Ah ….. research. It can be quite interesting and enlightening. But, it can also be confusing. I have spent a great deal of time as of late researching Fred Harvey and trying to find information regarding the dining hall/hotel that was located at Lakin from around 1876 to 1880. I have perused microfilm, online articles and databases, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Annual Reports, newspapers, and books written about Harvey. I have come to the conclusion that no two publications completely agree on the matter. This is very difficult to fathom for a person who doesn’t like living in the “gray” zone. I’m very much like my late grandfather in that respect. He saw everything in black and white; there was one right way to do something and it was to be done the right way the first time around. I want to know the absolute truth, and I shudder at the thought that I could be repeating inaccuracies.
But, the truth is, history holds many discrepancies and inaccuracies. Why? Rarely do individuals remember an event exactly the same. Local historians relied on the “memories” of those who lived here because there were few records and no local newspapers to document happenings in Lakin’s first six years. The result? Stories that are similar but never exactly alike. When these stories are shared and re-written, each writer puts their own spin on the events. Each time the story changes hands, it changes just a little bit.
I am new to this museum gig, and I’m sure that those who have been involved with it much longer than I came to those conclusions early on in their research. While I will continue to dig for documentation and pray to the spirits of Lakin’s founding fathers for guidance, I somehow must learn to strike a balance. There will be some mysteries that I can never solve; perhaps I need to research how to accept that fact. Like it or not, I am now officially a resident of “the gray zone.”
Julie Grubbs McCombs, Kearny County Museum Director