Dear Chamber Supporters,
Morning at the Mission
Last Saturday I had the opportunity to spend time in the historic Ottawa Indian Mission & Burying Ground just outside of town, where the Franklin County Historical Society held an event called “Morning at the Mission” (pictures here). This was held in conjunction with Ottawa University and the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma. This area is now owned and maintained by Ottawa University and was once home to more than just the burying ground of several prominent individuals in Ottawa’s history; it is also the sight where the Baptist Mission building stood and the home/outbuildings/print shop of Jotham Meeker. The eighty-plus individuals who came out to the mission were able to experience a tribal blessing from the Chief of the Ottawa Tribe, Kalisha Dixon Pheasant, at the beginning of the program. Following Chief Kalisha was a comprehensive background on Jotham Meeker, a missionary who dedicated his whole life to the Ottawas back in the 1830-50s. Our speaker for the morning was resident expert, John Mark Lambertson. It was fascinating to hear about the life of Jotham Meeker, equally as compelling was Lambertson’s passion for the topic, one of the most knowledgeable individuals in the world to speak on this subject following years of extensive studying. This was my first experience on this sacred ground and I’m grateful for the FCHS, OU and the Ottawa Tribe for giving us the opportunity to gather here and learn about this community’s history in this way. I would highly encourage you to pay close attention to upcoming events from the Historical Society as they are often so enlightening.
If you’re interested in a little of what I learned that morning, read along here. Jotham was a missionary of the Baptist church that came to Kansas in 1833. Following his move to the state, he was in the trade of printing and actually brought with him the first printing press into Kansas. Along with this skill, he was a teacher, preacher, doctor and truly anything else the mission needed. As a result, this involved Jotham in just about every profession you can think of―all to the benefit of the Ottawa Tribe. Earning the trust of the Ottawas was not an easy task, one that Jotham took very seriously. During his time of care, the tribe actually saw an increase in population as so many tribes throughout Kansas were seeing a steadfast decline. This is contributed to his work as a physician, overseeing the health of the tribe. After twenty years of mission work in Ottawa, Jotham passed away on these very grounds, where his burial site still lies to this day. It was mentioned that when he passed, the Ottawas stated, “There will never be another Jotham Meeker” and “Only truth comes from his mouth.” As history tells us, there were not many people in this time period who could have the same spoken about them. Ten years following his passing, the Ottawa Tribe made a treaty with the Baptist church to build a school, one where Ottawa children could be taught for free. That school was later named Ottawa University and that treaty is still observed to this day. For fuller history of Jotham Meeker, check out this page here. For more background on the Ottawa Tribe, this link is very comprehensive.
Solar Talk: Orion's Vision for Franklin County
Tuesday night, the community gathered at Smoked Creations to eat with the Orion Renewable Energy team and learn about their company (pictures here). Their staff comes from diverse locations across the nation, all of whom flew in to share who they are and what they are doing in Franklin County, Kansas. Orion’s history begins in the late 90s as three Midwesterners became renewable energy contractors, installing large-scale wind and solar across the US. Fast forward to today, this relatively small company (in relation to the world of renewable energy) has now implemented dozens of projects in thirteen states. The unit of measure for any of these projects is a Megawatt (MW), which notes how much energy is created through the implemented device. Each project that has been accomplished varies in energy generation, some as little as 35MW and others over 700MW. As a company, Orion generates over 8000MW, which is equivalent to powering over two million homes.
Choosing locations for future projects is not as simple as throwing a dart, and it takes a significant amount of time from conception to reality. About six years ago, Orion received studies that Franklin County could be a potential location based on a grid study that came back fortuitous. What followed was conversations with surrounding landowners who had an interest in leasing their land for a solar project to take place. The project grew as landowner interest grew; now, what is being dubbed the Orion Prairie Sunlight project entails 185MW of solar panels across 3,400 acres of Franklin County property (panels will only exist on 1,500 of these acres). This equates to enough power to generate 40,000 homes and is a $400,000 capital investment on Orion’s behalf.
As I mentioned a few paragraphs ago, projects of any size take a significant amount of time to complete. This process is familiar to the Orion team, and they were able to share their current progress (view that here). Some other important information that was addressed in the Q&A portion of the evening included the economic impact of the project (view that here), the effect this project has on wildlife (view that here), what the community should expect to see if this plan were to come to fruition as discussed (view that here). The key point that I left with that evening (after soaking in all the information shared throughout the presentation and discussion) was that this group is interested in connecting with every Franklin County resident to address concerns, questions, and input on how it might affect our community. So much so that they invite those with any interest at all to reach out to their team by email or phone to connect (Alicia Smith, Project Development Manager, contact here). I am thankful for all those who came to speak on behalf of the project, as well as those who came to learn more. We live in a technological world that allows every person to take in any amount of information at the touch of a button―though this can be used as an invaluable tool, it can quickly be used as a roadblock for honest discourse to take place. I am pleased that last Tuesday allowed our community to come together and learn.
Dial In for Business Support
Your Chamber is thrilled to announce that we are adding to our list of benefits that our members receive. This new benefit is through a partnership with Ironwood Business Consulting. Through this collaboration, members receive access to Ironwood’s comprehensive call center support for regulatory compliance and business consulting needs (see their extensive areas of expertise here). Ironwood realizes that navigating regulatory requirements can be daunting, especially when in critical situations. That’s why they focus on guiding organizations of all sizes through these challenges. Whether it’s OSHA safety, HR compliance, DOT regulations, or contractor compliance, their experts will be available to answer your questions, provide advice, and offer solutions tailored to your specific needs―just a call away. We believe that Ironwood can bring our community timely support that ultimately results in peace of mind. We hope you take advantage of this resource and utilize the knowledge that Ironwood brings to your business as a benefit of your membership. View and save this online resource page to refer back to. You can also sign up for their monthly newsletter that puts regulatory knowledge in your hands prior to an incident in hopes of mitigating a situation before it has a chance to arise. For more questions about what this partnership can offer you, contact Ironwood via email or phone to learn more. We look forward to continuing to find new ways to ensure the success of our community; if there are challenges facing your organization, let us know and see how your Chamber can help you find support.
Revolutionary Fun at the Old Depot Museum
This morning, Chamber members helped kick off the Old Depot Museum’s most recently installed exhibit, the “American Revolution Experience” (pictures here). This traveling exhibit will only be set up in a handful of locations throughout the nation and is only in Ottawa till July 31st before making its way to Nebraska. Given the quick nature of its short time in our community, the Franklin County Historical Society will be keeping the Old Depot Museum open every day through the rest of July (Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sunday 1pm-4pm). They invite any and everybody to come to learn about the diverse viewpoints and experiences of the American Revolutionary War, touching on the journeys of Patriots and Loyalists, men and women, Black and Native populations, and even international allies. Rather than focusing only on generals and famous figures, it highlights drummer boys, military mapmakers, and other ordinary people who were impacted by these global events. With interactive screens and a dozen panels to share these fascinating stories, it’s absolutely worth the stop-in at the museum. If you can make it there this afternoon, you’ll be able to catch a Revolutionary War impersonator as well (picture here).
I’m lucky to serve on the FCHS board and am so pleased with Diana and her team's work to keep history exciting, engaging, and relevant to our community. Regular programming, the Old Depot Museum, and having the archives accessible to the public are all ways FCHS serves our community. Diana shared that 2023 was a fantastic year for their organization, having the best involvement in over twenty years, which she contributes to their intentional push towards community outreach. As time passes, more and more present-day items and news become history. The ever-expanding scope for history to be retold is a challenge perfectly suited for our Franklin County Historical Society. I look forward to many more years of success! Following the American Revolution exhibit, the Historical Society will be putting on a “Creative Guide to Writing your Family’s Stories” at the Archives and Research Center off E Logan in August (more info here).
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Just a reminder that early voting has begun in Franklin County and will continue to be open at the County Courthouse until August 3rd at 1pm (full dates and times here). The Primary Election on August 6th will be here before we know it… where has the summer gone? Hope to see you soon―have a good weekend!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
