Adam Hodge will present the Kaw Mission Councils: 2026 Westward Expansion lecture Series “Kansas 1776” at 2 p.m., July 12, in the Council Grove United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall.
Adam is the head of reference at the Kansas State Historical Society in Topeka. He has a Ph.D in history with specialization in environmental and Indigenous history of the North American West.
Although the land we call Kansas has changed greatly since 1776, it was already a dynamic cultural and environmental landscape before the “Founding Fathers” forged a new nation. Human activities and natural process alike had transformed Kansas over the course of millennia as a changing climate, Indigenous burning practices, dynamic waterways, and other developments shaped and reshaped what became the Sunflower State. Presented by Adam Hodge.
The friends of Kaw Heritage will provide refreshments after the program. The Kaw Mission Councils Lecture Series is sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society, Friends of Kaw Heritage, Trembly, Young, Nystrom, Hylton, and Area Foundations, and trusts. The City of Council Grove. A $3 suggested donation will be collected. For more information contact 620-307-2754 or mark. brooks @ks. gov