El Quartelejo Museum and Jerry Thomas Gallery and Collection - El Quartelejo Museum and Jerry Thomas Gallery and Collection

A special exhibit, Life in the Trenches, from the Smoky Hill Museum is now on display at El Quartelejo Museum, 902 W. 5^th Street, Scott City, KS from April 1,2022 – June 29, 2022.  Hours to view the exhibit are Tuesday – Saturday, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The exhibit explores the human face of World War I and the miserable nature of trench warfare.

WWI is known as the Great War and the ‘war to end all wars.’ America joined the fray in 1917.  Out of more than two million Americans who served in World War I, more than 80,000 were from Kansas. This unique exhibit focuses on the harrowing experiences of Kansas soldiers by using vivid, first-hand accounts of their ordeals, trials, and tribulations. Visitors learn the reasoning behind using trenches in the war; what the trenches looked like; and what life was like in the trenches.

There are also three interactive elements in the display including:

• Vet Vignettes – With information and accounts of Kansas, American, Allied, and Central Power troops in a simple to navigate touch-screen format
• Gas Attack – Where users are challenged to respond quickly and prepare themselves for a gas attack before it is too late
• Not Five Star Food – Which explores a WWI era mess kit and the recipes they might have used on the battlefield

A very special thanks goes to Scott City Travel and Tourism, the Earl Bane Foundation, City of Salina Kansas, and the Friends of the Smoky Hill Museum for helping make this exhibit possible. The Smoky Hill Museum also gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the many individuals who shaped the thinking during exhibition development, including Doran Cart, Senior Curator at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, in Kansas City.