Join the Seward County Community College/Area Technical School Library for Lunch in the Library with Jim Hoy and his presentation, “A Photographer’s Work and the Work of Western Kansas,” at 12 noon, Wednesday, Sept. 25.
Photographer Francis Marion Steele arrived in Dodge City in 1890 to document cowboys at work on the open range. As the prairie began to fence up and cattle ranching gave way to crop farming, Steele’s photographs traced the cultural changes with dramatic images of sod-busting, railroad construction, and town boosterism. Hoy will share Steele’s images and discuss how he documented the dramatic ways work changed at the turn of the 20th century.
Hoy teaches folklore and literature and is the director of the Center for Great Plains Studies at Emporia State University. He has lectured internationally on the folklife of ranching, published 12 books and over 100 articles, and is the co-author of “Plains Folk,” a syndicated newspaper column.
"The photographs of F. M. Steele are important not only for their artistry, but because they document the transition from open-range ranching to crop agriculture in Kansas and the Southwestern Plains," said Hoy.
The presentation is free and open to the public. Bring your own lunch Drinks and cookies will be provided.
For more information, contact the Library at 620-417-1160.