Press release
On Feb. 20 at 2 p.m., Fort Hays welcomes Ken Spurgeon as its featured speaker and presenter.
Ken is a historian, teacher and producer/director associated with Fall River Productions. The film company focuses on historically-themed projects, and they are currently working on the highly awaited The Contested Plains.
This docu-drama is based on historic events in the 19th Century American West and is filming in Kansas and Texas.
Filming has already taken place in Wichita and Logan counties. The project is produced by The White Deer Land Museum Foundation, Pampa, Texas and Fall River Productions, Wichita.
The anticipated release date is summer 2022.
The Contested Plains recounts the story of John and Liddia German, who left Georgia with their seven children in 1870, headed for a better home in the West.
The family collided with a Cheyenne raiding party, who were survivors of the Sand Creek Massacre and the attack at the Washita.
This unspeakable tragedy occurred twenty miles east of Fort Wallace in August of 1874 as the family followed the Smoky Hill Trail westward to Colorado.
An intensive search for the four surviving German girls grabbed headlines throughout the nation and made household names of Native leaders and military officers.
Written by Ken Spurgeon and Deb Goodrich, and directed by Ken Spurgeon, the film stars Buck Taylor (Yellowstone, Gunsmoke), Darby Hinton (Israel Boone, The Daniel Boone Show), Mary McDonough (Erin Walton, The Waltons) and R.W. Hampton (Western Entertainer).
Buck Taylor plays the role of Rufus Brown, Missouri farmer and uncle to John German, who tries to persuade his nephew not to venture farther west.
Fort Hays would like to add that we have a connection to the project as one of our board members and volunteers, Marla Matkin plays Ruth Brown, wife of Rufus Brown.
Mr. Spurgeon is a most interesting speaker and is sure to enlighten his audience not only with the history but the behind-the-scenes accounts of filming such a historically significant event.
Join us at Fort Hays on February 20th, you don’t want to miss this fascinating presentation. In the meantime, we encourage you to watch The Contested Plains Official Teaser on Facebook.