Haskell Indian Nations University has set a date to celebrate 100 years of the memorial arch and stadium on campus.
Haskell Heritage Homecoming is set for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 18 and 19.
Activities will include a community bison harvest on Sept. 18, followed by presentations on the history of the stadium and arch, documentary showings in the auditorium, and a powwow in the stadium on Sept. 19.
Eric Anderson, Citizen Potawatomi Nation and faculty member at the university, shared a summary of the landmarks’ history and significance for Humanities Kansas in 2021.
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The structures are evidence that “Indians, far from ‘vanishing,’ were thriving” in the 1920s, according to Anderson’s report.
“Thus, an all-Indian fund drive began that eventually raised the money to build a venue for its immensely successful (and popular) football team,” according to Anderson. The arch is a memorial to the 415 Haskellites who served in World War I.
Once construction was complete, a multiday dedication celebration in October 1926 brought representatives from around 70 Indian Nations and approximately 12,000 visitors to campus, according to Anderson.
“Other features should be noted: paid for exclusively by Indian dollars, it was the first lighted stadium in the Midwest, the third largest in Kansas, the first built anywhere for a Native American football team, and one of the earliest WWI memorials,” according to Anderson. “That opening weekend, furthermore, brought together the largest multitribal gathering since the close of the 19th century.”
Listen to Anderson’s oral history at this link; read a transcript at this link. Keep an eye on the Facebook event page at this link for updates on the 100-year anniversary celebration.
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