Petroglyphs of the Kansas Smokey Hills

Too often Kansas history seems to start with Coronados’ trip through the state in 1541. For centuries before European arrival, Native people lived on the plains, and some left behind rock carvings on soft sandstone in the middle of the state. Based on the book Petroglyphs of the Kansas Smoky Hills, this presentation focuses on these carvings, the people who made them, and what the carvings tell us about those people and their relationship to the land. The presentation also discusses the challenges of dating and interpreting these carvings, the threats posed by erosion and vandalism, and the role of landowners whose property shelters these carvings. Presented by Rex Buchanan.