Chanute celebrated its Sesquicentennial in 2023 since the adventure began in 1873 when four townships finally agreed to come together so they would have a greater opportunity at becoming a railroad stop. That was on the recommendation of Octave Chanute for whom the town is named. He was a civil engineer who built the first bridge to cross the Missouri River in Kansas City. He also designed and constructed the Chicago Stock Yards and the Kansas City Stock Yards. He served as a mentor to the Wright Brothers and was one of the first to hear of their successful flight at Kitty Hawk. Chanute’s book Progress in Flying Machines was published in 1894 and was influential in aviation research.

“Osa’s Ark” and “Spirit of Africa” in flight

They worked with George Eastman of Eastman Kodak to refine camera and film equipment. Their films and shows offered many Americans their first sights of these faraway lands. Osa’s I Married Adventure was the bestselling non-fiction book of 1940 and is still well-known today with its iconic zebra-striped cover. The Johnsons were the first to use product placement to help fund their safaris and, in 1935, were the first married couple to appear on the Wheaties cereal box. Martin died in a commercial plane crash in 1937. Osa continued their legacy through her writing, public appearances and television’s first wildlife series, Osa Johnson’s The Big Game Hunt. She also had a clothing and jewelry line and authored several children’s books. After her death in 1953, her mother Belle Leighty began work on a museum, which became the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum in Chanute. It opened in 1961.

The Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum began with a core collection of the Johnsons’ films, photographs, manuscripts, books and personal belongings. It has continued to expand and now has one of the most extensive collections of African artifacts in the Midwest. The museum is also home to an unprecedented collection of more than 2,000 photographs and personal archives of Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed Burnaby Main Le Blond. Lizzie LeBlond was an author, mountain climber and one of the world’s first female filmmakers. Her stunning nature photographs along with the photos of Lizzie climbing mountains in Victorian skirts highlight her amazing accomplishments, which include 20 first ascents conquering peaks no one had climbed previously.