Kearny Countians Fred and Billie Urie were avid collectors of Native American artifacts. Sunday afternoons were spent exploring Kearny County with their children: Harold, Sandra, Norman, Dennis and Margaret. They discovered many Indian campsites while on their adventures. Fred passed away in 1993, and upon Billie’s death in 2005, the Urie’s children graciously donated many of the family’s Native American artifacts. Recently Chad Myers, a Wichita State University graduate student in archeology, offered his services to sort and date the many Indian artifacts. He identified arrowheads, blades, drills, scrapers and knives and determined some artifacts date back to the Clovis Culture which is often thought to be the first civilization in North America. Those particular artifacts are between 13,800 to 10,000 years old. An additional case was needed to house the vast collection. We are happy to report that the Urie Collection is back on display for the enjoyment of our visitors. Please stop in to the Museum and check it out!
