Bethel College - Graymaroon Yearbook (North Newton, KS)

Page 6 text:

More than a century ago, the thirty- seven acres of prairie that now comprise the Bethel College campus were covered with clumps of bluestem and switchgrass; these plants pro- vided forage, first for wandering buffalo, then for the vast herds of longhorn cattle be- ing driven up the Chisholm Trail from Tex- as . With the coming of the Santa Fe Railroad to Newton in 1871, this brand new town di- rectly to the south became the primary ship- ping point for the Texas cattle; for a brief but bloddy summer it was known throughout the state as the wickedest town in Kansas . The cowboys and their wild ways were soon gone, however; and Newton entered into a more routine and peaceful existence. The railroad also began looking for settlers for the surrounding vast acres of land which it owned. Among the farmers attracted by the railroad were thousands of Mennonite immi- grants from the Russian Ukraine. These sturdy, hard-working pioneers brought with them from Russia many household articles, farming tools, and even small quantities of seed wheat- -Turkey Red seed wheat- -for they had visions of transforming the fertile plains of their new homeland into waying fields of golden grain . Previous Kansas settlers had been sowing mostly corn, although several varieties of spring wheat and soft winter wheat had also been producing mediocre crops for a number of years. The Mennonites planted their first crop of the Russian hard red winter wheat in 1874. This Turkey Red Wheat was well adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of Kansas, which were similar to those of the Ukrainian steppes; however, despite its su- periority over other varieties, Turkey Red was not grown to any extent outside the Men- nonite communities for more than twenty years . Gradually research began to reveal the out- standing qualities of Turkey Red Wheat. In the mid-1890 ' s Mark Carleton, the world- famous cereal authority, was sent to Kansas by the Department of Agriculture to find out why the wheat crop was so unsatifactory . He found that the only good wheat in the state was grown in the Mennonite colonies. His re- port, combined with importations of the Rus- sian wheat by the Mennonite miller, Bernhard Warkentin, finally resulted in the spread of Turkey Red Wheat throughout Kansas. In the first decade of the twentieth century, the wheat harvest in Kansas doubled; by 1920 it had doubled again, and Kansas was producing more wheat than any other state. Today Kan- sas grain descended from the original Rus- sian Turkey Red Wheat is shipped throughout the world, to provide nourishment for mil- lions of people . The threshing stones located on the Bethel College campus today remind us of our pio- neer Mennonite forebears and our agricultur- al heritage. These cylindrical ridged stones were used in Russia and in the earliest years in Kansas: when pulled over ripe wheat straw by horses or oxen, they beat the grains of wheat out of the heads. Soon advanced me- chanical methods, like the threshing machine located behind Kauffman Museum, replaced the threshing stones. Since November 16, 1934, the threshing stone has been the offi- cial symbol of Bethel College .

Page 8 text:

i CHn ;Ti6ri S«nn l«nl blKlAld IVrsimiil S«H l) + economic problems DE Calculus LOG DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY TODAY Second EdU,on Some of the early Mennonite pioneers, sur- veying the windswept Kansas prairies and imagining fields of waving wheat, had yet an- other vision. They saw in their young people another potentially valuable harvest: their minds offered fertile soil in which could be planted and cultivated the seeds of knowl- edge. Almost immediately after their arrival in Kansas, the Mennonites established German elementary schools for their children. In or- der to prepare capable young men for teaching in these schools, the Kansas Con- ference of the Mennonites began in 187 7 to make plans for the establishment of a Men- nonitische Fortbildings-schule (Mennonite Continuation school). In 1882 the Emmatal school opened near Goessel with twenty-one male pupils. To se- cure more room and better opportunities, one year later it moved to Halstead--and opened its doors to -women. The Halstead Mennonite Seminary remained in operation for ten years. Its curriculum was essentially just a continuation of elementary school, since the preparation of most of its pupils was relatively meager . By 1887, however, the educational aspira- tions of Mennonite youth were increasing. A movement was begun towards the establish- ment of an institution of full-college rank. An offer of cash and real estate by the city of Newton, by that time a prosperous and pro- gressive young town, precipitated action on the issue. In May 1887, under the leadership of David Goerz, Bernhard Warkentin, and J.J. Krehbiel, the Bethel College corporation was formed. Tn September 1893 classes fi- nally commenced in a stately limestone structure which had been erected on the open prairie north of Newton. By this time the Halstead Seminary had closed its doors, and the new Bethel College assumed its responsibilities. During the first year, course offerings at Bethel were limited to preparatory and academy work, although a three-year college course was announced. Plans for a Biblical Theological Institute were also revealed, but they never materialized. Twenty years passed before a full college course was offered, and some additional fif- teen years went by before all preparatory work was discontinued. The first A.B. de- grees were granted in 1912. Since 1893 over 7000 alumni have attended Bethel College. Just as the Kansas grain de- scended from Turkey Red Wheat has been shipped throughout the world. Bethel ' s influ- ence has been felt all over the globe through the work and service of her alumni. The pioneer founders of Bethel College could not have imagined what it would be- come. A nationally accredited liberal arts college with 638 students (official fall 1976 enrollment). Bethel offers courses in twenty- nine different departments which are orga- nized within six divisions of knowledge. Ten major buildings form the campus pro- file, including the newest of the academic buildings, the Fine Arts Center, which was finished in 1966. A new gymnasiusm is ex- pected to be completed by the end of 1977. The pages that follow reveal part of the story of Bethel College today-- during the school year of 1976-77. 4