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‘Hidden or Forbidden No More’ exhibit to highlight issues relevant to Iowa

‘BUS-eum History Tour’ rolling into Fort Museum Thursday

-Submitted photo
The “BUS-eum History Tour” will arrive in Fort Dodge Thursday morning at the Fort Museum and Frontier Village.

A unique bus will arrive Thursday at the Fort Museum and Frontier Village in Fort Dodge.

The “BUS-eum History Tour” will visit to present the exhibit “Hidden or Forbidden No More: Prequels to the ‘Greatest Generation,’ 1914-39.”

“Hidden or Forbidden No More” will feature five sub-stories: Kickin’ the Kaiser; The Killer: 1918 Flu Pandemic; The Klan: America’s White Cancer; Cow Wars: Farmer Rebellions; and Whiskey Cookers.

The traveling exhibit was curated by Iowa-raised Dr. Michael Luick-Thrams.

“That period — the First World War through the inter-war years — saw various social and political struggles, both abroad, but moreover at home,” Luick-Thrams said. “Not only did we fight Germany twice, but in the U.S. various factions warred with each other.”

Sam Ashton, the president of the Fort Dodge Historical Foundation, said they had wanted to host this exhibit previously, but didn’t have the funds.

“We had a benefactor step up and say they would fund to bring this exhibit into the museum for us,” he said.

Ashton said they will have presentations during the day about the topics in the “BUS-eum.”

“All the exhibits will be on the bus, but the presentations will go more in depth,” he said.

Ashton said they felt this exhibit would be good for Fort Dodge as the topics revolve around Iowa history.

“This is of interest to locals because it was in this area that a lot of these events happened,” he said.

The five exhibits revolve around hidden and taboo events that happened in Iowa during “The Greatest Generation’s” formative years. The five sections of the exhibit discuss anti-German hysteria during World War I, the flu pandemic of 1918, Prohibition bootlegging in Templeton, the Ku Klux Klan presence in the Midwest in the 1920s, and farmer rebellions and strikes during the Great Depression.

The Fort Museum will host this event on Thursday. The “BUS-eum” will be parked in the Trading Post parking lot from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and there will be presentations in the Opera House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The presentations will also be streamed live on the Fort Museum and Frontier Village Facebook page for those who are unable to attend.

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