EMIL REDMON'S COW

Stories From the Farm and Ranch

This photograph includes my great-gradmother, her parents, and her grandparents, on their homestead era farm. What I would give to hear one of them telling a good story! We make these recordings beause we can—it is a responsibility. —Mark Feiden

A simple web site. A simple mission—to collect and preserve the stories of older farm and ranch folks. An 85 year old who has spent a lifetime on the farm or ranch has witnessed extraordinary change—from mechanization and electrification, to herbicides, genetics, and GPS. If we are to preserve the humor, wit and wisdom of a largely bygone era, we must do so now. Above all else, we record these stories because we can—what would you give to hear one of your great-great-grandparents sharing a good tale?

My name is Mark Feiden. I am a designer, writer, and photographer based in Kansas. This is a project that I had been thinking about for for a very long time. I was finally spurred into action by the loss of a older country cousin—a good friend and a great storyteller. I had long planned to record some of these stories—many of which involved my great grandparents and other family members who I never knew. I put it off one too many times.

I initially teamed with the Wabaunsee County (Kansas) Historical Society and Museum on a mutually beneficial pilot project. We were able to expand the effort through a partnership with the Pioneer Bluffs Flint Hills Ranching Heritage Center. Together, we have applied for and received a number of different grants. We have also partnered on tangentally related projects with Ranchland Trust of Kansas and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. To date, our scope has been largely limited to the Flint Hills region of Kansas—an area of special interest to me, and central to the mission statement of Pioneer Bluffs. Ultimately, we evision no geographic boundary.

We are not as interested in the story of someone's life as we are in the stories from their life—their folklore.

WE NEED YOUR HELP GROWING THIS HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT ARCHIVE! Emil Redmon's Cow depends entirely on grants, corporate/institutional sponsorship, and individual gifts. Individual (tax deductible) contributions may be made to the Pioneer Bluffs Flint Hills Ranching Heritage Center or the Wabaunsee County Historical Society and Museum (WabaunseeCoMuseum@gmail.com). If you make a donaton through Pioneer Bluffs, it is very important that you follow up with a phone call to let them know that it is intended for this project. Potential corporate or institutional sponsors please contact me directly: Mark@MarkFeiden.com. Thank you!