Kansas historian Leo Oliva will present the program, “What Did They Eat on the Santa Fe Trail?” when the Barton County Historical Society hosts a joint meeting with the Quivira Chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association next week. The meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 28, in the Ray Schulz Research Library at the Barton County Historical Society Museum, located just south of the Arkansas River Bridge on U.S. 281 (Main Street) in Great Bend.
Museum Director Beverly Komarek said the meeting is free and open to the public. “Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.”
Everyone who traveled down the Santa Fe Trail had one thing in common — they all had to eat. Oliva, a former history professor at Fort Hays State University, will explore the culinary tastes of the men and woman who traveled the trail. Using the travelers’ own words and sometimes colorful descriptions, Oliva will relate the preparation process, the foods they ate and the whole dining experience.
Oliva is an author, editor and a founding member of the Santa Fe Trail Association. He is a frequent lecturer and current manager of the Cheyenne and Sioux village site in Ness County.