Senior Wednesday – Life In Kansas During the Dust Bowl

Senior Wednesdays are informational and entertaining sessions, designed for active seniors and offered by a collaboration of local institutions. Learn more at Seniorwednesday.org

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum offers their Senior Wednesdays on the 4th Wednesday of each month, January-October.

FEBRUARY’S TOPIC: “Life In Kansas During the Dust Bowl”

PRESENTED BY Katie Keckeisen

Black Sunday – April 14, 1935 – is an unforgettable moment in history. The photographs from that day of the dust storm in southwest Kansas made headlines across America. How did Kansans respond to this challenging moment in history? Using eyewitness accounts and photographs, this presentation explores the impact and the legacy of the drought and the “Dust Bowl” on life in Kansas during the 1930s and beyond.

About the Presenter

Katie is the local history librarian at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. She holds a BA in Forensic Anthropology and History from Wichita State University and an MA in Museum Professions from Seton Hall University. Her thesis – “The Grinning Wall: History, Exhibition, and Application of the Hyrtl Skull Collection at the Mutter Museum” – has been cited in several published works. She has worked in museums and archives throughout the United States. Her work on the permanent exhibit “Becoming Johnson County” at the Johnson County Museum helped earn the exhibit an Award of Excellence from the American Association of State and Local History. Besides the Dust Bowl, Katie also gives talks through Humanities Kansas about the history of Spiritualism.

Doors open at 9:30am
Non-Member Admission Fee – $2 (Annual Memberships available starting at $25- Learn more at: Memberships)
Refreshments provided by the “Friends of the Historical Museum” (served prior to program).

Interested in volunteering at a Senior Wednesday Refreshment table? Email us at museum@wichitahistory.org or call 316-265-9314!

Program starts at 10am  in the DeVore Auditorium (2nd Floor) – Tour to follow at 11am

Don’t miss any of our upcoming Senior Wednesdays in 2026!

March 25th – 
April 22nd – WSU Museum Studies Students Present on Their Exhibit
May 27th – “Let’s Talk Shop” Documentary Screening
June 24th – Frank Lloyd Wright in Wichita
July 22nd – Crime in 1800s Sedgwick County 
August 26th – Shady Ladies of the Peerless Princess
September 23rd – Before the Hillcrest in College Hill
October 28th – Museum Docents Present Their Favorites