*TravelWorld International Magazine Spring 2024

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In front of the Ameilia Earhart Hanger Museum which opened
in 2023, is a bronze statue of Amelia Earhart.
One of the most amazing murals in Salina is the
Mural at the Mill by Guido van Helten.
One of the most unusual
sculptures on the trail was
Engine Failure.
This stone sculpture on
the Sacred Heart Cathedral
Catholic Church is located on
the south front door.
tchison, Kansas is known for the
famous aviatrix, Amelia Earhart. The
first woman to make a solo flight
across the Atlantic, she also set the
women’s altitude record and the
women’s speed record. Amelia
made the first solo round trip of the United
States, then, on July 2, 1937, she and
navigator, Fred Noonan, during her around
the world flight, disappeared over the Pacific
Ocean. In Atchison besides the birthplace
home and museum, there is the Amelia
Earhart Hangar Museum. In front of the
museum which opened in 2023, is a bronze
statue of Amelia Earhart. This is the twin
statue to one housed at the National Statuary
Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Downtown Salina has beautiful art, with a
self-guided Mural trail of 30 murals. One of
the most amazing is the Mural at the Mill by
Guido van Helten. There are cool working
man murals like Chris Stain’s the Lineman,
and his Pastures of Plenty referencing Salina’s
agricultural past.
Besides the mural trail, there is a sculpture
tour and a walking tour downtown. The trail
changes each spring as artists from across the
country submit work to be considered. One
of the more unusual sculptures this year was
Engine Failure.
Across the street from the amazing Smokey
Hill Museum is the Sacred Heart Cathedral
Catholic Church with amazing classical
Greek architecture mixing with the functional
forms of the Kansas Grain elevator and silo.
This church is a combination of classical and
modern eclectic art. The art story combines
both faith and the local rural lifestyle.
On their website in an article about the
architecture they share, “Therefore, here in
rural Kansas the Holy Bread of the Eucharist
and the spiritual bread of God’s holy word is
fittingly shared in a Cathedral that belongs to
the contemporary Kansas landscape.” At the
Cathedrals south front door is a large carved
crucifix of Jesus on the cross. Composed of
Silverdale limestone, the sculpture is near an
engaging processional group.
stop in Manhattan, Kansas at
the Flint Hills Discovery Center
shares the story of the tall grass
prairie. The grass brought
the cattle and cowboys. Like
the cattle drives that arrived after
the Civil War, so did the Buffalo Soldiers
of the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments of
Black Americans. In Junction City, there
is a nine-foot-tall bronze sculpture of a
Buffalo Soldier. The memorial is located
near a government housing area that was
built in the 1940s for these soldiers and
their families.
Cattle drives made the town of Abilene
famous. They began in 1867 when the
Kansas Pacific Railroad was built. With the
cattle drives, Abilene’s population surged
to around 3,000 residents and eleven
saloons! For three years the drives took
place along the Chisolm Trail, bringing a
whopping 1.5 million plus head of cattle to
town. While this might have been a great
economic boom, it wasn’t long before
Abilene was known as the wildest place in
the West! Various law enforcement efforts
were made to rein the wild cowboys in
until eventually, Wild Bill Hickok came
to town. Today, there is a cowboy trail
offering fun art that shares this unique
history like the mural of Wild Bill! Along
with the murals, there is also a cowboy
boot trail and the World’s Largest Belt
Buckle!
Besides its cowboy past, Abilene is also
the home of the Dwight D. Eisenhower
Presidential Library, Museum, and
Boyhood Home. The museum shares
Ike’s life. He was a President who served
during wartime as a General, then moved
us through the Cold War. Along with the
museum, there are statues and murals all
over town to enjoy the “Ike” trail.
All through stops in Kansas visitors can
enjoy art that shares history, culture and
adds beauty to their communities. Make
your own plans to enjoy the beautiful state
of Kansas and learn about public art along
the way.
This memorial is in the small town of Junction City honoring
the black regiments that came after the Civil War.
Buffalo Bil is part of the cattle
drive and cowboy story in Abilene
which was called the “Wildest
town in the west.”
Along with the murals, there is
also a cowboy boot trail and the
World’s Largest Belt Buckle!
Along with the museum, there are statues and murals
all over town to enjoy the “Ike” trail.
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