Old Settlers’ Day traces its history to 1881

Old Settlers’ Day is as rich in tradition and as filled with constant change and progress as the years past which it honors. Indeed, it is the careful blending of tradition with innovation that makes Old Settlers’ Day one of the best annual celebrations in Central Kansas.

Always county-oriented, Old Settlers’ Day began Jan. 7, 1881, with a reunion for all people who settled in Marion County in the 1860s. The old settlers gathered for a basket dinner and reminiscing in Marion.

Other “pioneer picnics” and old-fashioned Independence Day celebrations were conducted both before and after this affair, but Jan. 7, 1881, is generally cited as the birthday of Old Settlers’ Day.

(Read more: Marion County RECORD)