Ellis County Historical Society
The Close of Coming Home Week!
Join us August 9th in Victoria, Kansas.
10:00 A.M. to 12 P.M.
Open House at the NEW Ellis County Heritage Center.
Pastries and coffee will be served.
1:00 P.M.
Ancestors Mass at St. Fidelis Church with the Bishop.
2:30 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Machts Gut Reception at the Ellis County Heritage Center. Featuring the long Volga German farewell and light refreshments.
Spitzbuben For Sale!
We are doing a special bake of 50 boxes. They will be on sale on Saturday, August 8th, 2026, at the Ellis County Heritage Center in Victoria, beginning at 1 P.M.
$20 per box for a dozen!
First-come, First-serve While Supplies Last.
Pinochle Tournament
Join us for our Pinochle Tournament on Saturday, August 8th 2026, from 1 - 3:30 P.M. at the new Ellis County Heritage Center located at 701 7th St, Victoria KS.
Bring your best partner for a two person team. The tournament will be limited to 20 Teams.
$30 Entry Fee.
Prizes and Bragging Rights for the Winners!
To Register, please Text or Call:
Mary Kay Schippers (785)-650-3050 or Cynthia Stone (785)-893-1431.
Josie's Gift
August 6th
Josie's Gift is a Heritage Play that celebrates the history and tradition of the Volga Germans, in a modern day setting.
This event is FREE with no reservations required.
Showtime is at 7 P.M. Doors will open at 6:30.
At the Hays High School Performing Arts Center.
Railroaded: The Industry That Shaped Kansas
Thu, Oct 19
|Hays
A presentation on Railroaded: The Industry That Shaped Kansas by Leo Oliva
Time & Location
Oct 19, 2023, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Hays, 100 W 7th St, Hays, KS 67601, USA
About the event
Few industries dominated the economy of the nation in the 19th century more than the railroad. Railroads brought immigrant settlers, created jobs, and fed beef markets in the East. They enabled regular mail service and the adoption of standard time. Most Kansas towns were founded because of the railroad, and few survived without it. Yet the advancement of the railroad industry came at a significant cost to the Plains Indians who were forcibly displaced by this westward expansion. This presentation examines the complicated legacy of railroads and the impact on native peoples who called Kansas home.
Leo Oliva is a historian with a research focus on 19th-century Kansas. He is the author of “Soldiers on the Santa Fe Trail,” six books for the Kansas Fort Series, and a founding member of the Santa Fe Trail Association and Fort Larned Old Guard.
“Railroads are the key to understanding the development of…