Pioneer Bluffs

Prairie Talk: The Anderson/Patton/Johnson Stories
2023-08-19 12:30 - 14:30 (America/Chicago) | Pioneer Bluffs Ranch Main Barn, 695 Kansas Highway 177, Matfield Green, KS, 66862, United States
Matt and Julia Anderson, along with their son and daughter-in-law, manage the family ranch outside of Alma. They run an award-winning cow-calf operation, annually raising roughly 500 head of Angus cattle from birth until the calves are one or two years old. They also offer birth to butcher beef, direct to consumer.
The Patton and Johnson families came to southern Chase County shortly after the Civil War. The Pattons settled west of Matfield Green and the Johnsons settled east of Matfield Green. Both families farmed the fertile soil along the creeks and ranched in the rich upland native tallgrass prairie pastures. Six generations later, some Patton/Johnson ancestors still live and work in the Flint Hills. This Prairie Talk will focus on how farming and ranching were equally important to the economic survival of pioneer Flint Hills families. The symbiotic relationship between farming and ranching still exists in 2023.
12:30 Anderson Story
1:30 Patton/Johnson Story
Feel free to bring a picnic lunch and come out early to visit with friends. Picnic tables are provided.

Where the Buffalo Roam
2023-11-11 12:00 - 17:00 | Pioneer Bluffs: Flint Hills Ranching Heritage Center, 695 Kansas Highway 177, Matfield Green, KS, KS, 66862, United States
Photo courtesy of Zach Bell
The American Bison was named the official state animal of Kansas in 1955. Come celebrate the “Monarch of the Plains” with us on Saturday, November 11, 2023.
12-1 pm: Locally-sourced smoked buffalo lunch by Chef Tracey Graham and other Pioneer Bluffs volunteers. Suggested donation $15-25, depending on your appetite!
12-4 pm
. Bison Art Show – interested in showing? Contact Tracey at PBTracey@yahoo.com for details.
. Bison Coloring Contest for the kids.
. Bison wool spinning demonstrations.
. Take a selfie with a bison!
1 pm “Buffalo George” LeRoux – Sharing a wealth of bison facts and artifacts.
2 pm: Prairie Talk: – A Bison Expert Panel, moderated by Josh Hoy.
Locals (Zack Bell, Tony Capizzo, Jim Hoy, George LaRoux, Stuart
Schrag) will share what they’ve learned raising bison here in
Kansas. Bring your questions!
Reservations are requested, but not required. We just want to make
sure we have enough BBQ and seating available. No-one goes
hungry at Pioneer Bluffs!
For reservations or additional information, contact us at
info@pioneerbluffs.org or (620) 753-3484

Prairie Talk: The Crocker Ranch
2024-06-29 14:00 - 15:30 | Pioneer Bluffs Ranch Main Barn, 695 Kansas Highway 177, Matfield Green, KS, 66862, United States
At 2:00 p.m. Saturday, June 29, the story of the Crocker family will be shared by Matt Methvin in a Prairie Talk at Pioneer Bluffs.
The Crocker Ranch, with extensive cattle and farming operations, was begun in 1866 by Captain Erastus Bryant Crocker, a Civil War veteran. The Captain’s sons, Edward and Author Crocker, expanded and by 1918 had a 10,000 acre ranch, one of the most extensive in the area.
Today, the Crocker Ranch is an excellent example of an early 20th century working cattle ranch complex and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Homemade cookies and water will be served at the Prairie Talk. RSVPs are appreciated, but not required, and can be made to 620-753-3484, info@pioneerbluffs.org, or on the Pioneer Bluffs Facebook event page. Donations will support future program events.

The Journey to Kyrgyzstan
2024-07-06 14:00 - 15:30 | Pioneer Bluffs Ranch Main Barn, 695 Kansas Highway 177, Matfield Green, KS, 66862, United States
What did Josh and Jim Hoy see and learn in the high Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan? The story will be told in a Prairie Talk at a historic ranch near Matfield Green at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, July 6.
In 2017, the Hoys toured the country extensively, riding hundreds of miles of mountains with nomadic herdsmen, traveling with a warlord through his vast holdings, and hunting with eagles. In the Prairie Talk, the Hoys will speak of the nomadic culture, horsemanship, and stockmanship of the Kyrgyz people, and the flora and fauna of the high steppe. They will contrast the culture to what they have seen in the Argentina gaucho, Australian outback stockmen, American cowboy and buckaroo, and Mexican vaquero.
Josh Hoy plans to bring a horse to demonstrate with gear and artifacts from Kyrgyzstan.
Homemade cookies and water will be served at the Prairie Talk. RSVPs are appreciated, but not required, and can be made to 620-753-3484, info@pioneerbluffs.org, or on the Pioneer Bluffs Facebook event page. Donations will support future program events.

Prairie Talk: Frederic Remington
2024-07-13 14:00 - 15:30 | Pioneer Bluffs Ranch Main Barn, 695 Kansas Highway 177, Matfield Green, KS, 66862, United States
Join us at 2:00 Saturday, July 13 for a Prairie Talk Featuring Frederic Remington and presented by Doug Claassen.
Frederic Remington (1861 – 1909) was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in depictions of the Old American West, specifically concentrating on the last quarter of the 19th century American West and images of cowboys, American Indians, and the U.S. Cavalry.
Claassen grew up in the Plum Grove community in northwest Butler County and is still involved with the family livestock and crop farm. His interest in Remington began at an early age with the stories told by his grandfather about Frederic Remington. Claassen and his brothers purchased the Remington sheep ranch in 1983, which further sparked his interest to learn more about Remington’s.
Homemade cookies and water will be served at the Prairie Talk. RSVPs are appreciated, but not required, and can be made to 620-753-3484, info@pioneerbluffs.org, or on the Pioneer Bluffs Facebook event page. Donations will support future program events.

Pioneer Bluffs Fall Roundup
2024-10-12 14:00 - 16:30 | Pioneer Bluffs: Flint Hills Ranching Heritage Center, 695 Kansas Highway 177, Matfield Green, KS, KS, 66862, United States
How can today’s Flint Hills ranchers and residents find guidance for the future from cultures who have lived here for millennia? Pioneer Bluffs will focus on Native Heritage in the Flint Hills in their annual Fall Roundup on Saturday, October 12 , from 2:00 to 4:30 in the historic 1915 barn.
2:00 Welcome and the Year in Review
The afternoon will begin with a welcome and brief presentation reviewing the past year of Prairie Talks and activities.
2:10 Prairie Talk – “Native Heritage and Place in the Flint Hills”
Presented by celebrated Native American speaker and songwriter Elexa Dawson, this talk will explore themes of Native traditional knowledge, and philosophy of kinship with the land. Dawson will discuss how Indigenous ways of viewing the land – the plants, creatures and bounty of the Earth – can lead us forward. She will share about her work in community gardening with the Goodway Gardens program in Emporia. A member of the Citizen Band Potawatomi Nation, Dawson will explain the origins and culture of the Potawatomi, and how today they are a vibrant and living people with sovereign nations and current relevance in modern society.
3:00 Break
Refreshments will be provided downstairs.
3:20 Concert by Weda Skirts
The Weda Skirts are one of the Flint Hills’ most successful bands, headlining on the main stage at the national Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield again this year. This special concert will focus on Elexa Dawson’s original Native-themed songs. Deeply connected to land, her lyrics speak of the earth, community, and celebrating all relationships – with family, friends, children and nature.
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Visitors are invited to come early to tour the grounds and see updated displays in the historic 1908 ranch house at Pioneer Bluffs. A National Register Historic District, Pioneer Bluffs is located fourteen miles south of Cottonwood Falls or one mile north of Matfield Green on Flint Hills National Scenic Byway K-177 – 695 Kansas Highway 177.

110th Barn Birthday and Annual Barn Dance
2025-05-03 16:00 - 19:00 | Pioneer Bluffs Ranch Main Barn, 695 Kansas Highway 177, Matfield Green, KS, 66862, United States
On Saturday, May 3rd Pioneer Bluffs will celebrate its historic barn’s 110th birthday and 10th anniversary of restoration with presentations and reception, followed by the Annual Old-Time Barn Dance featuring the Land Band. The schedule for the afternoon is as follows:
4:00pm: Welcome
4:10pm – 4:45pm: Barn Talk featuring barn architect Ben Moore and contractor Rick Mitchell
4:45pm – 5:15pm: Barn Restoration Video Premiere
5:15pm – 6:30pm: Guided barn and house tours
5:15pm – 6:30pm: Reception with heavy snacks and barn birthday cake

Old-Time Barn Dance
6:00pm Beginner Instruction
6:30pm Barn Dance
RSVPs are appreciated, but not required. They can be made to 620-753-3484 or info@pioneerbluffs.org.

Prairie Talk: Ranching and Conservation in Namibia
2025-06-07 13:00 - 14:30 | Pioneer Bluffs Ranch Main Barn, 695 Kansas Highway 177, Matfield Green, KS, 66862, United States
Namibia, in southern Africa, is one of the least densely populated countries in the world, with vast rangelands, cattle ranches, and diverse wildlife. Like Kansas, much of its land is privately owned ranchland. Ryan and Ron Klataske will explore the similarities and differences between Namibia’s ranching heritage and conservation culture with the Flint Hills. Drawing on their travels together and Ryan’s immersive anthropological research, they will share striking photography and stories of how Namibian ranchers have developed innovative conservation partnerships—revealing unexpected connections between ranching in southern Africa and Kansas.
Homemade cookies and refreshments will be served. RSVPs are appreciated, but not required. They can be made to 620-753-3484 or info@pioneerbluffs.org.

Two Prairie Talks: Five Oaks Ranch and Miles McKee
2025-06-21 | Pioneer Bluffs Ranch Main Barn, 695 Kansas Highway 177, Matfield Green, KS, 66862, United States
12:00 Barbecue Meal – compliments of Five Oaks Ranch
For meal, please RSVP by June 16 to 620-753-3484 or info@pioneerbluffs.org. [No RSVP needed for talks]
1:00 Story of Five Oaks Ranch
Talk will include stories and historic photos of this ranch west of Elmdale on its 100th birthday: including early German and French homesteaders, colorful era of the Wiley draft horse ranch, the Middle Creek Fair and rodeo, and beginning in 1925, the Kansas City Stockyards-based Browning Ranch, grazing Texas cattle on Flint Hills grass, operated by the McKee, Cauthorn, Burnett, Wilson and Hancock families. Presented by John & Annie Wilson, Katie Wilson Hancock, and Jane Cauthorn.
2:00 Break and Ranch 100th Birthday Cake
2:30 Legacy of Miles McKee
Miles McKee, Professor of Animal Science at K-State from 1959-2005, grew up on this same ranch west of Elmdale. He went on to become a beloved and much-celebrated teacher and advisor, having an enormous impact on his students as well as the Kansas beef industry. The McKee family will tell about his legacy in this Prairie Talk, with time at the end for his former students to share their favorite stories and recollections.
