Deep Roots and New Growth in Wabaunsee County

Tallgrass Deep Roots

What looks like a homogeneous ocean of grass is actually a complex ecosystem. The diversity of plant life present has allowed the prairie to thrive – or at least survive – during times of drought and low rainfall. In high stress climates, a single plant type or a monoculture would have died but together they are more resistant. The tallgrass prairie is made up of many grass species and forbs (flowering plant species that are not grasses) with root systems of different depths. What you see above ground is only half the story, prairie roots can extend eight to fourteen feet below the surface. Artist Jim Richardson photographed the grass and roots to bring awareness to this unseen world.

Ranching

The rocky, rolling terrain may be unsuitable for cultivated crops but excels at growing nutritious grass for cattle. The exhibit explores inter-generational ranching, past ranching techniques, and new sustainability-seeking technology. Rural, for some urban-based dwellers, conjures a romanticized image of a solitary person riding horseback. The Rancher sees it as a business. With the challenge of making it profitable. A legacy from fathers and grandfathers to transfer to one’s children. Or the chance to create a legacy of one’s own. A lifestyle. The feeling that comes after a hard day of work. A chance to take a breath as the sun goes down. The quietness of a morning sunrise. Knowing that one is a part of a community with a strong work ethic, where character counts, and if one needs help a resourceful neighbor is there to lend a hand.

The Volland Store the location of the exhibit

The Volland Store was built by Otto Kratzer in 1913. Being a railroad stop gave the Volland Store access to the greater world, making it an essential part of daily life. Not only a place to buy goods, it was where neighbors picked up mail, heard news and were exposed to new things, like oysters.

The Volland Store was purchased in 2012 by Patty and Jerry Reece with the intent to create a place for the community to gather, a gallery to exhibit artwork, and a dream to share this landscape with visiting artists. Their vision is a continuation of Otto Kratzer’s, to create a place where the community can come together and be dazzled by new ideas.

The Middle of Everywhere

How do you define rural? Is it defined geographically? Economically? Is it a state-of-mind? For the people of Wabaunsee County, rural is a community of connected, aware, sustainability-seeking residents creating a patchwork of multigenerational stockholders tackling challenges past, present, and future. Discover how this rural community in the middle of everywhere addresses change and innovation through the decades in the exhibit Deep Roots and New Growth in Wabaunsee County.