[meteorite-list] King Solomon'ed say "cut the sucker"

From: Darren Garrison <cynapse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Jan 2 22:39:16 2006
Message-ID: <rjsjr1dq8n7epdsqc2i630rd50erp629fr_at_4ax.com>

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/state/13526195.htm

Meteorites are pride of two towns

Now one of the western Kansas towns wants to be the Meteorite Capital of America.BY BECCY TANNER
The Wichita Eagle

Haviland and Greensburg have always been close, but meteorites have come between them.
People in Haviland are a bit put out that Greensburg seems to be getting all the credit for the
world's largest oriented pallasite, a bullet-shaped meteorite.
It was found in western Kansas, between the two Kiowa County towns.
Haviland Mayor Jeff Christensen says Allen Binford, the farmer on whose land the 1,400-pound
meteorite was found, lives in Haviland.
Christensen has a vision. He believes Haviland, with its 612 residents, should be known as the
Meteorite Capital of America.
One of the nation's richest meteorite fields is in Kiowa County's Brenham Township, halfway between
the two towns.
"Haviland is a small town," Christensen said. "My dream is to get Haviland on the map. A meteorite
museum could bring several hundred people to town."
But Greensburg, the county seat, has 1,574 residents and is home to the world's fourth-largest
pallasite meteorite. The meteorite is in the Celestial Museum at the Big Well, the world's largest
hand-dug well and the county's top tourist attraction.
It doesn't hurt Greensburg's reputation, Mayor Stanley Adolph said, that professional meteorite
hunter Steve Arnold, who found the huge meteorite on Binford's farm, recently bought a house in
town.
Arnold also has leased nearly 3,000 acres of Kiowa County farmland and plans to spend the next few
years combing the fields of Brenham Township for more meteorites.
"We're proud to have him," Adolph said. "Maybe he'll find us another."
Arnold said there are enough meteorites for both communities.
"I wish there were more communities in the world wanting to take credit for meteorites found in
their midst," Arnold said. "Kiowa County is the only county in the United States where 100 percent
of the residents are aware of what meteorites are."
No matter which town lays claim to the meteorites, Arizona science writer and meteorite collector
Geoffrey Notkin said he thinks the idea of a national meteorite capital might work.
"I am not sure anyone else would be able to stand up and dispute it," he said.
Christensen said the idea is in the planning stages.
"If anybody is interested, I want to set up a museum," he said. "I want to do anything to get people
into our town."
Twelve years ago, farmer Don Stimpson bought property near Haviland that has a meteorite crater on
it.
A museum in Haviland, Stimpson said, could tell the history of how the area became so
meteorite-rich, showcase collections and perhaps host a festival.
"Out here we've got dark skies," he said. "You can go out, and on a clear night it seems the Milky
Way is so close you can reach out and touch it."
Received on Mon 02 Jan 2006 10:44:38 PM PST