Liberal Kansas is not a political statement. it is a town, full of surprises, well-worth a visit. Located in the very south west of Kansas on the state line with Oklahoma. On our paper map we could see an attraction in Liberal labeled “Coronado/Dorothy’s House.” What an intriguing but mysterious label. Who could resist, being aficionados of the Land of OZ and indeed in Kansas? We quickly plugged it into our GPS. By luck, it was directly on our chosen route northeasterly through the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma. How could we pass this opportunity by and in a town named Liberal to boot.
Little did we guess what a find this town could be. We arrived, passing vast stock yards, beef packing houses, acres of farm land waiting for spring planting, railroad yards and grain elevators, making up the beating heart that keeps this town alive. We arrived at Dorothy’s House at 4:00 after some trouble finding the true location on our GPS. (a common happening according to the docent that greeted us.) I quickly visited the visitors bureau across the way for some local information and then Paul and I entered the museum.
Half of the museum is devoted to Coronado and his troops who passed through the area on their trek through the southeast. Due to the late hour, we chose to spend our time with Dorothy, Frank Baum and the wonders of OZ. Raised on Oz, we related with glee to the story of Oz, Dorothy’s house, Toto, and all of the characters that streamed from Frank Baum’s mind. We learned that Max Zimmerman, a life insurance agent in the 70’s was the catalyst that gave Dorothy a place.
The story goes that Zimmerman attended a convention and asked a waiter reacting to his name tag showing Liberal, Kansas. Max asked the waiter, “what would you expect to see in Kansas?” The waiter replied, “Dorothy’s house,” leading the businessman to search for Dorothy’s “home town.” He quickly learned (pre-Google) that no other city had claimed the right to say “This is Dorothy’s home town.”
An equally intrigued resident of Liberal offered to donate a house much like the famous house described in the story. The house has been furnished according to the tale and the museum continues into a barn with full stage sets that bring to life the story of the Wizard of Oz. We followed the docent through the house and of course, over the (updated) yellow brick road into the barn. You meet every character; bird or monkey, tree or witch and Dorothy’s companions and Toto are there with sounds and visuals convincing you that the story is rolling before your eyes. The docent plays Dorothy, a convincing and talented actress.
The docents (in high season) are young twenty-something apprentices, playing the role of Dorothy in full costume. There is a wall engraved with the names of all the Dorothy actresses from the beginning. We were amused, amazed and entertained. Dorothy, the TIn Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion all live on. That is part of the story of Liberal, Kansas. There is much more to discover there, but that is for another time, another entry.
The best bet would be for you to find a way to pass through this town yourself delving into Dorothy’s world, Coronado’s exploits, the history of flight, a town devoted to the perfect pancake, corn and agriculture, railroads, grain elevators and a town flaunting its rich heritage. They deserve a larger spot on the map than the small red letters reading Coronado’Dorothy’s House.
Ann Carol Goldberg