History of Solomon Valley Heritage Association (SVHA)
...including archival information related to the organization and Solomon Valley, located in north central Kansas.
...including archival information related to the organization and Solomon Valley, located in north central Kansas.
Today's Highway 24 Alliance was originally founded as the Solomon Valley Heritage Alliance (SVHA) in 1999--when Leo Oliva (from Rooks County, near Woodston) visited Glasco as a Humanities speaker discussing the topic of rural communities. He was so inspired with the desire to know more, and to share historical stories with other communities, that he spoke two more times that summer, in communities along U.S. Highway 24 in our region. A group of interested individuals who took heart of his message soon decided to unite in an effort to work together -- 24 towns along highway 24 within the Solomon River Valley, working together.
In October, 2000, The Solomon Valley / Highway 24 Heritage Alliance was recognized as a non-profit organization so as to promote the history of the Solomon Valley River Basin and it's communities along US Highway 24 ranging from Hoxie, located on the west, and Glasco, on the east. Joan Nothern, Glasco, became the new organization's first president, a role she held until her departure in June, 2019.
Joan's heartfelt leadership and guidance during her 19 year tenure, plus the dedicated work of the Association's board, and many others, saw a host of accomplishments including several publications, presentations and performances, events and exhibits within the Solomon Valley / US Highway 24 corridor. The organization also established several written archival collections (found only on this site) related to the region, including: historical accounts and community histories. SVHA also participated with The Kansas Humanities Council’s exclusive Kansas tour of Water/Ways, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program. As well, Joan also was instrumental in establishing and maintaining Valley Voices, an annual writing contest that occurred for 14 years (2005-2018). The contest was open to the region's youth and adults and recognized dozens of aspiring writers.
From the beginning, communication was the goal. The placement of 24 historical kiosks (24 different communities) providing local facts, information and stories was SVHA's first major undertaking. It required gathering information, organized around the Kansas Sampler 8 cultural elements, making agreements with landowners, and installation.
In October, 2000, The Solomon Valley / Highway 24 Heritage Alliance was recognized as a non-profit organization so as to promote the history of the Solomon Valley River Basin and it's communities along US Highway 24 ranging from Hoxie, located on the west, and Glasco, on the east. Joan Nothern, Glasco, became the new organization's first president, a role she held until her departure in June, 2019.
Joan's heartfelt leadership and guidance during her 19 year tenure, plus the dedicated work of the Association's board, and many others, saw a host of accomplishments including several publications, presentations and performances, events and exhibits within the Solomon Valley / US Highway 24 corridor. The organization also established several written archival collections (found only on this site) related to the region, including: historical accounts and community histories. SVHA also participated with The Kansas Humanities Council’s exclusive Kansas tour of Water/Ways, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program. As well, Joan also was instrumental in establishing and maintaining Valley Voices, an annual writing contest that occurred for 14 years (2005-2018). The contest was open to the region's youth and adults and recognized dozens of aspiring writers.
From the beginning, communication was the goal. The placement of 24 historical kiosks (24 different communities) providing local facts, information and stories was SVHA's first major undertaking. It required gathering information, organized around the Kansas Sampler 8 cultural elements, making agreements with landowners, and installation.
SVHA recognized three common threads that weaved the Solomon Valley communities together, including:
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The Solomon River...
along which the first settlers in this area made their homes. |
Highway 24...
which provides the vital transportation link between our communities. |
An Agricultural Heritage...
from which all of these communities have sprung |
SVHA, as will the Highway 24 Alliance, also recognized and leveraged Eight Cultural Elements as defined by The Kansas Sampler Foundation, in helping communities identify what they have and who they are, including:
Geography ~ History ~ People ~ Commerce ~ Agriculture ~ Customs ~ Art ~ Cuisine
Select & Click Below to Read
*Much of the information provided on these site pages or PDFs cannot be easily found elsewhere.
*Much of the information provided on these site pages or PDFs cannot be easily found elsewhere.
- View List of SVHA Accomplishments from 2002-2019 (Site page)
- A Brief History of the Solomon Valley (Site page) ...an excerpt from: Weaving the Common Threads of the Solomon Valley Fabric -- a project of the Solomon Valley / Highway 24 Heritage Alliance, in association with the Kansas Humanities Council through a Heritage Program Grant.
- Community Histories (Site page) Though many of the larger towns nestled along U.S. Highway 24 and the Solomon River Valley have their own websites, many of the smaller communities cannot afford that luxury. Consequently, information for many of those towns who do not have sites, are provided here -- that they might be equally represented and discovered.
- Historical Accounts (Site page) Reflections & Other Valley History -- A series featuring information, on a variety of topics, about the six counties in the SV24 Alliance.
- Robert McBratney (Site page) Historical Account ... Exploring The Solomon River Valley In 1869 ~ Diary excerpts of the expedition
- Living Off the Water: The Challenge to Tame and Sustain Life in the Solomon Valley ~ 7 shared human experience stories related to water along the Solomon River from Hoxie to Glasco, Kansas.
SVHA News - Archives (PDFs ~ Select Below)
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