Thousands of people passed the Mahaffie home on their journey to Santa
Fe, Oregon and California. Students discover why—and how—so many
Americans headed west as they pan for ‘gold’, and explore a real prairie
schooner packed for the Oregon Trail among other activities.

The Mahaffie family moved to Kansas in 1857, in the days of
“Bleeding Kansas” and the middle of the Missouri/Kansas Border
War fighting that lead into the American Civil War. Marching and
drilling, writing letters home with a real ink pen, learning how to
fire cannon, and other activities introduce students to the lives of
soldiers and civilians on both sides of these conflicts.

Students explore the lives of drovers – cowboys – who traversed the
Kansas frontier with herds of Texas cattle after the Civil War. They will
learn this all-American job originated in Mexico and the Southwest
as they handle cowboy gear and clothing, throw a lariat and use a
branding iron.

Students experience life on a real, working farm of the 1860s and
1870s. Depending on the season, students may cut firewood, help
with planting or harvesting, learn about the animals and visit the
blacksmith shop to find out how Kansas farming and foods have
changed in the last 150 years.

In this program packed with hands-on activities, students make
comparisons between their lives and the lives of children in the mid-
1800s as they help with farm chores, play period games and take a
stagecoach ride.

We will pack our trunks and come to your group! Sing songs, play games, handle reproduction items and do crafts related to one of the following topics:
Cowboys, 1860s Style!
The Civil War
Mad Scientists, 1860s Style!
Fun and Games, 1860s Style!
1860s Christmas
Music and Arts, 1860s Style!