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Tag: Morris County

Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Madonna of the Trail

The woman stands 8 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Wow, that would be quite a basketball player. But this is no basketball player, it is a statue.  Specifically, it is a monument to the pioneer women of America. It is one of only 12 such statues which are located across the nation. This one is found in rural Kansas.

This statue is located in Council Grove, county seat of Morris County. Diane Wolfe is the director of the Council Grove/Morris County Chamber of Commerce. I was referred to Diane by Kay Hutchinson, who recently retired after 22 years as executive director of the Greater Morris County Development Corporation.

Kay and Diane are strong advocates for Morris County. “There are more historic sites on a per capita basis in Morris County than Washington, D.C.,” Kay said. As a key community along the Santa Fe Trail, Council Grove is the location of the Custer Elm, Post Office Oak, and 20 or more other historic locations.

One prominent site in Council Grove is the Madonna of the Trail statue. The history of this statue goes back more than a century.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Michael Moore and Dolly Anderson

Let’s go to the Norwegian Consulate in Houston, Texas where a special ceremony is being held to recognize a royal award recipient. His Majesty King Harald of Norway has awarded the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit: Knight, to a man named Michael Moore. Michael has played a key role in developing a market response to climate change and carbon sequestration, and he comes from rural Kansas.

Michael Moore is the person who received this award. His mother Dolly shared this remarkable story.

Dolly and her previous husband had two children, son Michael and daughter Kelly. In 1969, Dolly married Dusty Anderson and moved the family to the rural community of Skiddy in Morris County. Dolly Anderson became a realtor and continues to own and manage G & A Real Estate in Manhattan. Dolly still lives on this land that was homesteaded by Dusty’s great-great-grandfather in 1873.

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