For those who are familiar with Western history, the story of the German Family Massacre of 1874 is a singular tale of violence, tragedy and survival. There are few stories more gripping than what happened just a few miles west of the Wallace County line, when a band of marauding Southern Cheyenne attacked the family from Georgia, killing the mother, father, son and two daughters and carrying off Catherine, Sophia, Addie, and Julia, the youngest of which were 7 and 5. All four girls were rescued and lived to tell their tale. The only items kept from their ordeal were Sophia’s moccasins.
On Thursday, May 9, Arlene and Jack Jauken journeyed from their home in Peru, Nebraska to deliver a gift to the Fort Wallace Museum – Dozens of files of research on the German Family and the Southern Cheyenne, as well as several pieces of family memorabilia – including original family photos and the moccasin that her Grandmother Sophia kept from her time as an Indian captive.   Click here to read the complete news release!
Plan a visit to your Fort Wallace Museum this summer to learn more about this and other stories from Western Kansas history! 

 
Fort Wallace Memorial Association president Jayne Humphrey Pearce
accepts the incredible historical gifts from Arlene and Jack Jauken.

FWMA Receives Milford Becker Gift

The past year has been full of many blessings for the Fort Wallace Memorial Association, including gifts from Harrison Flats Township, the Les Frasier and Snick Harrison memorials and the Garvey Texas Foundation. 
In late 2012, the organization was informed that they had been included in the estate of late local resident Milford Becker. This gift currently totals $700,000 with the last of his estate still to be settled. This singularly amazing gift will impact the FWMA for many years to come.

The board and friends of the Association have been meeting and discussing the ways to best honor Milford and fulfill the responsibility of using this money in the most fitting way possible! Come join with our organization as we strive to make Wallace County a great place to live and to celebrate our history and culture!

 Own a Piece of History

 
 Why a great artist like Jerry Thomas would choose to live in Kansas is a matter of love...not of money or fame, but of the history and stories of the region.  Thomas has spent untold hours painstakingly recreating famous moments from Kansas history and then using his wealth of talent to render those scenes in vivid color and extraordinary detail.  No touch is too small for his paintings as each stalk of native grass seemingly jumps out of the canvas.  And the subjects he depicts surround the time period when Fort Wallace was at its best. 
   The Fort Wallace Museum was recently given the unique opportunity to make and sell prints of two of Thomas’ greatest paintings.
   “Scouting the Trail” depicts two scouts overlooking Major Elliot’s column that is en route to the Medicine Lodge treaties. Thanks to these two scouts, Elliot’s column made it safely to their destination.
   “Get ‘Em Boys” shows Captain Barnitz leading the 7th Cavalry’s charge against Cheyenne warriors. This battle, which took place on June 26, 1867 near Fort Wallace, proved to the U.S. Army that the Indians were capable and imaginative fighters.
   If you would like to order one of these prints, send payment to the Fort Wallace Museum and tell us which of the prints you would like to receive.  Although “Get ‘Em Boys” will be ready for shipment by early August, we project that “Scouting the Trail” will be ready by early fall. Proceeds from “Scouting the Trail” will be split between the Ft. Wallace Museum and the JM and Marilyn Thies Youth Ranch while all proceeds from “Get ‘Em Boys” will directly benefit the museum.
  For more information, contact the museum using the informationa t the bottom of this page.

"Get 'Em Boys" Image Dimensions: 22" x 12" Outside Dimensions: 26" x 16" Artist Print: $75.00 Artist Proof with Remarque: $125.00	"Scouting the Trail" Image Dimensions: 36" x 11.5" Outside Dimensions: 38.5" x 15" Artist Print: $125.00 Artist Proof with Remarque: $175.00

(July 2006)