Front Entrance Exhibit - Scythe in Tree

     The unusual display at the front entrance to the High Plains Museum features one of the earliest farming tools.  The scythe has been in use since Biblical times, when the sweep of the implement in the hand of man harvested standing grain to sustain life.
     Although the Reaper had been invented years before Sherman County was settled, homesteaders were unsure of the yields, and the scythe was easily transported in wagons and later in the cars of the Emigrant Cars on the railways.
     As soon as a shelter or dwelling was erected on the 160 acre homestead, and a water well was dug, trees were planted for future shade for both humans and animals.  The tiny sticks and bushes were watered one bucketful at a time by the family.
     This silent sentinel tells the story of the farmer, tired and hot, circling the windrows of the grain he has swathed.  He stops in the shade of a tree grown larger than the others, and settles the scythe in the largest branch.   Forgotten in favor of the horse-drawn reaper and binder, in the ensuing decades, the scythe and its guardian are joined forever.
     Discovered by great-great grandchildren exploring the shelter belt one summer's day after almost a century, another testament to determination.

Railroad Station / Telegraph Office

Typical of the local Railroad Stations along the CP & RI Railroad, we see the Station Agent, his attention focused on a message he will reply to using the telegraph key, the lifeblood of communication in the days of westward expansion.  Goodland welcomed the first passenger train on July 4, 1887.  The growth of the city was assured, and in November of that year, won the election for the County Seat.  The Railroad played an essential part in the economics of the City and County in good times and bad.  Water from the deep well at the train yard, and hose and pumpers were volunteered during several disastrous fires.  Sadly, the wonderful Station Hotel and Restaurant resisted all efforts to save it from total destruction in March of 1909.   Several maintenance articles can be seen in these exhibits, courtesy of Marion C. Parker, Goodland Historian, and retired Railroad Engineer.

Dressmaker

The Seamstress and Milliner were important businesses in a thriving farming and railroading community.  This was also one of the limited vocations afforded a woman well into the Twentieth Century.  Even though the sewing machine had been available for thirty years, most women preferred a professional to render the complicated fashions of the 1880s and 1890s well before the simple paper patterns crafted in the new century.   All manner of accessories were on display to coordinate with milady's new frock, and handmade hats were offered, a truly important item, replacing the every-day slat brimmed sun bonnet.

Frame House - 1920s to early 30s

In this exhibit, we see the typical farmhouse of the early 1930s.  The invention of the internal combustion machine and the autos and trucks invented in the early 1900s have made the acquisition of lumber and building materials convenient.  Vehicles and roads have changed the High Plains forever.  This farm home is modern in every sense of the word.  Electricity has made housekeeping much easier, running water is furnished by an electric pump, a washing machine and an electric iron have allowed the family to appear neat with much less drudgery on the part of the mother.  The telephone has linked neighbors together, and an early radio informs the family of events in distant locations.  This farm family is enjoying the prosperity of their land before the terrible days of the Great Depression and the added tragedy of The Dirty Thirties.

The Holsman Auto

The Holsman Auto was owned and driven by a local physician, Dr. A.C. Gulick.  It was the first auto in the county, and carried Dr. Gulick to homes in town and in the country for several years.  A chain-drive vehicle, it had a 1 cylinder engine, attained speeds up to 25 mph, and cost $600 new.  The Gulick Family graciously donated the vehicle to the High Plains Museum, in rather sad repair having been stored in a barn for many years.  In the 1980s a local Antique Vehicle organization completely restored the vehicle, reconstructed the top and upholstery, and presented the results for the City's Centennial Celebration in June of 1987.