Mount Mitchell’s Other Memorial

Mount Mitchell’s Other Memorial

MEMORIAL TO CAPTAIN FIELDING

Alma Signal Enterprise June 5, 1947

 

The members of Ed. Palenske Post No. 32, of Alma, had charge of the Memorial Day services at the Wabaunsee Cemetery.

After the Wabaunsee services the thirty-two members of the Post present went to the Mitchell farm in Wabaunsee township, where a stone with bronze tablet had been erected to the memory of Captain George T. Fielding III, who was killed in action at Luzon. The monument was dedicated by the Legion to all service men who lost their lives in the war, and to Captain Fielding.

The following story was written by Temple Fielding, a brother of Captain Fielding, but was received too late for publication on Memorial Day:

“In his early boyhood, one of life’s greatest adventures for George was to return to the land of his people. Grandfather Fielding was several times Mayor of Manhattan, a pillar in the community; Father Fielding was a proud graduate of the wheat fields, the local schools and the State College. They were Kansas. By blood and choice, so was young “Dodge.”

Dodge Fielding on the Right

Dodge Fielding on the Right

It was 1926 when he made his boldest expedition. He was passing his second summer at the Big Four Ranch near Wamego, a quiet earnest boy of ten. Miss Maude Mitchell, his cousin, packed a lunch for the pirates—Junior Bright, age nine, was his companion—and together they trudged across the road and up the steep hill, which smiles over the countryside. As an afterthought, Miss Mitchell tucked a ten-cent bag of clover seed into their parcel.

They spent a long day on top of their mountain, searching for arrowheads, playing Captain Kidd, munching sweet drumsticks from the lunch box, watching the wind in the golden sea below. Dodge planted the clover with tender care; Junior sunned himself on a rock and made up yarns about the cotton clouds. Before darkness fell, they returned to the farmhouse, happy in the accomplishment of their perilous mission.

Dodge Fielding in uniformAs the years passed, Dodge grew away from the soil, but he never forgot it. Eastern schools claimed him. He was graduated from Princeton with Highest Honors in 1939. The University gave him the White Cup, symbol for performance in the ROTC; they knew a soldier when they saw one.

In battle, percentages too often run out. He volunteered for the National Guard in 1940, and during his three years in the Pacific he fought as a forward observer, survey officer, and reconnaissance officer—the riskiest assignments in Field Artillery. At Munda he was personally commended by Lt. General Harmon, Supreme Commander of the invasion; in New Guinea he was awarded the Bronze Star; later he was recommended for the Legion of Merit. But no soldier can land with the first wave forever; his chapter was closed when a Jap grenade exploded during the last major campaign of the war.

Dodge Fielding in uniform

 

Twenty-one years is a lifetime to many men, but to clover it is a fleeting second of time. The seeds this youngster planted multiplied with two decades of passing seasons. On top of the hill there now stretches a soft rich blanket, a blaze of color which can be seen from miles around. The American Legion men of Alma were there on Memorial Day; so was “Aunt Maude,” Hal Weaver and other friends.

The surviving members of his family—Connecticut, Michigan, New York, California, and five other states—have chosen this flowering hilltop as the site most suitable as a living memorial. On a large rock in the center of the pink patch was placed a bronze tablet. It says:—

Captain George T. Fielding III. 192nd F.A. Bn., 43rd Div., U.S. A. Killed in Action Near Manila. P.I. April 30, 1945. Aged 28 years.

Then simply and quietly, “In memory of Dodge—Doer of Good Deeds.”

Because the memory of Dodge and our thousands of Dodge’s will live as long and spread as heartily as the Kansas clover.”

Memorial for Captain George T. Fielding III. 192nd F.A. Bn., 43rd Div., U.S. A. Killed in Action Near Manila. P.I. April 30, 1945. Aged 28 years.

It’s Wamego Match Day!

It’s Wamego Match Day!

2024 Wamego Match Day Flyer</p>
<p>STOP BY TO MINGLE AND MAKE YOUR MATCH DAY DONATION

OCTOBER 3 – 5, 2024

Prorated match on gifts
up to $5,000 per organization per donor

IN-PERSON EVENT

OCTOBER 3RD | 7 AM – 7 PM
IRON CLAD, 427 LINCOLN AVE

STOP BY TO MINGLE AND MAKE YOUR
MATCH DAY DONATION

 

 

ONLINE GIVING

OCTOBER 3RD – 5TH
12 AM – 11:59 PM
WAMEGOMATCHDAY.COM

MAKE YOUR DONATION ONLINE

 

 

MAIL IN/DROP OFF

RECEIVED BY OCTOBER 8TH
IRON CLAD, 427 LINCOLN AVE
OCTOBER 3-5, 2024

DROP OFF DONATIONS IN THE RED
DOOR MAIL SLOT AT IRON CLAD

Download your donation form here!

 

 

 

Thank you to the Patterson Family Foundation for providing $70,000 in matching funds for this year’s event.

Wamego Match Day - 2024 - Happy Hour and QR Code

Prairie Guards Main Fundraising Event of the Year

Bench and Trail @ Mount Mitchell Heritage PrairieThe Wamego Community Foundation Match Day is just over two weeks away on October 3rd. Funds raised will support the Park’s yearly operating expenses and continued development of its educational resources.

Our efforts are now focused on communicating to visitors the many important stories associated with the Park. Contributions are needed for the design and fabrication of interpretive, commemorative, directional, and informational signage in the Park.

Subjects covered on the interpretive panels in the kiosk will include geology, tallgrass Prairie, Mount Mitchell’s 10,500-year-old cultural history, Native American tribes, Kansas Territory, “Bleeding Kansas”, the Beecher Bible and Rifle Colony, the Underground Railroad, and European and African American settlement in the neighborhood.

Donors’ past support has helped us create this wonderful prairie Park that is enjoyed by folks from all over the world. We are extremely grateful to them. If you are able, please help us finish this work by downloading this form and making a check out to the Wamego Community Foundation designating the Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards as the recipient. Online contributions may be made between October 3rd and October 5th at wamegomatchday.com.

 

The board of the Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards: Christy Crenshaw, Bruce Waugh, Michelle Crisler, John Hund, Kathryn Mitchell Buster, Christian Bishop, Michael Stubbs, and Brian Peterson

 

Wamego Match Day How It Works

  • On the enclosed form Choose Your Organization: Select which nonprofits you want to support. 100% of your donation goes directly to their fund at Wamego Community Foundation.
  • Prorated Match: Donations are eligible for a prorated match based on the total amount raised and the available matching pool. For example, if an organization raises 7.5% of the total donations, they will receive 7.5% of the matching funds.

Donation Limits

  • Donations of up to $5,000 per donor, per organization, are eligible for the prorated match.

Using the Funds

  • Nonprofits can use their match funds for immediate needs, endowments, or other expenses.

Tax-Deductible Donations

  • All donations are tax-deductible, with receipts provided by email or mail.

How to Donate

  1. By Check: Write one check for all donations payable to Wamego Community Foundation. Complete a donation form to designate your chosen nonprofits. Mail the check to MMPG’s Box 136 Wamego KS, 66547 or Iron Clad, 427 Lincon, Wamego, KS 66547.
  2. In-Person: Join us on October 3 at Iron Clad, 427 Lincoln Ave, Wamego from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for the live event. Happy hour starts at 4:00 PM, drinks and light appetizers will be provided.
  3. Online: Donate anytime from October 3 to October 5 through the wamegomatchday.com website.
Freedom’s Frontier NHA grant awarded to Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards

Freedom’s Frontier NHA grant awarded to Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards

The Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards received $1,000 in grant funding from Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area. The award will help reprint the popular Park’s brochure, which is distributed locally and at Kansas Travel Information Centers across the state.

The Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards manage the 164-acre Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie Park south of Wamego in Wabaunsee County. The Guards recently completed construction of a new entrance to the Park at 29000 Mount Mitchell Road. Improvements include an accessible trail to the ruts of the Topeka Fort Riley Road used by the Underground Railroad helping enslaved people escape to freedom in Canada.

Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA) is a federally funded nonprofit organization and affiliate of the National Park Service dedicated to building awareness of the struggle for freedom along the Missouri-Kansas border. Established by Congress in 2006, its nationally significant themes are the settlement of the frontier, the Missouri-Kansas Border War and Civil War, and the enduring struggle for freedom. These diverse, interwoven, and nationally important stories grew from a unique physical and cultural landscape. FFNHA inspires respect for multiple perspectives and empowers residents to preserve and share these stories. We achieve our goals through interpretation, preservation, conservation, and education for all residents and visitors.

GRANT OPPORTUNITY UPDATES: Transportation Alternatives Grant

GRANT OPPORTUNITY UPDATES: Transportation Alternatives Grant

Shortly before the TA grant application deadline officials with the Kansas Department of Transportation determined that a different source of funds (state active transportation funds) would be the more appropriate funding source for the Highway 99 Pedestrian/Bike Trail proposed by the Prairie Guards.

Brad Loveless, Secretary of Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, Dan Watkins, Prairie Guards advisor, Michael Stubbs, President Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards, Calvin Reed, Secretary Kansas Department of Transportation, and Jared Tremblay, Planning Manager for the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization met at Mount Mitchell in November of 2023 to discuss and explore the possibility of including a pedestrian/bike trail as part of the third phase of the highway 99 reconstruction between Wamego and Mount Mitchell.

Brad Loveless, Secretary of Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, Dan Watkins, Prairie Guards advisor, Michael Stubbs, President Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards, Calvin Reed, Secretary Kansas Department of Transportation, and Jared Tremblay, Planning Manager for the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization met at Mount Mitchell in November of 2023 to discuss and explore the possibility of including a pedestrian/bike trail as part of the third phase of the highway 99 reconstruction between Wamego and Mount Mitchell.

This funding source allows for flexibility in the timing of the project. To begin pursuit of that funding backers of the project will have the opportunity to voice their support at the next local consult meeting in the fall of next year (2025). If enough support is voiced and the project is approved it will be put into the IKE funding pipeline. Bottom line: the project will in all likelihood not happen for at least another five or six years.

The Prairie Guards wish to thank the individuals, organizations, and government officials who wrote letters of support for our Transportation Alternatives Grant application. They include:

Wabaunsee County Commissioners, Nancy Hier, Rodney Allen, Jim MacGregor
Pottawatomie County Commissioners, Greg Riat, Deloyce McKee, Dennis Weixlman
Wabaunsee County Office of Economic Development, Stephanie Imthurn
Pottawatomie Economic Development Corporation, Jessica Venneberg
Wamego City Commission, Stacie Eichem, City Manager
Wamego Chamber of Commerce, Jessa Peterson, Executive Director
Alma Chamber of Commerce, Mason Hinkle, President
Alma Area Foundation, Ervan Stuewe, Chairman
Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization, Jared Tremblay, Planning Manager
Flint Hills Regional Council, Mike Couch, Executive Director
Jake LaTurner, U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd District
Brenda S. Dietrich, Senator 20th Senate District
Kenny Titus, Representative District 51
Rob McKim Superintendent USD 320, Wamego
Kansas Trails Council, Michael Goodwin, Treasurer
Sunflower Rails-Trails Conservancy, Clark Coan, Trails Coordinator
Friends of the Kaw, Dawn Buehler, Executive Director & Kansas River Keeper
Sunflower Foundation, Elizabeth Burger, Vice President
Kansas Sampler Foundation, Marci Penner, Co-Director
Native Stone Scenic Byway, Marsha Ericson, Chair
Wamego Historical Society, Madge MacDonald, Curator
Wabaunsee County Historical Society, Marci Spaw, Executive Director
Wamego Telecommunications Company, Tom Fulmer, Customer Relations Manager
3Rivers, Inc. Audrey Schremmer, Executive Director
Prairie Heritage, Inc., Margy Stewart, Treasurer
Audubon of Kansas, Richard Seaton Sr., Vice-Chair
Visit Manhattan Kansas, Marcia Rozell, Director
Visit Emporia Kansas, LeLan Dains, Director
Bike MHK, Nancy Baker, Facebook Administrator
Gravel Kansas, Jake Huyett
Kansas Rural Center, Tom Buller, Executive Director
George and Brenda Annan, Wamego, KS
Paul and Shannon Holder, Basehor, KS
Kerry Altenbernd, Lawrence, KS
Laurie Hamilton, Alma, KS
Carol Howard, Wamego KS
Lisa Grossman, Lawrence, KS
John & Annie Wilson, Elmdale, KS
Robert & Janice, Loveland , CO
Tom Leopold, Zeandale, KS
Dr. Brian A. Peterson, Wamego, KS
Bruce Waugh, Eskridge, KS
Marty Reed, Manhattan, KS
Jenny Henderson, Alma, KS
Bill & Kathy Hogue, Topeka, KS
Laurie Vincent, Wamego, KS
Kelly Yarbrough, Manhattan, KS
Melissa Eichman, Mission, KS
Darin Miller, Ironclad, Wamego, KS
Lucky ‘Leven 4-H Club, Wamego, KS
Breckin Musyoki, Wamego, KS
EXCITING GRANT OPPORTUNITY

EXCITING GRANT OPPORTUNITY

Dear Friends and Neighbors and Supporters of the Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie Park,

We need your help.

The Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards have been invited by the Kansas Department of Transportation to prepare an application for a federal Transportation Alternatives Grant to build a pedestrian/bike trail from Wamego’s Miller Nature Park on the south bank of the Kansas River to the Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie Park, a distance of three miles.

The project is a segment of the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Master Trail Plan for the region between Junction City and Wamego and is called the “Mount Mitchell Connector.” The opportunity to build this trail has come about because the design of the third phase of the K-99 realignment project between I-70 and the city of Wamego hasn’t been completed and the trail can still be included in the design.

Paralleling the highway, the trail will provide safe pedestrian and bike access to the historic Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie Park, a beloved 164-acre native tallgrass prairie and the location of a trail used by those seeking to escape enslavement on the westernmost route of the Underground Railroad.

The Park is: a Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area Star Attraction; a National Park Service Network to Freedom Site commemorating the Underground Railroad; an auxiliary site of the Brown V. Board National Historic Park and the US Civil Rights Trail. It is also a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places; an auxiliary site of the Kansas River Water Trail; and a featured attraction along the Native Stone Scenic Byway and the Road to Oz. When improvements are completed, the Park will be eligible for inclusion in the Kansas African American History Trail.

TRAIL BENEFITS:

  • The Mount Mitchell Connector pedestrian/bike trail will provide safe access to Mount Mitchell for Wamego residents and users of the Kansas River Water Trail.
  • It will provide safety for riders on the Canada to Mexico Great Plains Gravel Route.
  • Mount Mitchell is an outdoor classroom and museum visited by schoolchildren, residents, and tourists. Providing better access to it helps preserve our heritage and strengthens community identity.
  • The scientific basis for nature’s health benefits is now overwhelming. Study after peer-reviewed study has shown that nature exposure is linked to living longer, sleeping better, displaying improved cognitive function, and enjoying lower rates of heart disease, obesity, depression and stress.
  • Trails not only provide health and wellness to individuals, they also encourage economic revitalization of communities, protection of the environment, and provide improved quality of life.

Please consider writing a letter of support for this project. Click here to download a sample letter – or a simple statement of support is fine. The grant deadline is fast approaching, so please send your letter ASAP to info@mountmitchellprairie.org or PO Box 136 Wamego, KS 66547!

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