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Volunteers, board members and past board members were at the Chisholm Trail Museum celebration last week.

Sumner Newscow report — The following was a speech written by Jim Bales, Director of the Chisholm Trail League museum during the grand re-opening of the museum held Saturday. A list of volunteers are below:  

by Jim Bales, Chisholm Trail Museum director – “It was 50 years ago on August 21, 1965, that Dr. Ward M. Cole, then chairman of the Board of Trustees, stood on these very steps and presided over the formal grand opening of the Chisholm Trail Museum. I am honored to be standing here today in his foot steps 50 years later, celebrating this anniversary.

I will try to reenact his words and feelings today

The museum idea was started by a small group of concerned Summer County citizens such as Dr Ward Cole, Marie Vandeventer, Dorthy Dey, Ron Nichols, Harold Gibson, L.B. Geiger, John Garland, and Betty Cellars.

This small group originally attempted to obtain and preserve Wellington’s old landmark Harvey House hotel located at the Santa Fe railroad station. Failing in that endeavor the group was rewarded with the gift from the Hatcher family of the present museum building which was formerly the Hatcher hospital.  

Dr Cole professed that the museum was to be a valuable cultural and educational center for our community and asked all the citizens to support its activities. The fact that it still stands today attests to the success of that goal.

The historic Chisholm trail, that started first as a path, or hi way for the indians to travel north and south, lies just 7 miles west of here. Later it was used by Jesse Chisholm, for whom the trail is named, to trade goods and livestock with the indians and pioneers.

While it is most famous due to the cattle traffic that used the trail from 1868 to the 1880s, it was also used by settlers at the same time to come to this area and forge a new life for their families, thus establishing Wellington and Sumner County. We would not be here today if it were not for this Trail and those settlers.

To honor those folks who traveled into this area on the trail, it was decided that the museum should be named the Chisholm trail Museum.

Mr. and Mrs. Greathouse and Mrs. SF Aker, who were descendants of pioneers that had lived and settled along the Chisholm Trail, were on hand at the ceremony in 65 to represent those settlers of early Sumner County.

Dr. Cole mentioned that the museum was just a start in the effort to preserve the history or our forefathers and that all should be proud of the start that it is made.

The Reverend George Hoagland of the First Presbyterian Church, who gave the prayer at that first dedication, stated that the museum is a memorial to the past, it must be an inspiration to the future, that the things we cherish today have come about from the efforts of our forefathers.

My definition of history is that history is a snapshot in time of an historic event, witnessed by a few, but when recorded, can be witnessed and studied for generations to come.

This museum has become a photo album of the snapshots of Wellington and Sumner Co history. It needs to be cared for and preserved, and For those of us who have worked over the last year 50 yrs, It has become a passion and a legacy.

As we cut this ribbon today symbolizing that first dedication so also did they at that first dedication cut a rope symbolizing the pioneer trail days.”

Current Chisholm Trail Museum board member:

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