspected Riggs work for themselves.

They actually sent somebody out here from K-State in order to ascertain what he was doing.

The K-Staters found out Riggs was getting non-native trees to grow here.

He was the first one to bring up the southern magnolia.

And it grew.

Riggs sent off for the seeds and seedlings of numerous non-native trees to see if they would grow in Kansas.

The list of trees he got to grow in his arboretum numbers in the hundreds.

Sarah encouraged her husband to pursue his passion with the trees and even make a nursery business of it.

The Southwestern Nursery in Kingman Riggs established in 1887, remains in the Riggs family today.

He was a pioneer botanist.

He was totally self-taught.

He was a teacher.

So he had a certain level of acumen to begin with.

And it was that inquiring, inquisitive mind of his that led him to believe, I think trees would grow here.

And they did.

I mean, the evidence is all around you.

Clubine says her great grandfather planted these loblolly pines.

They were part of what the original stock that came in.

Riggs later started traveling throughout the South and Southwest to collect tree samples to plant here.

He was the first one to bring up the southern magnolia, and it grew.

Riggs was gaining fame.

June 21st, 1901 story in the Kingman Journal describes what was then called the Waterloo Forestry Station.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture made Riggs a government forester.

The story lists some of the trees, including cedars of Lebanon, olive from Palestine, sequoias, magnolias, plants from Australia and the Lotus from the Nile.

The story says, quote, Very few of our citizens appear to appreciate the fact that in Kingman County there is a nursery that in many respects has few equals in the United States.

Everything they needed was here.

Clubine says the arboretum is an educational, not a commercial concern.

Generations of fifth graders have taken tours of the arboretum.

My name is Dennis Carlson.

I'm a district forester.

We want to welcome you here to the Riggs Arboretum.

Clubines late father also named John, shown leading a field trip for fifth graders.

It's amazing to watch little kids.

Most of them have never thought of a tree as a living being.

And it's a lot of fun to take them through, teach them the history, show the trees and show them the parallels between the lives of trees, the lives of humans.

The educational value of the arboretum is another recent Clubine says this must remain open.

I'm hoping to get the kids back in here so that all of the work that my mother and father put in here to develop this, all of the volunteers, all of their work counts for something because this was the first experimental tree station west of the Mississippi.

The only way we exist is because of all of the volunteers that have come in here.

If we didn't have volunteer help, we would not exist.

Clubine says there hasn't been a work day here to cut away overgrowth since the COVID pandemic.

She looks forward to changing that.

The trails are needing some upkeep.

It's just a thriving ecosystem that is unique unto itself.

It supports so much life.

The Arboretum is a part of the town of Waterloo.

It is a ghostly semblance of what it once was when German immigrants settled here next to Smoots Creek.

Gone are the stores that once filled the now empty town lots.

The St. Louis Catholic Church remains all this time caring for the spiritual needs of the area and the Riggs Arboretum, with its tall standing trees, remains as a calling card, beckoning visitors to see how a once treeless environment could be turned into this small forest, proving non-native trees can grow in Kansas.

From Waterloo, this is Chris Frank for Positively Kansas.

The arboretum is not open to the public.

It's reserved for school tours.

For several years, Kechi city leaders and business owners have been working to enhance the city's downtown area.

There have been a lot of hurdles to overcome, but finally, the arts and business district plan is set to become a reality.

Anthony Powell explains.

Finally, it's going to happen, so God bless everybody that has their finger in that and make it go.

Rollin Karg, owner of Kechis world famous Karg Art Glass, speaks for many business owners and residents about the Kechi arts and district plan.

After several years of trying to implement it, the project is scheduled to begin in summer of 2024, nine years after the concept was first approved.

What came from the initial design, though, was $2 million and utility relocation costs, which really made the project financially unattainable for the community.

That began a series of hurdles for what most in this town deem is an essential project for the intersection of 61st Street and Oliver, the heart of Kechi.

It's home to several businesses, including Karg Art Glass, which attracts a lot of traffic.

Not only isn't the intersection wide enough to handle current congestion, there's no way it could support additional commercial development.

The Multiphase Business and Arts District plan will expand the roadways 500 feet in each direction of the 61st Street and Oliver intersection.

But that's not all.

So we're going to go in and install some storm drains, sidewalks, new asphalt, make it more walkable and vibrant so patrons can really park and shop.

And it connects the businesses in every direction of the main intersection.

Park benches, charging stations and other enhancements are also part of the plan, which would not be possible without voters passing a 1% sales tax in February 2023.

Passing the sales tax was an essential part of the puzzle because it will help pay debt on project loans.

Whenever you invest in your community, you're hoping that that will also spur additional investment.

And so we'd love to see some other commercial businesses or mom and pop shops that would like to locate here in Kechi.

Sroufe believes coffee shops, restaurants and other businesses will be attracted to Kechi once the business and arts district project is finalized.

Right now, it's not known exactly when that might be.

A bakery, coffee shop, coffee shops, everywhere, and they all seem to be prospering.

Rollin Karg couldn't be more excited for Kechis potential.

He also knows the plan will help ease congestion in front of his store and attract even more visitors, especially if space near his is developed.

If you had a place to serve wine and light dinners or something that's sitting in among those trees, I go over there sometimes just I got to think and get away from the telephone here.

It's awesome.

And for folks like Rollin Karg, who already believe Kechi is an awesome place, having the arts and district plan in place will make it even more so.

In Kechi, I'm Anthony Powell, for Positively Kansas.

Right now, Kechis downtown area is home to 13 businesses and the Kechi Playhouse.

Kansas has a vast potpourri of marvelous wildlife, but some creatures are best kept at a distance.

In this week's Kansas Wild Edge Report, Mike Blair takes us to the lowdown Land of the Prairie Rattlesnake.

Be sure to watch your step.

Most Kansas snakes are no big deal.

38 species live here and nearly all are harmless, as evidenced by a round eye pupil and small decurved teeth.

They may bluff and appear aggressive.

They may coil and strike.

But they pose little danger to humans.

Basically, if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone.

But once in a while, you might run into a dangerous snake.

Prairie rattlesnakes are among the five venomous species in Kansas, and this is one to avoid.

It's found in the western half of the state, and it's usually quick to bite.

I found this one on a spring evening, warming itself on a sandy road next to a prairie dog town.

Dog towns with their complex underground burrow systems and ample small prey are perfect habitats for this snake.

I got out and put the rattler through its paces, taking care to stay back out of striking range.

The snake was more than happy to try to bite, and it struck toward the lens repeatedly.

It was a beauty.

And it provided some great portraits by buzzing its rattles right next to its head.

The heat sensing pits just forward of the eyes and its telltale vertical slit eye pupils made it instantly evident that it was a venomous pit viper.

Its long fangs, eager to deliver a load of poison, were visible each time it opened wide and launched an attack.

I used a variety of techniques to take advantage of the uncommon opportunity.

First, I flew a quadcopter drone directly over the snake about 16 inches high, and surprisingly, the rattler paid it little attention.

But these shots were unsteady since a moderate wind kept blowing the drone around.

Only when I worked in close did the snake get really aggressive.

I used one camera at ground level to record the close ups and then to make sure I got good audio in the windy conditions, I taped the second camera to a stick and slid it right up to the rattling tail where it buzzed directly into the microphone, Close as it was, this trick allowed great sound while not interfering with the primary framing.

I ended up with some great video of one of Kansas most feared animals.

And when we finished, we both went our separate ways.

None the worse for wear.

I'm Mike Blair, for Positively Kansas.

Great stuff.

Next time, Mike takes us to the cooling waters and colorful foliage that makes the Kansas outdoors such a joy during autumn.

And now to an update to a story we've been following about efforts to honor a fallen Kansas aviator.

What's known in Wichita as the Bleckley plane is making progress in its path to restoration, as Chris Frank shows us.

This plane's fuselage-- or if you prefer, the body of this De Havilland DH.4 plane-- is on the move again.

Now, if the plane had feelings, it might feel a bit nomadic because it hasn't been able to stay in one spot for a long time.

But those whose aspirations are to see this plane be fully restored are hopeful, this could be the plane's last move until its flight ready.

We're very excited.

It's all about the restoration.

And now we can finally plan and get things ready to get working on it again.

We've actually coined kind of a name for this property as the workshop or Bleckley workshop, and that's how we're going to know it from now on, I think.

The plane is known locally as the Bleckley plane.

That moniker is for Lieutenant Erwin Bleckley.

Born and raised in Wichita, who went off to Europe with the U.S. Army during World War I, Lieutenant Bleckley was assigned as an artillery spotter and gunner in the back seat of the DH.4 airplane.

The pilot was Lieutenant Harold Goettler.

Lieutenants Goettler and Bleckley volunteered to search and resupply what's known as the Lost Battalion.

That battalion of soldiers became trapped by German enemy soldiers in the French Argonne Forest and couldn't signal their location without risking their lives.

By flying dangerously low and attracting enemy fire, Lieutenants Bleckley and Goettler found the battalion and recorded its position.

But in the process, they were shot down and killed while getting the battalion's location reported.

Both Bleckley and Goettler were posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Now, a Medal of Honor ceremony was held in Wichita a century ago, but it's believed not many in Wichita know about the Wichitan's war sacrifice to save others.

That even though a Wichita Street is named after Bleckley, a Wichita VFW Hall bears his name, as well as the McConnell Air Force Base Lounge.

So that's why there is such interest in this plane.

Or should we say plane parts?

The plane, Lieutenants Bleckley and Goettler flew was a similar to De Havilland DH.4 model.

Their plane was destroyed when it was shot down.

But this DH.4 is one of only five left in the world and the only one licensed to fly.

Unfortunately, on its maiden restoration flight in Kentucky a few years ago, it suffered a very hard landing.

The pilot escaped, but the plane was badly damaged.

So these aviation enthusiasts want to bring the plane back to life so others can appreciate the history behind it.

This is going to be a dream home.

For this project.

A project that is as important as this is to Wichita.

This is a great place.

Project manager Wayne Boorman says.

Their first major order of business is to get the fuselage restored so work afterwards can move towards getting the landing gear reconnected.

After those milestones, the plan is to rebuild the wings.

All the work, got fuel tank, got instruments.

Cockpit.

We got a lot of stuff inside that we need.

Boorman is confident the work will get done.

Bleckley Foundation board members say it could take five years and depends on funding to bring the project to completion.

But at least for now, the plane and its crew have a home where the restoration work can be done.

In Old Town, Chris Frank for Positively Kansas.

Well, that's a wrap for this week.

I'm Sierra Scott, thanks so much for watching.

Well see you again soon.