The "Manhattan Optimist Club Bulletin" Vol. 2025 #45 9-3-25

VOLUME 2025    SEPTEMBER 3   NUMBER 45 

Vice President Kelly Karl welcomed everyone, and Mike Fincham gave us our daily reflection that was followed by the flag salute.   

ACHES & PAINS: Fall is in the air, breathe in, be kind and enjoy the season!   

PROGRAM: Mike Fincham introduced our speaker Garrett Seuser, who spoke to us about “Various Trail findings and Artifacts” – “Artifacts of the Oregon Trail”.   

Garrett Seuser is an advocational archaeologist as well as a middle/high school history teacher in Wakefield Kansas.  He graduated from Emporia State University in 2020 with his B.S.E. and was voted as the Undergraduate Student of the Year for the entire Social Sciences department.  He was named the 2023 Educator of the Year by the Oregon-California Trails Association.  At the end of 2023 Smoky Hill Trail Association’s Annual conference, he was awarded the Elton Beougher Memorial Grant, which provided funding for research and archeological digging along the trails.  In March of 2024, he was awarded Outstanding Teacher of American History by the Nathan Edson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.   

A lifelong Kansan, he has spent his free time researching and discovering hidden historical sites across Kansas and the Midwest, using his metal detector.  He has been successfully detecting for 10 years and has found thousands of artifacts, the locations of several hundred lost houses, schools, churches, military camps and other locations humans once occupied.  The last few years, he has shifted his focus to searching for military and emigrant campsites along the westward trails and has located dozens of lost campsites with many more on the way.  Garrett has also been featured on the Relics Radio podcast and the Great Outdoors Detecting YouTube channel and has presented at many historical societies and conferences.  He enjoys teaching his students about history using the artifacts he finds.  He encourages good ethics, keeps very detailed records of every location, and always gets landowners permission.  (Today, he and his wife celebrate 3 years of marriage – congratulations!)  

Garrett’s passion showed throughout his presentation, the photos, the history and the research were very interesting, there was so much packed into this short window, I would highly encourage you to check out the Relics Radio podcast.  S6 E23 - Hunting the Oregon Trail - Zach Metzger, Garrett Seuser, and Tony Frangella 

https://getpodcast.com/podcast/relics-radio-show/s6-e23-hunting-the-oregon-trail-zach-metzger-garrett-seuser-and-tony-f_ac67c952bb

Zach Metzger, Garrett Seuser, and Tony Frangella talk about their amazing recent trip hunting along the Oregon Trail. They will be talking about the finds, the adventures, the history and moose.  

Shout out to everyone who helped park cars for the Football game, Seve Boeckman, Steve Havenstein, Kale Terrill, Karen Hawes, Bryan Joy and Lee Modisett!  The club made $1200.25, thank you all!   

Doug Jardine will be riding again to raise money for Childhood Cancer.  Thanks for all the support! 

Save the date for the Fall Social at Optimist Park.  September 21st at 5:00pm (more information to come)  

Chili Crawl is coming together, October 18th is this year’s date.  

GUESTS: Speaker Garrett Seuser was accompanied by his wife Cassidy.  

Meeting adjourned with the Optimist Creed 

SEPTEMBER 10 – NOON MEETING: Program: Kendra Kuhlman, Executive Director, Manhattan Arts Center: Topic: “MAC Activities”

SEPTEMBER 17 – MORNING MEETING: Program: Larry Hoobler, Owner Operator, Triple T Farms: Topic: “Farming in Kansas & America Today”

SEPTEMBER 24 – NOON MEETING: Program: Greg McCune, Outgoing President: Topic: “Farewell Address”