From well-known to obscure, new book shares history, guide to Kansas people & sites
From a near-saint to pioneer serial killers, the stories of several Kansans are among those told in the recently released “Secret Kansas: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.”
More than 80 people and places are included in the book, which was written by travel blogger and author Roxie Yonkey, who moved to Kansas from Nebraska more than 30 years ago to take a sports reporting job in Goodland, Kansas. She now runs a travel website and social media page called Roxie on the Road.
The guide part in the title refers to pull-out information included with each of the stories about a physical site connected to the story. The places range from the obscure field marker —like the one recognizing a failed vegetarian utopian community near Humboldt — to recognized county museums and other attractions, like the Cottonwood Ranch State Historic Site near Studley to the newly opened Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison.
Some of the people in the book may not necessarily be obscure to readers, but to omit them would have likely brought more attention. That’s why the book includes well-known Kansans such as aviator Earhart; Father Emil Kapaun, who is being considered for sainthood; and the photojournalist, film director and poet Gordon Parks.
The book also gives some ink to infamous Kansans like the murderous Bender family, who allegedly killed more than 20 people who had the misfortune of visiting their farm near Cherryvale, and the Dalton Gang. Coffeyville has a Dalton museum that honors those who helped bring down the Old West outlaws.
The book helps lift some Kansas-related stories out of obscurity, like how forensics of a fingerprint lifted from a car window on display in the Finney County Historical Society Museum led to the FBI’s first conviction based on a single latent fingerprint.
Other lesser-known stories include those of Lyda Conley, the first woman admitted to the Kansas bar and the nation’s first Native American lawyer, who argued before the Supreme Court to save her ancestors’ cemetery, the Huron Cemetery in Kansas City, from developers; Cherryvale schoolboy Frank E. Bellamy, whose likely authorship of the Pledge of Allegiance has been historically misattributed; and the all-Black, all-female 6888th Central Postal Battalion that worked 24/7 for months at an overseas mail depot to deliver a backlog of mail intended for soldiers serving in Europe during World War II. While the 6888th was based outside of Kansas, a statue to commemorate the unit was added in 2018 at Fort Leavenworth.
As a travel writer, Yonkey has built up a network of connections across the state that she culled for ideas of what to include in the book. She also picked up several tips during a book signing tour around the state for her book “100 Things to Do in Kansas Before You Die,” released in October 2021.
As she pursued stories for her current book, sources often shared other locations, too. For example, she found out about Dexter’s place in history for the discovery of helium and its Henry’s Candies Store after asking a Visit Ark City staffer for a tour of Etzanoa, a “lost” city of the Wichita people discovered by a Wichita State archaeologist in present-day Arkansas City.
As part of her “Secret Kansas” book tour, Yonkey will visit three area locations: the Warkentin House Museum in Newton on Friday evening, April 28, and the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum and Barnes and Noble bookstore on Saturday, April 29. The Warkentin House is included in the book since its namesake is credited with helping Kansas become known as the Wheat State; the Wichita museum is cited in the book because its exhibitions include the telling of how Mentholatum was created in Wichita.
Both of Yonkey’s books have been published by Reedy Press, a St. Louis publisher that looks for local writers willing to write and market books on local history, sports, food, nostalgia, travel and more. She’s also working on two other books for the publisher, one a coffee-table book that will fall under the publisher’s “historic roadsides” series and another that falls under its “amazing” series that chronicles even more unusual things to see and do.
The Wichita troll is among the local sites included in Yonkey’s “Secret Kansas” book. As part of its “Secret” series, this fall Reedy Press will release a more Wichita-centric book written by local travel blogger Vanessa Whiteside, who also wrote “100 Things to Do in Wichita Before You Die.”
“Secret Kansas: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure” retails for $27 and is available at area bookstores as well as Amazon. Yonkey will also be selling the book at her book signings.
‘Secret Kansas: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure” book signings
What: Three area book signings for a recently released book of more than 80 people and places
When & Where: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, Warkentin House Museum, 211 E. First, Newton; 2-4 p.m. Saturday, April 29, Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main; 6-8 p.m. Saturday, April 29, Barnes & Noble, 1920 N. Rock Road.
Cost: Free admission; books available to purchase for $27
More info: roxieontheroad.com
