As the Greenwood County Cattlemen’s Association (GCCA) commemorates the centennial of its first Cattlemen’s Day in 1926, a new documentary puts the spotlight on the ranching heritage of the county, which encompasses large swaths of grasslands in the Flint Hills south of Emporia.
Produced by Dave Kendall, former host of the “Sunflower Journeys” series on public television, the program features a number of local ranching families telling their own stories, reflecting on the changes they have witnessed over the years.
The title of the program – “Oasis on the Prairie” – comes from a characterization of the region provided by Luke Westerman, District Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Westerman describes the nutrient-rich grasses that make the pasturelands well suited to the seasonal grazing that takes place in the area as folklorist Jim Hoy relates the early history of cattle ranching in the Flint Hills.
The interview with Hoy, conducted by director emeritus of the Kansas Geological Survey Rex Buchanan, was recorded shortly before the wellknown author/storyteller passed away in February of 2025.
Approximately ninety minutes in length, the program will premiere at the Granada Theatre in Emporia on Sunday afternoon, December 7, beginning at 2 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Several of those featured in the program will be present at the screening.
Among the ranchers who appear in the show are Wayne and Marcia Bailey, Irlene Huntington and Heather Huntington- Fuesz, Mike and Glen Collinge, Diltz & Jamie Lindamood, Jack Lindamood, Preston and Jeanna Beeman, Matt & Amy Perrier, Mike Wiggins, Lindy Knowles and Jay and Sara Shivers. The current GCCA president, Brance Boone, also takes part along with his immediate predecessor, Jared Seeley.
Funding for the program came from a grant from Humanities Kansas as well as support from Porter Cattle Company, SEK Coop, the Nature Conservancy in Kansas and a number of Greenwood County ranches, including: the Bechtel Ranch, Beeman Backgrounding, Curry Cattle Company, Double Arrow C Ranch, the Hibbard Ranch, the Huntington Ranch, the Lindamood Ranch, Luthi Land and Cattle, Dalebanks Angus, Black Gold Cattle Company, and the Wiggins Ranch.
Presented by Prairie Hollow Productions, the Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation serves as the sponsoring organization for the program as it has for previous productions focusing on the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Prairie Women, and the Santa Fe Trail.
