KTWU Sunflower Journeys 1603C - Bike to the Past
Produced by Amanda Shaw
But, one by one, the cyclists emerge...unloading their bikes, airing up tires and donning helmets and water paks. They will ride 18 miles this morning, over hills on gravel roads, through some of the prettiest country in Osborne County. But what makes this trip unique is that the bikers are also in for a history lesson. And at each stop, along with water and granola bars, they'll have a chance to take in a little local history. John McClure has been leading these historic bike tours for about three years now. John McClure, Osborne, KS: I like to ride. I like to get out on the back roads which we have plenty of here in Osborne County. I enjoy history also, and I kept going out and noticing that little clump of trees off on the hill and this road that ran not on section lines, and just odd things that didn't seem to quite make sense. I'd come back to town and talk to my historian friend Von Rothernberger, and say "hey, Von, what's the deal on this?" "Oh, you mean the old so-and-so place where this happened all those years ago." Finally, it dawned on me that this would be a great way to show folks to local history. Von Rothenberger, Local Historian: It was just kind of a marriage. John was doing biking, and I do the historical, and he said, "you know when we stop, it'd be nice if we had someone talk about that. Von, do you know anything about that corner?" "Yeah." "How about this corner?" "Yeah." And that's kinda how it came together. Narrator: Von Rothenberger is a local historian who meets the bikers at each stopping place, sharring his knowledge of the people and events that passed through these hills. Von Rothenberger: I just get joy out of sharing the hisitory with them. It's nice to keep it going, let people know that this is what happened a hundred years ago. They can see where their roots were, where they came from, and have a little pride in who they are. And maybe, see what's going to be coming ahead. John McClure: We do really key on some of the historic sites that we have in the county. We just really give folks a good cross-section and try to take them out and let them know that they're on the actual site where the history happened, and tell them the story so that they get that sense of what it would have been like to have been there, walking in the shoes of those folks who lived that history. The bikes really lend themselves well to that. Because when you're traveling on that bike, you think like that person who was traveling on foot, on with a team and wagon. Today, when we come to a hill, if you're in your automobile, you just step on the gas and over the hill you go, but when you're in a team and wagon and you're thinking about the time and the distance and the energy it's going to take to get from point A to point B, you put a lot more planning into your trip. We find that you get the same perspective from the bicycle. Bonita Oliva, Stockton, KS: I really enjoyed it. My husband and I are both historians, so we enjoy history. It was fun to get out. The scenery in this part of Osborne County is actually beautiful. John McClure: We really try to help folks who may not be used to going out and riding the kinds of distances that we do on a ride. They generally run from 12 to, this tour was about 18 miles, which is about the longest tour we do. We ride at a very relaxed pace. There are folks who are used to riding a faster pace, but we let folks know right up front that this is not a race. It's about going out and having a good time and enjoying yourself on your bike. Von Rothenberger: It's amazing, we get of feedback from the riders, particularly the younger they are. I've time and again been told that kids aren't going to be interested in this stuff, but they are the ones that remember it word for word and come back up to you, "hey, last year we did this, this and this. Are we going to do it again?" Or, they took their parents out to see it, and then they got enthused in it and wanted to know more. So, that's what really is fun, because they are the ones that are going to have to keep up remembering that history and passing it on, and it looks like they're going to do it. Lonnie Seachris, Buhler, KS: I have relatives that are buried north of here. My great grandfather homesteaded here in the early 1870s after the Civil War. That was really what prompted me to come and do this is because of my father moving through this area in the 1920s. I thought wow, it would be great to come see this same area. John McClure: We've lost a lot of our historic sites and our historic structures. Many folks locally don't have a sense of the value of preserving those places and those structures. That people are willing to come and rent a motel room and spend their resources here for recreational activities, and that history is atractive, puts an economic value on those historic sites to people locally. So, we're more likely to preserve them." Narrator: For now, most of the riders on the tour have specific ties to Osborne County. But, both John and Von would like to see folks from outside the area come along for the ride. John McClure: We would love to bring folks in from outside the area to show some of the great terrain and wide-open spaces that we have here in Osborne County and just the fantastic early day frontier history that we have. Von Rothenberger: We all want roots. We want an idea of where we came from, so we know where we're coming from and where we're going to go. Even if it's somebody else's, we can identify with that. Then we look back on our own life and say, hey, how are we doing?
John McClure: I get a little upset when I hear folks deriding Kansas for being flat and boring. I would stack what we have here up against almost anywhere. We're not exactly the same as other places, but we have our own beauty, and if you go looking for it, why, you'll find it and be well
rewarded for your search.
This transcript is from KTWU's Sunflower Journeys 2003 season. A production of: |
