EL DORADO — The Kansas Oil Museum and Butler Community College will host talks by Dr. Jeff Broome in early April. Broome, author of Indian Raids and Massacres: Essays on the Central Plains Indian War published in 2020 by Caxton Press, is a well-published author on the 1860s Plains Indian Wars in Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska.
This talk is presented in celebration of National Community College Month and is made possible by the partnership between the Kansas Oil Museum/Butler County Historical Society and Butler Community College’s Life Enrichment program, History Department, and L.W. Nixon Libraries.
“I’m shoveling up history, so people are not forever buried,” Broome said, whose work highlights the personal true stories found within the Kansas Indian Wars. His works and travels have connected him with professional and amateur historians throughout the Midwest. “I’m often amazed at how, through these connections, that history comes to me.”
Broome, a nationally recognized scholar, is known for his meticulous research and use of primary sources. He works to find and preserve the truth of history and fight against what he calls “truth decay.”
Broome will speak at the Kansas Oil Museum as part of the Sunday Speaker Series, April 3, at 2 p.m. A book signing will follow. Broome’s talk will highlight the 1865 captivity of Mary and Lizzie Fletcher and their unique story of rescue and reintroduction. Admission is $10 at the door.
Broome will continue conversations and storytelling on Tuesday, April 5, during Butler Community College’s Life Enrichment program. He’ll discuss how history comes out of the woodwork when a writer is committed to preserving it. He’ll also highlight incredible coincidences from his experiences.
He will present 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. in the Clifford/Stone Community Room at the Hubbard Welcome Center on Butler’s El Dorado campus. Also, a guitarist, Broome will incorporate some music while he shares his stories. A book signing will follow. The Life Enrichment presentation is free and open to the public.
Butler’s History students will spend time with Broome on Monday to learn more about historical research and the application of critical thinking skills while finding and interpreting primary source materials.
ABOUT Jefferson “Jeff” Broome
Jefferson “Jeff” Broome holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He earned his undergraduate degree from Colorado State University in Pueblo and his master’s degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He is a longtime community college professor and is a retired professor emeritus of Arapahoe Community College in Colorado.
Broome published his first nonfiction historical book in 2003, Dog Soldier Justice: The Ordeal of Susanna Alderdice in the Kansas Indian War. Alderdice was from Lincoln, Kansas.
He is also the author of Cheyenne War: Indian Raids on the Roads to Denver, 1864-1869 (2013). Cheyenne War received the 2013 Third Place Award for Best Book by the Westerners International Organization. He published Custer into the West, with the Journal and Maps of Lieutenant Henry Jackson in 2009.
In addition, he has authored numerous historical research articles which have been published by such publications as Wild West Magazine, Denver Westerner’s Roundup, and The Journal of the Wild West History Association.
Among his recognitions, he was awarded the 2020 Six Shooter Award for Best Historical/Scholarly Article by the Wild West History Association for his Article, “Cody and Summit Springs.” In 2014, he received the Philip A. Danielson Award, First Prize from Westerner’s International, and the Six Shooter Award for his article, “Collateral Damage: Sand Creek and the Fletcher Family Indian Captivity Story.” The City of Hays also dedicated a day “Jeff Broome Day” in 2012 in recognition of his scholarly approach to preserving Central Plains History.
SCHEDULE:
Sunday, April 3, 2 p.m.-3 p.m., Kansas Oil Museum, El Dorado, $10 admission – The Fletcher Family ordeal and the captivity of Mary and Lizzie
Tuesday, April 5, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m., Butler Community College R.D. Hubbard Welcome Center, free admission – Coincidences of historical research and special stories
For more information about the Kansas Oil Museum/Butler County Historical Society, visit http://www.kansasoilmuseum.org.
For more information about Butler Community College:
Life Enrichment, contact Trisha Walls at 316-323-6355 or twalls@butlercc.edu.
L.W. Nixon Libraries, contact lwnixon@butlercc.edu or call 316-322-3234
History Department, contact Tim Myers, lmyers@butlercc.edu, or call 316-323-6228.