Click this link for the : February Museum Newsletter
Thomas Gallery Grand Opening Announced
The Grand Opening of the Jerry Thomas Gallery and Collection is set for 1-2 May 2010. Save the Date! Details of this important event will follow later this winter. The Board of Directors of the Scott County Historical Society are busily working on ideas to present a weekend worthy of this great locally-raised historic and wildlife artist.
Donate Today!
Remember that end of the year donations to The Jerry Thomas Art Gallery are tax deductible. Checks may be made out to: The Scott County Historical Society (a 501c3 non-profit organization), denoting "Thomas Gallery" on the memo line. The address is: P. O. Box 155. Prints of Jerry's artwork are available at El Quartelejo Museum, 902 West 5th Street. Thanks!!!
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Museum Begins Jerry Thomas Gallery Addition
Construction has begun on a new addition to the El Quartelejo Museum! The Jerry Thomas Art Gallery will honor our homegrown artist and share his wonderful paintings with the public. Jerry's widespread acclaim and name recognition will bring many visitors to Scott City.
Jerry is a 1977 graduate of Scott Community High School. He is the son of Clyde and Velda Thomas. He is very well known for his wildlife paintings, sports paintings, and his series featuring the military posts of Kansas.
You are invited to make a donation to the Scott County Historical Society to help with this project. Please earmark your gift for the Jerry Thomas Art Gallery. Your generous gifts are vital to allow completion of this great project. You may see the floor plan and get more information about the gallery at the museum.
(7.25.08)
The El Quartelejo Museum is located at 902 West 5th Street (West Highway 96) in Scott City. They are open Monday-Friday 1pm-5pm or by appointment. Call 602. 872.5912 or 620.872.5718 to make an appointment.
The El Quartelejo Museum exhibits mark a timeline of history in Western Kansas. Fifty million years ago this area was covered by an inland sea. The fossil remains of sea creatures and shells are found in the chalk formations in Scott, Logan, Gove, and other nearby counties. Unique formations in Gove County are called The Monument Rocks (see above...) and were used by early travelers as landmarks. The museum has a sandbox with fossils hidden inside for children to discover. A complete fossil of a Gillicus is displayed. (See below...)
Prehistoric Native Americans migrated through Scott County over a period of thousands of years. The natural springs in addition to the bluffs and streams in the Scott Lake area attracted deer, buffalo, antelope, and hunters. Prior to the introduction of horses into America, the dwellings of the native peoples were smaller but still portable.
An important chapter in the history of Native America is told in the recorded story of the Pueblo Indians. They traveled to this area in western Kansas from New Mexico to escape the harsh treatment of the Spanish. This journey took place in the 1600s. This group of Pueblo Indians settled in the Scott State Park area. They were "growers" and used irrigation techniques to water their corn, squash, and other crops. The ruins of a pueblo, El Quartelejo, were first excavated in 1898 and are still visible at the state park, 12 miles north of Scott City.
The last Indian battle in Kansas was fought in Scott County. It is commonly referred to as "The Battle of Punished Woman's Fork". In 1878, a band of Northern Cheyenne Indians, who had been dwelling in Oklahoma, left the reservation, protesting their internment by the US government. They traveled to this location in Scott County, where they planned an attack on the cavalry, which was traveling from Ft Wallace.
Homesteaders began arriving in Scott County in the 1880s. Scott City was founded by a woman - Maria DeGeer from Chicago. She was a woman who was ahead of her time - very talented and educated. Due to lack of trees for lumber, homesteads were built mainly of sod. (See below...)
Important to every young and growing town were blacksmiths and railroads. Scott City was fortunate to have three railroads throughout its history. The several blacksmith shops were gathering places for men, as well as necessary to provide repairs for the area settlers.
