Marla Matkin will present a program about the Faithful Standbys of Little Bighorn Monday, May 18, at 7 p.m., at the Barton County Historical Society. The program is presented through the generosity of Central National Bank. The presentation is free to those 16 and under and members of the historical society and $5 for all others. The program will be in the Ray Schulz Research Library in the main building of the historical society.
None Wounded, None Missing, All Dead! This title speaks to the trauma of The Little Bighorn. The shock of such an event would not only resonate across the country, but no one suffered as did the widows created by this tragedy. The loss of five companies and 280 men of the 7th Cavalry would have a profound effect on the lives of their loved ones, comrades and friends for the rest of their lives. For everyone who wins there are those who lose. “Because the widow’s stories are not often told, I share some of them with you and maybe you will be as moved by them as I have been,” Matkin stated
The wives believed their place was with their husbands wherever they were and whatever peril might lie ahead. But after June 25, 1876, they would assume the role of faithful standbys of the brave and gallant soldiers who rode to the sound of the bugle. As one of the wives later wrote Elizabeth Custer in the aftermath of this tragic event, “If we mourn together the bitter pangs of loss, we will hopefully make it to the other side of sorrow.”
A native Kansan, and the descendant of homesteaders, Marla Matkin is a former teacher as well as a respected historian and scholar. Best known for her portrayal of Elizabeth “Libbie” Custer, wife of General George Armstrong Custer, she utilizes her love of history and theatre to inspire and entertain her audiences. Along with her numerous historical programs, she writes and directs plays reminiscent of the old-time farces and melodramas, which take you on a rollicking romp through history.
Matkin currently serves on two boards, the Society of Friends of Historic Fort Hays and the Smoky Hill Trail Association. She has also had the pleasure of serving on the Arts and Entertainment Committee for the 200th celebration of the Santa Fe Trail. And she is very excited to be a part of the docudrama, The Contested Plains, dealing with the 1874 German Family Tragedy. She and Buck Taylor (Newly O’Brien of Gunsmoke) play Ruth and Rufus Brown, aunt and uncle of John German.
Matkin has also published her first children’s book entitled Custer’s Mouse, based on the true account of General Custer’s smallest pet. It’s an imaginative blend of history and storytelling. Her second children’s book, A Dragon’s Tale, has a 2022 publication date, and is the interesting story, told through the eyes of a young boy, of the discovery of the fossilized skeleton of a prehistoric swimming reptile called a plesiosaur at Fort Wallace in 1867. It is just another way to educate and excite future historians and enthusiasts.
The Barton County Historical Society is located at 85 S. Hwy. 281, Great Bend, just south of the river bridge. Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 1-5 p.m. The society is closed on Mondays.