In 2014 I gave a talk at the Baca County Museum about a topic I’d heard about my whole life— broomcorn.  Ironic, I suppose, that I would give a talk on this topic. I don’t really remember broomcorn and didn’t know much about it.  What I knew while giving the talk is that I knew less about broomcorn than several people in that room,who actually had experienced the broomcorn itch.  In fact, I overheard one person in the hallway grumpily mutter, “I know more about broomcorn than that guy.”  Of course he did and of coursed he didn’t stay for the talk.   What I realized at the time was that the story mattered, and that too much of it lived only in memory.

Somewhere along that time, my cousin Patty Brooks had been telling me, “You need to meet Steve Doner.” Looking back at it now when Steve came to that museum talk, it feels less like chance and more like providence. He stayed late and visited about the work and I guess that is where our collaboration really started.  The late Bill Stoner— had come with Steve and it was a pleasure meeting him and getting to know him a bit in subsequent years. Several others who were also in the room, Noble Rider, Elmer Briles and Shorty Miller and maybe a few more who are no longer with us.

In the years since that 2014 event, I’ve published a stack of books on Southeast Colorado and the American West. Meanwhile the broomcorn story kept tugging me back and I kept collecting artifacts and stories. The work to compile this story  was bigger than one researcher, and that’s where Steve changed everything.

Unlike me Steve actually remembers broomcorn; but like me along with other pieces of local history, he documents it. Like me, he tracks the people, incidents and stories of—growers and “Johnnies,” buyers and rickers, prices, freight, tools, cookshacks, and the little things that shaped a harvest. My book building habits—building timelines, creating and formatting sequence, checking sources, organizing clippings, blah blah blah—met Steve’s field-wise Baca County memory, historian’s eye and constant development and recording of content.

The result of this effort will be a book neither of us could have made alone. My conversations with John Morrison, Bill Greathouse and others these past few years filled in many blanks about something I was never around. I didn’t know what I didn’t know.  Mix in our new found friendship with Dick Bishop, whose writings honor his father,  Broomcorn King, Budge Bishop, and the hundreds of comments via our Baca County Social media groups of those who actually experienced the broomcorn era and we have the chance to collaboratively pull together an amazing compilation of this unique history.  

So … eleven years after that museum talk, I’m pleased to share where this journey has led: a collaborative project to record a truly unique piece of Baca County—and American agricultural—history:   “The broomcorn story.” 

Our newest cover carries Steve Doner’s name alongside mine, because that’s the only honest way to represent how this book came together. It will give you a more amazing and more accurate account than I ever could have written by myself.  As for submitting more?  We now have a submissions page setup for both Baca History Volume II and the Broomcorn project.  I say take a look at them and see if they work.  We’ll make adjustments as needed.  

Call for Submissions

As we work toward bringing this manuscript to a close, this is our final call to the community:

• Photos (fields, crews, ricks, trucks, sheds, fairs, festivals)
• Paper records (pay stubs, buyer receipts, ledgers, ads, letterheads)
• Tools & artifacts (knives, seed bags, tags, labels)
• Short written memories (one paragraph to one page)

We can scan items and return originals. We’ll credit contributors in the book’s acknowledgments. If you’re unsure whether something belongs, send it anyway—the smallest note can unlock a bigger chapter.  We’ll be taking submissions a number of ways.  We do have a submission form on the Baca County Historical Society web page, hosted by the Plainsman Herald.  It is a Google form so there are some size limitations and if you don’t have a Gmail account you can’t submit photos there.  Be patient as we work out the kinks for submissions.  

We also need your formal permission to publish your comments and stories.  That can be completed at the Baca County Historical Society Page which is hosted by the Plainsman Herald or via Kent’s  Plainsman Herald email.  I can send a release form  If you like Steve better than Kent, then send it to him.  Remember, we must have a release even for your Facebook comments to include them in the final compilation and yes we will be using volunteers to help us get stories from those who may not be comfortable submitting via a technical means. Stay tuned on that one. This is for both the broomcorn book and Volume II of Baca County history. 

How to share: comment or message me here, submit your broomcorn stories here: 

Thank you to Patty for the nudge, to Steve for the partnership. Most of all, thank you to everyone who’s helping turn scattered memories into a record our children and grandchildren can keep.

To be included in The Broomcorn Story and/or Baca County History—Volume II, all submissions (memories, photos, documents, artifacts, and social media comments) require a signed Contributor Release & Permission to Publish. This protects you as the rights holder and allows us to publish, archive, and credit your materials. Without a signed release, we won’t be able to use your submission. Please complete the release form and send it with your materials. If you need help, a volunteer can assist with the process.