Eccentric Kansas: Tales from Atchison to Winfield

by Roger L. Ringer

Kansas has tales as extraordinary as its plains, although the stories behind the legends are sometimes lost to time. Discover the history of the state's world-class violinist, homemade airplane and alleged volcano. Iola's Mad Bomber blew up the town's saloons after a hangover. The bulletproof and most "extinctest" creature lurked in sinkholes outside Inman. Hunters in Stafford County learned to leave out enormous quantities of food for local hermit Pelican Pete. Join author Roger Ringer as he delves into these and other facts behind the myths of the Sunflower State.

176 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2019

About the author

Roger is a lifelong country boy, growing up working on his grandfather and uncle's farm. His experiences with Sedgwick County's volunteer Civil Preparedness Heavy Rescue Unit led Roger to join the Sedgwick County Fire Department. Still working on farms and ranches, he retired from the fire service and ran his own private detective agency for several years. He attended several colleges and universities, accumulating hours in fire, rescue and emergency medical technician training. Roger was certified as an Emergency Medical Technician-Ambulance in 1976 and retired his certification in 2010.
He went to Worldwide College of Auctioneering in Mason City, Iowa, and was in the auction business for several years. Working in family businesses, he still spent many hours on horseback and on the seat of a tractor. He is inflicted with "Old Iron Fever" and has bought and sold many antique and classic tractors over the years. He has owned and operated a portable hay mill and ground hay for ranches, farms and dairies over a three-county area. Roger also operated road graders for two townships and was a township trustee for one term. He has welded, carpentered and carved wood.
After the loss of a friend, he returned to writing poetry and began to perform cowboy and country poetry in the region around south-central Kansas. He then turned to western music and regularly attended the Western Music Association Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He performed at the Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock, Texas, and has been onstage in a number of other places--Dodge City; Wichita; and St. Joseph, Missouri, to mention a few. He was a founding member and vice-president for the Kansas chapter of the Western Music Association. He is a life member of the Western Music Association and a board member of the Cowboy Storytellers Association of the Western Plains and publishes the organization's newsletter.

Reviews

[Linda McCune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stories about the history of Kansas.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book by sheerest chance and was charmed by the title. I was fascinated by the many anecdotal stories within giving hints into the lives of Kansans both past and present. While I was less than appreciative of the stories of the heyday of the agricultural equipment manufacturing companies - I realize this is mostly a matter of taste. I enjoyed reading of the people who have left their unique stamp, both the good and bad, on my home state.