As music from the Symphony in the Flint Hills fills the air in Wabaunsee County this weekend, it is an ideal time to reflect upon the unique character and history of the Flint Hills region. 

The Flint Hills Tourism Coalition's Ranching Impact Oral History Project features stories about the distinct nature of ranching life in the Flint Hills, as told by area residents and ranchers. According to project director Dr. Bill Smith: "Distinctive elements of Kansas Flint Hills history are represented in most of the interviews from 150 years of ranching in the same family, to the discovery of buffalo bones on one ranch, to stories of the early crossings of the hill by Zebulon Pike and others."

Audio excerpts and written transcripts from the interviews can be found here. The project was supported by a KHC grant.  

Photo by Mike Blair, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.