The Geary County Historical Society will host “Kansas Anti-Horse Thief Societies,” a
presentation and discussion by John K. Burchill on Nov. 10, at 7:15 p.m. at the Geary County Historical Museum.

Members of the community are invited to attend the free program, which is being made possibly by the Kansas Humanities Council.

The program will follow the Annual Meeting and Dinner of the Historical Society membership. The dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., and will be provided by the Pilot Club of Junction City at a cost of $14 per person.

Kansas was once the center of operations for organized bands of horse thieves. In reaction, independent anti-horse thief societies were formed, with the national Anti-Horse Thief especially strong in Kansas. So effective were these organizations that local law enforcement were often the first to join, and the Kansas Bank Commissioner called for their assistance to help fight bank robberies that plagued the state.

John Burchill is an author and criminal justice historian who teaches at Kansas Wesleyan University. He is the author of Bullets, Badges, and Bridles: Horse Thieves and the Societies that Pursued Them.