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Deb Goodrich, Santa Fe Trail Association

Can one man’s journey change history?

Portrait of woman with long brown hair
Deb Goodrich

“Yes,” said writer and historian Deb Goodrich. She points to William Becknell’s 1821 trade mission to Mexico as a pivotal point in the history of the west. Now she is leading the effort to commemorate the bicentennial of the Santa Fe Trail.

Goodrich is a journalist, historian and television host. A Virginia native, she was a student at Washburn University who became enamored of western history. She is now historian in residence at Fort Wallace in Kansas. Among many other things, she chairs the Santa Fe Trail 200 committee, which is commemorating the bicentennial of this historic trail.

“In 1821, change was racing across the west like a prairie fire,” Goodrich said. “Missouri was a brand new state and Mexico was a newly liberated nation.”

Missouri was also in a financial depression. A Missouri salt-maker named William Becknell was one of those in financial trouble. He was on the verge of going to jail because he could not pay his debts.

In September 1821, Becknell and five companions headed west to hunt and trade horses and mules. They traveled hundreds of miles by horseback through challenging territory. Nearly two-and-a-half months later, they arrived in Santa Fe.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Trent Boaldin and Becki Richardson, EpicTouch in Elkhart

The touch of a button. In modern times, it is possible for the touch of a button on a computer keyboard or other electronic device to connect us to anywhere, if we have quality internet access. Today we’ll learn about an innovative broadband company which is making such high-quality internet access available through fiber optic service to 100 percent of its community.

Trent Boaldin

Last week we learned about Laura and Ronn Martin who recently moved to the Morton County town of Elkhart, Kansas. Ronn has an information technology job so he was able to work from anywhere with good internet access. He found such access in his former hometown of Elkhart. The company which is providing this service is EpicTouch.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Laura Martin, Sew Loved Quilt Shop

Laura was six years old. There was a big present for her under the Christmas tree. She excitedly opened the package and was delighted to find it was a sewing machine from her grandmother. Her interest in sewing grew, and decades later it became a sort of magic carpet which would bring her and her husband back to Kansas.

Laura and Ronn Martin live at Elkhart. They went off to the big city for their careers but came back to Kansas.

Ronn grew up at Elkhart. Laura grew up on a farm near McCracken, a rural community of 190 people. Now, that’s rural.

The two met at Tabor College in Hillsboro. Ronn earned degrees in computer science, and Laura earned degrees in psychology and counseling. They followed his career to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas where he worked in information technology. They also raised a daughter and son.

When Laura was a little girl, her mother had been a seamstress on the farm. “One of my earliest recollections was sitting on my mom’s lap while she sewed,” Laura said. One Christmas, Laura received the aforementioned sewing machine from her grandmother.  With help from her other grandma, she even did a 4-H sewing project. Laura loved sewing, but when her mother encouraged her to try quilting, Laura had no interest at the time.

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