Historical Society to host history enthusiast

    The Chase County Historical Society will be holding its annual dinner and business meeting this Sunday at the Champion Community Center.
    The dinner will begin at 6 p.m. followed by the keynote speaker, Don Keller of Trenton.
    Keller belongs to a group of fellow history buffs in Trenton who run the visitor center near the Massacre Canyon Historical Monument east of Trenton on Highway 34.
    The center is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
    He will be speaking on the story surrounding Massacre Canyon where, on Aug. 5, 1873, a Sioux Indian tribe wiped out a Pawnee tribe in a battle over hunting grounds.
    In addition, Keller will talk about another historical site nearby called the Williams Stegomastodon site.
    The fossilized skeleton of a pre-historic, elephant-like animal was excavated by paleontologists from the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM) in 1997.
    The Stegomastodon was of special scientific interest because it was the very last of its kind, according to the UNSM website.
    Following Keller’s talk, there will be the annual business meeting, said Charley Colton of Imperial, society president.
    The business meeting will include the election of officers,
a review of this year’s activities and discussion of next year’s plans, he said.
    To sign up for the banquet, contact Colton at 308-883-8584 or Carol Maddux of Wauneta at 308-394-5348.
    “The deadline to sign up is Friday so we can get a head count,” said Colton.
    The cost for the meal is $15.