Name: Leavenworth Seven
Brand: Kenneth M. LaMaster
SKU: 9781467140409
Price: 16.49 USD
Availability: InStock

Leavenworth Seven

9781467140409

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

On December 11, 1931, chaos erupted behind Leavenworth's limestone penitentiary walls as seven desperate men put months of planning into action. Aided by notorious gangsters Frank Nash, George "Machine Gun" Kelly and Thomas James Holden, they blazed a path to freedom with stolen cars and terrorized hostages. Anyone who could carry a gun and knew the terrain quickly picked up the pursuit. Kenneth LaMaster wades into the flying bullets of first-person accounts, news reports and official FBI files for the full story of the frenzied prison break.

Winfield's Walnut Valley Festival

9781467146050

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Local historian Seth Bate tells the story of the Walnut Valley Festival with reflections from staff, emcees, performers, campers, and characters from throughout its history.

The Festival was launched in 1972 when a guitar maker, a farmer, and a businessman built their own music festival from the ground up. It has made the small town of Winfield into an annual destination for acoustic musicians and music lovers from around the world and it has always been participatory, with the informal campsite pickin' as much a part of the event as the stage shows and instrumental contests. The Walnut Valley Festival has always been proud of its deep-rooted traditions, but most of all, it is a community celebration.

Route 66 in Kansas

9781467116510

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

There are only 13.2 miles of Route 66 in Kansas, but the Sunflower State packs in as much history and adventure per mile as any of the eight Route 66 states. Route 66 in Kansas includes the wild tales from the days of "Red Hot Street" and the "First Cowtown in Texas." Blood was spilled here during the Civil War and when workers in the mines fought for their rights. Travelers will meet a beloved character from the motion picture Cars, cross a rare Rainbow Bridge, and see classic scenes along the Main Streets. Kansas was completely bypassed and was not even mentioned in the Bobby Troup song "(Get Your Kicks) on Route 66," but it would be a major mistake to pass it by today. It deserves to be experienced slowly--with the top down and the radio up.

The Ku Klux Klan in Kansas City, Kansas

9781467142045

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The Ku Klux Klan kicked off a nationwide revival in 1921 and took Kansas City, Kansas, by storm. The majority white population--alarmed by the influx of immigrants, Catholics and Jews--joined the Klan in thousands. The Klan held picnics drawing crowds of twenty-five thousand and parades up Minnesota Avenue with thousands of Klansmen, electric lights and robed horses. They also intimidated African Americans, vandalized Catholic cemeteries and censored "offensive" books from public library shelves. Its members fed a political machine, electing more than one hundred Klansmen to local offices, from district attorney to mayor. Author Tim Rives shares this troubled and little-known story, where the men of the Klan's inner circle ruled the city for nearly thirty years.

Eccentric Kansas

9781467144230

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Kansas has tales as extraordinary as its plains, although the stories behind the legends are sometimes lost to time. Discover the history of the state's world-class violinist, homemade airplane and alleged volcano. Iola's Mad Bomber blew up the town's saloons after a hangover. The bulletproof and most "extinctest" creature lurked in sinkholes outside Inman. Hunters in Stafford County learned to leave out enormous quantities of food for local hermit Pelican Pete. Join author Roger Ringer as he delves into these and other facts behind the myths of the Sunflower State.

Abandoned Farms and Homesteads of Kansas

9781634994637

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The Sunflower State is soaked with history, which in turn fills the walls of her buildings. Four major Civil War battles took place in Kansas: Lawrence, Baxter Springs, Mine Creek, and along the Missouri-Kansas border, giving Kansas the nickname "Bleeding Kansas." The infamous Bonnie and Clyde, along with their gang, committed multiple crimes throughout the state of Kansas, including at least thirteen murders and robberies. Amelia Earhart was born and spent her early years in Acheson, and Ernest Hemmingway lived and worked in Kansas City at one point. In 1973, a huge flood near Walnut Creek, east of Great Bend, revealed a mass grave. In June 1864, approximately thirty wagons with thirty unarmed men—several only teenagers—were attacked by 125 Sioux braves (unhappy by the way they were recently treated by the government).

While passing deteriorating homes, the distant laughter of long-forgotten children and the cries of distant warriors echo on the breeze. Home is the most significant place in our lives—all of our experiences, every sorrow, and every success are imbedded into the walls of our homes long after they're gone.

Trish Eklund's personal insights, and the stories of those associated with the featured locations, accompany the author's enchanting images.

Abandoned Farms and Homesteads of Kansas

The Ghostly Tales of Lawrence

9781467198837

$12.99 $9.74 Save 25%

Ghost stories from Lawrence, Kansas have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery! The haunted history of Lawrence comes to life--even when the main players are dead. Wander into Lawrence Cordley Elementary School, but keep your eye out for the ghost of little Tommy. Or stop into the Eldridge Hotel for a glimpse of guests who checked in but never checked out. Dive into this spooky chapter book for suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

Hutchinson and Reno County

9781467109192

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Reno County was founded in 1871, and immediately settlers began arriving to break ground on a new frontier. Life here progressed as in most other Kansas counties until the discovery of salt in 1887. Three railroads competed to establish routes to bring the coal in for the manufacturing process and to ship the salt out. The growth of railroads and the central location of Reno County in Kansas created a hub of activity for the grain industry. Hutchinson became the first town founded in Reno County in 1872 when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad reached the banks of the Arkansas River. Shortly after, Hutchinson became the county seat and from then on has been at the center of the dramatic changes that have come to the county. Throughout the 20th century, fortunes and empires were built on wheat and salt. Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2021, Reno County continues to make a national impact with these two industries.

Bonner Springs

9781467110433

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From the fabled visit of the Spanish explorer Francisco Coronado to the present-day city situated on the banks of the Kansas (Kaw) River, the history of the growth of Bonner Springs is an interesting story. Indians, fur trappers, ferry operators, merchants, and resort promoters have contributed to make Bonner Springs the city that it is today. Images of America: Bonner Springs aims to present some of this history through the photographs of Urbin Rudell and others, exhibiting the community spirit and pride the town's forward-thinking citizens have shown since its founding.

Topeka

9780738584348

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The city of Topeka was founded on December 5, 1854, by nine men who made camp by the Kansas River at what is today the intersection of First and Kansas Avenues. During Kansas's territorial days, Topeka played a leading role in the Free State movement. In 1858, Topeka was voted the Shawnee County seat, and in 1859 secured the position of state capital at the final constitutional convention, which took effect when Kansas achieved statehood in 1861. In the century and a half that followed, Topeka grew as America grew, developing a rich history. Now home to 125,000 citizens, Topeka has become one of the leading metropolitan cities in the Midwest. Images of America: Topeka celebrates the city's history in photographs, drawing on the vast photographic collection of the Kansas State Historical Society as well as other private and public collections.

Kansas

9780738576381

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Back in 1915, Snowden D. Flora of the US Weather Bureau wrote, "Kansas has been so commonly considered the tornado state of the country that the term 'Kansas cyclone' has almost become a part of the English language." Flora's words still seem to ring true. Whether called a twister, a tornado, a vortex, or cyclone, these catastrophic events have shaped lives in the Sunflower State for generations. Just a few destructive moments forever changed places such as Irving, Udall, Topeka, Andover, and Greensburg. Even before Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz helped equate the tornado with Kansas, the turbulent nature of local weather seemed to parallel an equally turbulent history, with the fury of people such as John Brown compared to a cyclone. Even if they have never seen a funnel cloud themselves, those who live in Kansas have come to accept the twister as a regular and always unpredictable neighbor.

U.S. Penitentiary Leavenworth

9780738550916

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

On July 1, 1895, under the direction of warden James French, the first federal prison was born. That same year, St. Louis architects Eames and Young went to work drawing up plans for an institution that would house the most notorious offenders in the nation's history. At sunrise on March 1, 1897, 300 inmates and 30 guards marched three miles to the construction site located on the southwest corner of the military reservation. From sunup to sundown seven days a week in the hot Kansas summer to the harsh prairie winters, inmates labored building their new home. Leavenworth's rich history as a gateway to the Old West is second to none. Name a famous figure such as George Armstrong Custer, John Joseph Pershing, Dwight D. Eisenhower, or Colin Powell. They have all graced the streets of this historic community. Equally pick a name of the most notorious criminals. George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Robert F. Stroud, Frank Nash, Frank "the Enforcer" Nitti, and George "Buggs" Moran--they all stopped by to "spend time in Leavenworth."

Hidden History of Kansas

9781625858894

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Kansas' storied past is filled with fascinating firsts, humorous coincidences and intriguing characters. A man who had survived a murderous proslavery massacre in 1858 hanged his would-be executioner five years later. A wealthy Frenchman utilized his utopian ideals to create an award-winning silk-producing commune in Franklin County. A young boy's amputated arm led to the rise of Sprint Corporation. The first victim of the doomed Donner Party met her end in Kansas. In 1947, a housewife in Johnson County, indignant at the poor condition of the local school for black children, sparked school desegregation nationwide. Author and historian Adrian Zink digs deep into the Sunflower State's history to reveal these hidden and overlooked stories.

Kansas City, Kansas

9780738593999

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Over the past 150 years, many of the consumer goods sold and used across the country were either manufactured in Kansas City, Kansas, or passed through this industrial center. From the westbound trails of pioneer times until today, Kansas has been the crossroads of the nation, and the city has benefitted from its geographic centrality in the country. Household names with ties to the city include Google; Cerner Corporation; Procter & Gamble; General Motors; Colgate-Palmolive; the Santa Fe, Rock Island & Union Pacific Railroad lines; Phillips Petroleum; Armour and Company; Owens Corning; Massey Ferguson; General Electric; Sunshine Biscuits; Lee (apparel); Sealy (mattresses); and United Telecom (which morphed into Sprint Nextel). Images of America: Kansas City, Kansas aims to present some of that historic past, much of which has long been demolished, so that modern readers may see the complete, "full service" city as it evolved between 1804 and 2012.

Wichita

9780738523170

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Wichita, Kansas, has grown significantly since the mid-19th century, when a group of pioneering entrepreneurs arrived to build on the trading and hunting activities of the Osage and Wichita peoples. Those early days of commerce gave way to Coleman, Cessna, and other companies whose influence helped shape the city's development. From the Texas cowboys who ran the cattle drives to Lebanese merchants, the population of the city has been as diverse and as dynamic as its companies. This visual history of early Wichita showcases the colorful landmarks, people, and businesses that built the bustling city on the Arkansas River.

Cold War Kansas

9781467146630

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Kansas played an outsized role in the Cold War, when civilization's survival hung in the balance. Forbes Air Force Base operated nine Atlas E intercontinental ballistic missile launch sites. Schilling Air Force Base was the hub for twelve Atlas F ICBMs. McConnell Air Force Base operated eighteen Titan II ICBMs. A Kansas State University engineering professor converted a discarded Union Pacific Railroad water tank into his family's backyard fallout shelter. A United States president from Kansas faced several nuclear war scares as the Cold War moved into the thermonuclear age. Landry Brewer tells the fascinating story of highest-level national strategy and how everyday Kansans lived with threats to their way of life.

Wichita

9780738598550

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Situated in the heart of the Great Plains, Wichita has been a city of energy and change. The Great Depression and World War II brought both challenges and opportunities. During the postwar years, commercial and business activities downtown thrived, while shopping malls and drive-ins appeared in new suburbs. Meanwhile, African Americans, countercultural figures, and other groups struggled to reshape local affairs. Urban renewal transformed whole sections of the city, while redevelopment brought new life into older structures. Events such as Riverfest and a host of museums have improved the quality of life. A strong entrepreneurial tradition has remained, and populations from Asia and Latin America have brought new perspectives. Aviation has remained the economy's heart, although health care, higher education, and other ventures have made their mark as well. Through it all, the rhythms of everyday life have continued, creating a vibrant, complex community facing the dawn of the 21st century.

Wichita's Legacy of Flight

9780738531809

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Known as the "Air Capital of the World," Wichita, Kansas, has been continuously associated with aviation longer than any city in the world. The city's inventive and entrepreneurial spirit made an early mark on the aviation and aerospace industries. From the first hot air balloons floating over the wheat fields to the major aviation corporations that still call the city home, Wichita has been associated with the wonder of flight, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2003. The images in this book document the evolution of flight and its subsequent effect on the cowtown that dared to dream it could become an international center for aviation.

El Dorado

9780738539713

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In 1915, workers struck oil at a well in Butler County, Kansas, called Stapleton #1. Over the next several years, civilian and military demand for oil transformed what had once been the farm towns of Augusta, Towanda, and El Dorado (pronounced El Dor-AY-do in local parlance) into petroleum communities. Risk-taking entrepreneurs supported drilling and exploration that brought wealth to some and loss to others. Teams of geologists, using what were still novel and experimental techniques, fanned out across the prairie to find the right places to drill. Workers found employment that was hard and dangerous but offered excitement and opportunity. Families of those workers set up new lives in company towns such as Oil Hill and Midian. Drilling, refining, and related industries supported a wide range of activities. Oil money financed the budding aviation industry in neighboring Wichita, which literally launched the resources from under the ground into the sky. While the petroleum industry changed in the years that followed, the Butler County oil boom has lived on in the companies, the people, and the very landscape of the region.

Old Cowtown Museum

9781467117432

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Old Cowtown Museum originally started as a shrine to the pioneers and founders of Wichita. It later reinvented itself according to Hollywood's version of the Old West. After the peak of Western films, the museum once again updated its theme to reflect Wichita's agricultural history. In recent years, Old Cowtown Museum has become a nationally recognized and accredited living history museum. A product of 1950s Old West nostalgia, it has become one of the most beloved of all of Wichita's museums and institutions. Inside this book is the story of how Old Cowtown Museum became the regional and cultural attraction it is today, along with images of the museum throughout its 66-year history, including people, events, and stories, many of which have never been published before.

Classic Restaurants of Wichita

9781467146975

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Wichita is the birthplace of Pizza Hut and White Castle. But from its early days as a cattle drive stopover on the Chisholm Trail to its current life as a hub for aviation manufacturing, the city has been filled with hundreds of popular restaurants owned by generations of hardworking entrepreneurs. The 1920s and 1930s were a time for tearooms like Innes and for cafés like Holly Cafe and Fairland Cafe. The '60s and '70s ushered in swanky private nightclubs like Abe's. And there are classics like NuWay Cafe, Old Mill Tasty Shop and Angelo's that are still around today. Author Denise Neil details the rich history of Wichita's favorite classic eateries.

Haunted Lawrence

9781625859204

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Founded in 1854 as an abolitionist outpost, Lawrence is a seemingly unassuming college town with a long history of hauntings. A ghostly guest never checked out of the Eldridge Hotel's mysterious room 506. Sigma Nu's fraternity house, the former home of Kansas's eighteenth governor, is still haunted by the specter of a young woman. Learn the tragic stories of Pete Vinegar, George Albach and Lizzie Madden and uncover the devilish truth behind the "legend" of Stull Cemetery. Author Paul Thomas reveals the ghoulish history behind these stories and many more.

Haunted Atchison

9781467155656

$21.99

The Most Haunted City in Kansas

Atchison is a town where the migration West started and proudly calls itself the "most haunted city in Kansas." Many former residents are still present longing to be heard and seen. Hannah Jo Cusack leaves pennies for the living to make her presence known. Another woman is perhaps still looking for her ride home walking the woods in the shadows of night. In the Sallie House, something seems to dislike the men visiting, while a ghost named Goldie still sits in her rocking chair scowling at all those who enter the home, but especially the women. Join Brooke Montoya as she shares the incredible stories and harrowing hauntings in Atchison.

Kansas City Southern Railway

9780738560014

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The Kansas City Southern Railway initially offered freight service to the immediate Kansas City area south. As the line expanded toward Texas, each tiny community had its own railway station with access to daily passenger service and less-than-carload lot freight services. No one could have foreseen that the road would eventually haul international import and export goods or that its line would reach into Mexico. Photographs in this book include the railway's involvement in operating steam engines over its lines as well as pictures from the files of esteemed rail photographers Harold K. Vollrath and Gary Coates.

A Kansas Soldier at War: The Civil War Letters of Christian & Elise Dubach Isely

9781626190153

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When war broke out in 1861, Christian and Elise Dubach Isely, soon to be married, found themselves in the midst of the conflict. Having witnessed the atrocities of Bleeding Kansas firsthand and fearful of what would come from this war, Christian enlisted with the 2nd Kansas Cavalry to fight alongside Union forces. During the next three years, the couple would write hundreds of letters to each other, as well as to friends and family members. Their writings survive today, providing a unique look at the Civil War--one of both military and civilian perspectives--in a passionate exchange between husband and wife in which the war, faith and family are discussed openly and frankly.

A Kansas Soldier at War: The Civil War Letters of Christian & Elise Dubach Isely

Flint Hills

9780738583136

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The Kansas Flint Hills stretch across a dozen counties in the eastern half of the Sunflower State. The region boasts rolling hills covered in native grasses, including the tallgrass varieties unique to the area. Dubbed the "Great American Desert" by pioneers facing the prairie's vastness, the rich grassland became home to settlers pursuing ranching and farming enterprises. Images of America: Flint Hills presents over 200 historic images from a half-dozen counties in the region. Included are vintage photographs from the Native Stone Scenic Byway and the Flint Hills Scenic Byway that transverse the district. Also included are views of Council Grove, the last place that travelers could purchase supplies before leaving on the Santa Fe Trail. The Davis Ranch, which encompassed all of what is now the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, is seen in historic images never published before. The volume concludes with photographs of Flint Hills cowboys at work and at play.

The Civil War in Kansas: Ten Years of Turmoil

9781609495633

$19.99 $14.99 Save 25%

In the 1850s, the eyes of the world were on Kansas. The Civil War in Kansas will be an overview of the years 1854-1865, since the war began in Kansas nearly seven years before it spread to the rest of the nation. From the repeal of the Missouri Compromise to its entry in the Union, Kansas played a small role in the war as a whole, but its effects on the state were nonetheless important. With regards to the Kansas citizens who played a part, it would be an understatement to call them "colorful." From John Brown to Jim Lane, Kansans made headlines throughout the nation and the world. Bisel presents the history of Kansas during the Civil War years in an accessible way that will satisfy history buffs as well as enlighten novices.

The Civil War in Kansas: Ten Years of Turmoil

Harvey Houses of Kansas:

9781626198470

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Starting in Kansas, Fred Harvey's iconic Harvey House was the first to set the standard for fine dining and hospitality across the rugged Southwest. In 1876, the first of Harvey's depot restaurants opened in Topeka, followed just a few years later by the first combination hotel and restaurant in Florence. Fred Harvey and the Harvey Girls introduced good food and manners to the land of Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp and raucous cattle drives. In her third book on the Harvey House legacy, author Rosa Walston Latimer goes back to where it all began in this history of hospitality from the Sunflower State.

Mexican Americans of Wichita’s North End

9781467107693

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

While the North End has long been the beginning of the American dream for many peoples including African Americans, Southeast Asians, and Anglo Americans, it is perhaps the Mexican American community that most visibly embodies the hopes and struggles in this part of the city. The first wave worked in the packinghouses, and communities with names such as El Huarache, La Topeka, and El Rock Island emerged nearby. As the 20th century unfolded, their children and grandchildren established a vibrant neighborhood along Twenty-First Street and Broadway. In recent years, the old industries of the area have faded, while a new wave of immigrants from Latin America has been able to redefine an area. Today, the Mexican American heritage in the North End has become one of its most defining features, an example of a broader diversity that has always made this part of the city special.

Mexican Americans of Wichita’s North End

Celebrating Kansas Breweries

9781467151924

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

A Tour of the Kansas Beer Industry

Breweries in the state of Kansas are opening at a fast pace, in communities from Council Grove to Olathe. As the industry grows, the opportunities for craft beer fans to enjoy the communities and beer abound. Check out Ryan Triggs and Nick Feightner at Tall Trellis Brew Co. where you can enjoy a pint while sitting next to hop bines. Visit Fields & Ivy Brewery, the only brewery in the state with an active grain silo. Author Michael Travis traveled for a year and visited every brewery, capturing the heartbeat and story behind the owners and head brewers who make the magic happen.

When the Daltons Rode

9781455615353

$21.95 $16.46 Save 25%

Autobiography of an Old West outlaw. Known for his scandalous career as a train and bank robber, Emmett Dalton remains a significant figure in American Old West history. This candid autobiography details his years with the Dalton gang, his courtship of Julia Johnson, and the fourteen years he served in prison. Peppered with anecdotes, this book provides a peek into the mind of an outlaw.

Russell County

9781467161046

$24.99

Russell County, Kansas, is the heart of the heartland.

Settled in 1871 by a colony of Volga Germans from Ripon, Wisconsin, the area that would become Russell County attracted homesteaders from as far away as Russia, Poland, and Germany. The county was a hub for farming, livestock, and eventually oil and was served by stagecoaches, the railroad, and the interstate highway system. The city of Russell, with a population that has never surpassed 7,000, was the childhood home of two US senators--Bob Dole and Arlen Specter. The county is best known as the home of Wilson Lake (renowned for the clarity of its water), for its buildings and fences made of native limestone, and for the hearty breed of people who continue to make this their home.

Author Linda Crowder has worked with the Russell County Historical Society to select images that best tell the story of the county's first 150 years. The city of Russell is home to half of the county's population, but the communities of Milberger, Dorrance, Dubuque, Fairport, Paradise, Waldo, Luray, Lucas, Bunker Hill, and Gorham are an important part of the story. The history of Russell County is the history of the American prairie.

Winfield

9781467113083

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Occupying land along the Walnut River that once belonged to the Osage Indians, Winfield grew from a small settlement in the early 1870s to a bustling center of culture by 1909, when it was called the "Little Athens of Kansas." Its colleges, picturesque limestone buildings, homes, churches, trolleys, and annual Winfield Chautauqua Assemblies were ideal subjects for the picture postcards popular at the time. These cards, which provided a window to the world of Winfield, now provide a view of its past. The trolley tracks are gone, and Chautauquas have given way to the Walnut Valley Festival, but much remains of the glory that was Winfield.

Concordia

9781467113298

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In 1869, Concordia, Kansas, was declared the county seat of what would become Cloud County. At first, the town existed only on paper as a project being pushed by James M. Hagaman and a small group of partners. Once development started, Concordia rapidly grew to become a center of commerce south of the Republican River that eventually attracted four railroad lines. It became a town of landmarks, including several famous hotels, two opera houses, Nazareth Convent, and a thriving downtown area. Characters in the story of Concordia include French Canadian immigrants, nuns, pilots, quarreling newspaper editors, German prisoners of war, and politician Frank Carlson. Readers can enjoy visiting the community's past in the pages of Images of America: Concordia.