Above "Smoky Valley Historical Association" YEAR should be "1963" not 1926
On October 20, 2010, Coronado Heights was awarded the National Register of Historic Places in Saline County, Kansas.
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On October 20, 2010, Coronado Heights was awarded the National Register of Historic Places in Saline County, Kansas.
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The 1919 formation of the "Lindsborg Historical Society"
~ The Smoky Hills' "Smoky Hill" christened "Coronado Heights" May 8, 1920
~ The Smoky Hills' "Smoky Hill" christened "Coronado Heights" May 8, 1920
The reason for the formation of this organization was due to the Kansas Smoky Valley Smoky Hills located 3.8 miles northwest of Lindsborg in McPherson County. In this group of hills, the highest hill was first called Smoky Hill, rising 300 feet from the Valley floor.
Caring for a piece of property of the Smoky Hills was the Lindsborg Historical Society's principal mission. This continued to be so with the reorganization of it in 1963 when the name changed to the "Smoky Valley Historical Association" (SVHA). It is confirmed by Mr. Bill Carlson (1930-2018)* in his 2010 Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now on page 56 that "The land including this highest hill was initially secured by the local Historical Society, part by purchase, and part by long-time lease, and now serves as a public park, maintained by the Smoky Valley Historical Association [the former Lindsborg Historical Society]. In turn, the high hill was officially named Coronado Heights."
Before the Swedes entered the Smoky Valley, it belonged to the Native American territory of the Kaw Nation tribe and was first explored by European visitors from Spain, namely the famous Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and about thirty of his men in July of 1541. This was before the English Mayflower landed in Massachusetts in 1620 and the Swedes in Pennsylvania in 1638. Coronado's exploration of Kansas for the Cities of Cíbola, the mythical Seven Cities of Gold, Quivira, as he coined the word, has been widely reported by historians through the centuries. Most authorities agree that the location of Quivira** is in central Kansas near present-day Lyons extending northeast to Salina. Scarce Spanish artifacts, from time to time, were found in the area, a significant one by Bethany College Musuem of Natural History curator and first college professor August Udden was that of Spanish chain mail that belonged to the College Museum until it disappeared mysteriously.
It is confirmed by Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg (1918-2016)* in her writings that "A National Geographic historical map points to [Kansas] Lindsborg and refers to the spot as "The Capital of Quivira." As well, she writes that "Coronado Heights is the only natural landmark in Kansas which distinctly commemorates the visit in 1541 of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and 30 Spaniards into territory which is now the State of Kansas."
Thus, it would seem that it was this highest hill of these Smoky Hills which brought about the formation of the "Lindsborg Historical Society" in 1919. The earliest leaders and concerned Lindsborg citizens interested in the formation of such an organization were these who first met in Lindsborg at the City Hall on July 9, 1919, when the meeting was called to order by Rev. Carl P. Eklund (1899-1981), a key instigator. At this meeting there was a full discussion of what was needed to form this organization for which they desired.
Persons attending that meeting were "the speech makers" Dr. Beckman, Chas. Ferm, Birger Sandzén, and G. N. Malm. Also in attendance were: Luther Swensson, Aug. Palmquist, C. A. Nelson, J. M. Nelson, A. J. Fredrickson, John Holmberg, William Hagstrom, Elmer E. Peterson, George Eberhart, E. O. Deere, R. Johnson, and W. K. Henry.
A couple of weeks later the organization was founded as the Lindsborg Historical Society on September 25, 1919. A board had been elected with board member Rev. Carl P. Eklund as President, E. O. Deere as Vice President and G. N. Malm who volunteered to be the Secretary, despite the warnings by the Kansas Historical Society secretary of the time regarding how difficult that job could be.
The Lindsborg Historical Society's E. O. Deere was assigned along with Rev. Eklund and William Hagstrom to negotiate the purchase of the land of these Smoky Hills, the bluffs as they called them, from a "Peter" Elving. The land was acquired in 1920. Nearly half of it was purchased by the Society and the remainder was leased from Chas. Ferm.
On May 20, 1920, the "Olsson Trail" to the top of the summit, of the highest bluff, Coronado Heights, was staked out from the Valley floor by E. O. Deere, Birger Sandzén, G. N. Malm, Wm. Hagstrom, C. A. Nelson, and R. Johnson. Deere, Nelson, and Malm were also in charge of a bridge to be built over the draw and a temporary shelter to be built as well.
Also, this 1919 Lindsborg Historical Society seeing the great need to begin a historical museum assigned some of its members to go humbly before the Bethany College board in 1926 to organize such a museum on the college campus, to which the board agreed. At some point, this History Museum would merge with the 1882 established Natural History Musuem that had been established by Professor Udden, the first professor of the Bethany Academy, the Bethany College-to-be. (The artifacts from these merged museums due to Deere's planning would be moved to the Old Mill Museum in the summer of 1966 due to the future razing of Old Main in the summer of 1968.)
As noted in the succeeding section, the fact that Professor Emil O. Deere was a geologist who had spent a great deal of time studying these Smoky Hills or Smoky Valley Buttes as he called them in order to write his Bethany College thesis titled "Geology of Study in the Area of the Smoky Valley Buttes" for his master's degree would provide a provenance on the Smoky Hills going forward that, one could surmise, would have been shared with the to-be-leaders in their desire to form the 1919 Lindsborg Historical Society.
Caring for a piece of property of the Smoky Hills was the Lindsborg Historical Society's principal mission. This continued to be so with the reorganization of it in 1963 when the name changed to the "Smoky Valley Historical Association" (SVHA). It is confirmed by Mr. Bill Carlson (1930-2018)* in his 2010 Lindsborg Then and Lindsborg Now on page 56 that "The land including this highest hill was initially secured by the local Historical Society, part by purchase, and part by long-time lease, and now serves as a public park, maintained by the Smoky Valley Historical Association [the former Lindsborg Historical Society]. In turn, the high hill was officially named Coronado Heights."
Before the Swedes entered the Smoky Valley, it belonged to the Native American territory of the Kaw Nation tribe and was first explored by European visitors from Spain, namely the famous Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and about thirty of his men in July of 1541. This was before the English Mayflower landed in Massachusetts in 1620 and the Swedes in Pennsylvania in 1638. Coronado's exploration of Kansas for the Cities of Cíbola, the mythical Seven Cities of Gold, Quivira, as he coined the word, has been widely reported by historians through the centuries. Most authorities agree that the location of Quivira** is in central Kansas near present-day Lyons extending northeast to Salina. Scarce Spanish artifacts, from time to time, were found in the area, a significant one by Bethany College Musuem of Natural History curator and first college professor August Udden was that of Spanish chain mail that belonged to the College Museum until it disappeared mysteriously.
It is confirmed by Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg (1918-2016)* in her writings that "A National Geographic historical map points to [Kansas] Lindsborg and refers to the spot as "The Capital of Quivira." As well, she writes that "Coronado Heights is the only natural landmark in Kansas which distinctly commemorates the visit in 1541 of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and 30 Spaniards into territory which is now the State of Kansas."
Thus, it would seem that it was this highest hill of these Smoky Hills which brought about the formation of the "Lindsborg Historical Society" in 1919. The earliest leaders and concerned Lindsborg citizens interested in the formation of such an organization were these who first met in Lindsborg at the City Hall on July 9, 1919, when the meeting was called to order by Rev. Carl P. Eklund (1899-1981), a key instigator. At this meeting there was a full discussion of what was needed to form this organization for which they desired.
Persons attending that meeting were "the speech makers" Dr. Beckman, Chas. Ferm, Birger Sandzén, and G. N. Malm. Also in attendance were: Luther Swensson, Aug. Palmquist, C. A. Nelson, J. M. Nelson, A. J. Fredrickson, John Holmberg, William Hagstrom, Elmer E. Peterson, George Eberhart, E. O. Deere, R. Johnson, and W. K. Henry.
A couple of weeks later the organization was founded as the Lindsborg Historical Society on September 25, 1919. A board had been elected with board member Rev. Carl P. Eklund as President, E. O. Deere as Vice President and G. N. Malm who volunteered to be the Secretary, despite the warnings by the Kansas Historical Society secretary of the time regarding how difficult that job could be.
The Lindsborg Historical Society's E. O. Deere was assigned along with Rev. Eklund and William Hagstrom to negotiate the purchase of the land of these Smoky Hills, the bluffs as they called them, from a "Peter" Elving. The land was acquired in 1920. Nearly half of it was purchased by the Society and the remainder was leased from Chas. Ferm.
On May 20, 1920, the "Olsson Trail" to the top of the summit, of the highest bluff, Coronado Heights, was staked out from the Valley floor by E. O. Deere, Birger Sandzén, G. N. Malm, Wm. Hagstrom, C. A. Nelson, and R. Johnson. Deere, Nelson, and Malm were also in charge of a bridge to be built over the draw and a temporary shelter to be built as well.
Also, this 1919 Lindsborg Historical Society seeing the great need to begin a historical museum assigned some of its members to go humbly before the Bethany College board in 1926 to organize such a museum on the college campus, to which the board agreed. At some point, this History Museum would merge with the 1882 established Natural History Musuem that had been established by Professor Udden, the first professor of the Bethany Academy, the Bethany College-to-be. (The artifacts from these merged museums due to Deere's planning would be moved to the Old Mill Museum in the summer of 1966 due to the future razing of Old Main in the summer of 1968.)
As noted in the succeeding section, the fact that Professor Emil O. Deere was a geologist who had spent a great deal of time studying these Smoky Hills or Smoky Valley Buttes as he called them in order to write his Bethany College thesis titled "Geology of Study in the Area of the Smoky Valley Buttes" for his master's degree would provide a provenance on the Smoky Hills going forward that, one could surmise, would have been shared with the to-be-leaders in their desire to form the 1919 Lindsborg Historical Society.
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Methodist Pastor
Rev. Carl P. Eklund,
a key instigator in the formation of the Society and its
first board president, composed this beautiful poem on Coronado Heights.
Methodist Pastor
Rev. Carl P. Eklund,
a key instigator in the formation of the Society and its
first board president, composed this beautiful poem on Coronado Heights.
Courtesy of Tim Stewart
Board President of the Smoky Valley Historical Association
since 2017
Board President of the Smoky Valley Historical Association
since 2017
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- Name changed by Hagstrom and witnessed by Deere -
- Lydia's photograph recreating the day of the name change to Coronado Heights in 1919 -
- Lydia's photograph recreating the day of the name change to Coronado Heights in 1919 -
After much study and thought, I have thought that Emil or Lydia might have wanted to recreate a photograph of that day, May 8, 1920, when the name changed from the various names of the Smoky Hills to something entirely different, distinctive and historical which was to Coronado Heights in 1919. This photograph may have captured that same time of day on the slope that Deere and Hagstrom experienced, of "seeing the wheat fields of gold” which led to the name change.
- Lydia and Emil surveying the Smoky Hills' "Coronado Heights" finished projects -
- Another way to look at the photographs -
Emil and Lydia had married in 1916, so it was not surprising that she took photographs of the results of the work being accomplished by her husband and the other members of the Society. These photographs and their negatives, I found in their Sohlberg Deere Estate which are shown here and in two other sections.
These 3 additional photographs were given to me by the granddaughter of photographer Bror G. Gröndal's,
Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy, on a visit to Lindsborg when I was invited to her lovely Swedish furnished home.
(The first two of Deere with group on top of Coronado Heights, the third of Seth Sohlberg and cows on the Valley floor.)
Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy, on a visit to Lindsborg when I was invited to her lovely Swedish furnished home.
(The first two of Deere with group on top of Coronado Heights, the third of Seth Sohlberg and cows on the Valley floor.)
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The 1919 Lindsborg Historical Society
continued to operate until its sale of
Coronado Heights to Saline County in 1930,
after which the Society with its completed projects
was not as active until it once again gained ownership.
This found the members reorganizing the organization and renaming it in 1963 as the
"Smoky Valley Historical Association."
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For more on the Society, go HERE, for G. N. Malm's role in the development of the Lindsborg Historical Society and Coronado Heights ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist.
For other details on the Society, the Smoky Hills and on Francisco de Vázquez Coronado, go HERE to the next section, titled Lindsborg Historical Society and Coronado Heights History ~ Three (3) accounts by Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg, former SVHA secretary.
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For other details on the Society, the Smoky Hills and on Francisco de Vázquez Coronado, go HERE to the next section, titled Lindsborg Historical Society and Coronado Heights History ~ Three (3) accounts by Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg, former SVHA secretary.
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* Mrs. Jaderborg was a well-respected research writer, historian, author and Smoky Valley Historical Association secretary, originally from the East, a Mayflower descendant graduating from New Hampshire's Keene State Teachers College, who fell in love with a Lindsborg Swede Einar Jaderborg, and married him. Regarded equally as well was Lindsborg-born educator Mr. Carlson whose Swedish grandparents, Magnus and Maria Carlson, entered the Smoky Valley in 1867 when they purchased land, two years before the two colonies of Swedes did.
** Quivira Wikipedia.
Other sources: Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg: 1965 Lindsborg on Record and 1967 Living in Lindsborg
Dr. Leon Lungstrom's 1990 History of Natural Science and Mathematics at Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas
Mr. Tim Stewart, currently president of the Smoky Valley Historical Association Board, 4 23 24
** Quivira Wikipedia.
Other sources: Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg: 1965 Lindsborg on Record and 1967 Living in Lindsborg
Dr. Leon Lungstrom's 1990 History of Natural Science and Mathematics at Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas
Mr. Tim Stewart, currently president of the Smoky Valley Historical Association Board, 4 23 24
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"Let Us Celebrate Them"
"Let Us Celebrate Them"
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Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present
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All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present
* * *
All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
