What was life like before Kansas became a state?  Our speaker, Keven Hiebert, for our belated Kansas Day program will take us to the time of the trappers and traders.  He will share the life and role of these individuals through his presentation.  His presentation “Kansas before Kansas” will be held at the Trego County Historical Society Museum on Sunday, February 8, starting at 2 p.m.     

As a lifelong student of history, he has spent many hours researching and actually living the life of what Kansas was before Kansas statehood. Roaming the farm fields as a kid and finding Native American artifacts sparked his early interest about who was here thousands of years ago. Family trips to historical sites and museums further advanced that interest in the time period. 

For over 40 years, Keven have been associated with numerous historical groups including the Brotherhood of the American Mountain Men and a founder of the Kansas Muzzle Loaders association. 

He has been giving presentations to area schools in south central Kansas for many years and worked with the Kansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Kansas Historical sites on various programs.  

Along with historical presentations, Keven had a business called Bear Paw Traders, where he has created numerous historical replicas as well as displays for museums and traveling exhibits across the country. Bear Paw Traders also deals in a variety of early western and native American antiques with collector clients and gallery clients across the country.

As part of the he “Cottonwood Connections” series on the Smoky Hill PBS, Keven was one of the guest speakers for the Trappers and Traders episode in Season 6 of the program.  

We hope you can join us for this interesting program sharing the early ways of life before Kansas became a state. 

In case of inclement weather for the event, we will post any changes on our Facebook page, which is Trego County Historical Society Museum.  The program is sponsored by the Trego County Historical Society and for more information call 785-743-2964.