Cloud County: Discover Culture and History

Cloud County offers cultural and scenic themes to consider when planning a stay. The Republican River flows through the county, and Jamestown Lake and Wildlife Preserve is in its northwestern part. In Concordia, US-81 Highway and KS-9 Highway meet at the city’s intersection. To shape your itinerary, you can contrast culture and history with scenic themes: museums, performing arts, and a mural offer distinct topics alongside the river and preserve.

Culture and History

The Brown Grand Theatre is a fully restored performing arts venue. It presents a variety of artists, from musicians to illusionists. If you want to plan your stay around a particular performance, check the schedule for your travel dates; the program may change.

The Cloud County Historical Society Museum is housed in a former Andrew Carnegie library. Exhibits include a 1928 Lincoln-Page biplane, a life-size windmill with a working water pump, and an iron lung. There are also military artifacts and displays about wildlife and geology. The collection ranges from technology and history to nature. Individual presentations may change.

The museum also hosts recurring Brown Bag Lunch programs about people and places in Cloud County. If one of these programs is important to your plans, check the schedule, as it may change.

The National Orphan Train Complex conveys the history of the Orphan Train movement through collections, exhibits, programs, and research. Its historical period spans 1854 to 1929. During that time, an estimated 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children were taken to rural communities. The time span and estimated number provide a broad historical context for the subject.

Architecture, Art, and Events

Two historical dates are significant for the five-story Nazareth Convent and Academy: its cornerstone was laid in 1902, and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Public events include an annual spaghetti dinner, family day, and plant sale. If you plan to attend one of these events, check the dates, as schedules may change.

The Whole Wall Mural depicts the history of Cloud County. It is 140 feet long and made of 6,400 bricks donated locally by Cloud Ceramics. The mural brings the county’s history together in a single image, while the museum offers a selection of individual objects and displays on various topics.

At the Cloud County Fair, 4-H members and community members showcase their skills in sewing, cooking, crafts, painting, and photography. Individual exhibits may vary from year to year. Fair foods such as funnel cake are also available; seasonal details may vary. The fair offers a different focus from the historical institutions, emphasizing displayed skills and the fair atmosphere.

The Cloud County Tourism & Travel Information Center can be helpful when you’re getting started with your plans. It offers informational brochures about destinations in Kansas and can help with planning a visit to Cloud County.

Discover more destinations: Concordia, Finney, Meade County, Smith County, Ford County, Ellis County, Lane County, Sumner County.

For the main travel overview: Kansas.